His t-shirt slogan caused a stir at Paris Fashion Week – now rapper Kanye West has defended the controversial “White Lives Matter” imprint on US television. “The answer to why I wrote ‘White Lives Matter’ on a shirt is because it is. It’s the obvious,” West said on Thursday (local time) on a program with Tucker Carlson, an influential evening show host on conservative Fox News TV.
“I just do certain things out of a feeling, I just channel the energy, it just feels right,” West continued to justify. “You use your gut feeling, your connection to God, and just (your) genius.”
Adidas reconsiders partnership with West
The 45-year-old US rapper wore the long-sleeved T-shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter” during Paris Fashion Week on Monday. The anti-racism organization Anti-Defamation League classifies the sentence as a racist reaction to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which campaigns against violence against black people. In May 2020, African American George Floyd was killed in a brutal police operation in the United States. Under the motto “Black Lives Matter”, there were months of nationwide mass demonstrations against police violence and racism.
Meanwhile, sporting goods giant Adidas announced it was reconsidering its partnership with West. “After repeated attempts to clarify the situation outside of the public, we have decided to put the partnership to the test,” it said in a statement. A successful partnership is based on mutual respect and shared values. The eccentric US superstar recently accused Adidas of not sticking to agreements and contracts with him. In general, he does not feel sufficiently involved in decisions and demands more influence. West also complained that his ideas were being copied and used for his own branded products.
