Industry Voices on YZY Season 9
At the show itself, editors left, sickened by the messaging. And now, the internet is in a state of reaction and discourse: fans of Kayne in the past are confused and conflicted, his former collaborators are taking a stand against his work and the harmful statement so overtly expressed. We hope to consolidate some of the important opinions that have been expressed over the last day, and urge our readers to react and have their voices heard as well.
Guap Dad 4000 goes in on an Instagram video, declaring, “No. No. I love Kanye. I love Kanye, but no… Aside from the fact that White Lives Matter was just an empty blanket statement created in a racist response to Black Lives Matter which was created because we were being murdered, still are, and people already know that White Lives Matter. You don’t need a shirt for that. Not Kanye West.”
“...Kanye says he feels like he is at war, but with who? For thousands of years since the determination that aesthetics and value should go hand-in-hand since someone decided that black versus white is the proper metric to denote evil versus good, since African ancestors were brought to this and other lands on slave ships, since Indigenous ancestors were slaughtered in the gentrification wars of the colonizers… WHITE LIVES HAVE MATTERED.” Says Venus X, continuing, “This is propaganda. This is violent. It’s also just terrible fashion.”
Dazed US Editor who left the show midway, Lynette Nylander, told press, “It doesn’t matter what the intention was… it’s perception to the masses out of context, as well as implication of the choir made up of children that all looked under 10. He knew what he was doing and it was harmful.”
Jamie McCracken also touches on the children’s choir Ye coordinated to perform at the show, “He made children wear it. Who doesn’t understand the weight it has. Being controversial shouldn’t just equate to the opposite of common sense. It’s lazy and it’s dangerous.”
In a screenshot of a text conversation Ye posted himself, designer Mowalola Ogunlesi addressed Ye’s online attack of editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson who criticized the tees, “I also don’t think u should insult that writer. U could actually have a real conversation about the tee.”
Tremaine Emory's post dived in deep, touching on the references to Virgil in one of Ye's post-show captions, “I gotta draw the line at you using Virgil's death in your 'ye' is the victim campaign in front your sycophant peanut algorithm gallery Your best friend Virgil, NEGRO PLEASE, this time last year you said Virgil's designs are a disgrace to the black community infont of all your employees at yeezy -ASK LUCETTE HOLLAND...I GOT ALL THE 'RECEIPTS' (don't let me get into the things you said about v after his death) Ye tell the ppl why you didn't get invited to Virgil's actual funeral the one before the public one at the museum. You knew Virgil had terminal cancer and you rode on him in group chats, at yeezy, interviews...YOU ARE SO BROKEN. KEEP VIRGIL NAME OUT YOUR MOUTH…KEEP @gabriellak_j NAME OUT YOUR MOUTH…Your not a victim your just an insecure narcissist that's dying for validation from the fashion world.…take care…..at least we'll always have 'UGANDA'”
“This is bullying and weird…” Commented photographer Quil Lemons on Ye’s post, “This is really sad, as someone who really used to admire your contributions to fashion and black culture... today it became apparent that something’s not clicking in your mind. Elevator not going all the way up of all things that could’ve been done this is a new low. Accept criticism. Also support where is it? This is just gross.”
Campbell Addy added on to the furious chain of comments building on Ye’s post this morning, “Nah, this aint it. Coming for someone because they dont share the same opinion of your work is corny. What happened to discourse? What happened to being able create and understand not everyone is going to grasps it. This is bullying, and is such a low blow. Extremely dissapointed.”
Kimberly Drew posted on her own story two slides: “I make a lot of room for Kanye, but this is baseless, dangerous and unintelligent. There is subversion and then there is indoctrination and compliance,” followed by the simple, concise statement, “True genius doesn’t need gimmicks.” These are only a few of the sentiments that are being spread around. Your voices are equally important and deserving of a platform. We encourage you to share your opinions, and engage with the conversation.
