Kanye West has been the tag in countless headlines for a rainbow of reasons. Stories surrounding West have touched on almost every point on the spectrum – from celebratory (in light of his recently released documentary) to downright ‘odd’ (noting his rants on Instagram) to bullying and harassment (following his roast chronicles toward Pete Davidson) and now disappointingly, racism, with Trevor Noah at the stake.
How did this all start?
Kim Kardashian is a topic all unto her own – with her name inciting many mixed feelings, especially after her seemingly tasteless comment toward working women.
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Many women may not be able to relate to Kim on a lot of things, especially some of her opinions, but many can relate to harassment – especially the kind that is often swept under the rug because it happens digitally, in a world where it is difficult to distinguish what is real or edited.
This is how Trevor Noah got thrown onto Kanye’s ‘war path’. Trevor took to comment on the Kim and Kanye happenings on The Daily Show. He noted that:
“What she’s going through is terrifying to watch …what we’re seeing is one of the most powerful, one of the richest women in the world, unable to get her ex to stop texting her, to stop chasing after her, to stop harassing her.”
Ye’s Instagram, which has become a space where the rapper often shares whatever is on his mind in unfiltered formatting, quickly added a screenshot of Trevor Noah and a rewrite of the lyrics to Kumbaya added to his library of rants.
However, this time his thoughts were succinct, a far cry from the capitalised paragraphs his followers had seen before when Kanye faced a discrepancy with someone. The words were less, but certainly said more.
The rewrite said “koon baya my lord,” with the first word being well-associated as a racist slur.
West’s Instagram ended up being suspended as a response from the social media giant.
He was restricted from “posting, commenting and other actions for 24 hours and the company will take further action if necessary,” the spokesperson for Meta said.
However, Trevor Noah responded with kindness
“There are few artists who have had more of an impact on me than you Ye,” Noah replied, according to screenshots verified by the comedian’s team as Los Angeles Times reports.
“You took samples and turned them into symphonies … You’re an indelible part of my life Ye. Which is why it breaks my heart to see you like this. I don’t care if you support Trump and I don’t care if you roast Pete. I do however care when I see you on a path that’s dangerously close to peril and pain.”
Of the slur, Trevor said:
“Clearly some people graduate but we still stupid. Don’t ever forget, the biggest trick racists ever played on black people was teaching us to strip each other of our blackness whenever we disagree. Tricking us into dividing ourselves up into splinters so that we would never unite into a powerful rod.”
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Picture: Matthew Noir