If you think the Donald Trump presidency is scary, just wait until Kanye West dips his foot into politics if what he said at the 2019 Fast Company Innovation Festival turns out to be true. While discussing the expansion of his Yeezy brand, Kanye said that his success in business could lead to a successful presidential run.
That’s right; Kanye told the crowd he was going to run for president in 2024.
The crowd initially laughed at Kanye’s comments — something people have been doing in recent years — before Kanye said that he was serious about his aspirations of being President of the United States.
“When I run for president in 2024… What y’all laughing at? When I run for president in 2024, we would create so many jobs that I’m not going to run, I’m going to walk,” Kanye told the crowd, as transcribed by Complex. “What I’m saying is, when y’all read headlines—’Kanye’s crazy,’ this and that—one in three African Americans are in jail and all the celebrities are in jail also ’cause they can’t say nothing, they got no opinion, they’re so scared!”
Kanye’s comments begin around the 24:30 mark.
Kanye recently switched from hip-hop/rap to gospel, and now it looks like he has aspirations of going from entertainer to president. Hey, it worked for his pal Trump, so you have to assume anything is possible in today’s political landscape. But seriously, President Kanye? God help us all.
Kanye also discussed Rodney Reed, a man who is on death row in Houston and scheduled to be executed in less than two weeks. Many believe Reed is innocent due to new evidence, and Kanye is calling on others to step up for justice.
“There’s a gentleman in Houston, Rodney Reed, that all the evidence says that this guy didn’t do it, and he’s supposed to executed in 30 days,” ‘Ye said. “And all the [black celebrities] will tweet about it. But the question is: Will they stop playing basketball for a week to make sure this innocent man gets out? For black people, I say: don’t just be a demographic. Own your power. Your power is not just to vote democrat for the rest of your lives.”
That’s right. Your power is not just to vote democrat. It’s to vote Kanye, apparently.
