Kanye West sparks controversy as he wears 'White Lives Matter' shirt at Paris Fashion Week

A day after making his runway debut walking for Balenciaga at the Paris Fashion Week, American Rapper Kanye West made a statement at the event by wearing a shirt featuring the words "White Lives Matter" during his Yeezy Season 9 event. Ye's black long sleeve-shirt sparked controversy as the words written over it are considered a "hate slogan" by the Anti-Defamation League. The rapper also got featured in the post shared by conservative commentator Candace Owens on Twitter — who wore the same shirt in white to the show. The shirt's front had the words "Seguiremos Tu Ejemplo," meaning "We Will Follow Your Example" written over it.

At the event, he made numerous allusions, including to the 2016 Paris heist involving his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, his former manager Scooter Braun, the difficulties he encountered when trying to get into the fashion industry, and his most recent spat with Gap. Referring to his new legal team, Ye stated, "I am Ye, and everyone here knows that I am the leader. You can’t manage me."

"It's the ultimate stigma. People feel like they have the right to come to my face and call me crazy. Like it doesn't hurt my feelings. Or like, you don't have to be crazy in order to change the world," he said at the event. West further added, "You can't manage me. This is an unmanageable situation. You can't turn the music lower, this is a God's dream, a dream that can't happen without the help of God. The journey. The people who believed early. The people who sat in my car and listened to the early versions of Yeezus."

Ahead of his show, Ye also teased some of the popular models expected to make appearances during his Yeezy Season 9 event. The names included his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk, current flame Candice Swanepoel, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, Lauryn Hill, Naomi Campbell, Emily Ratajkowski, Gisele Bündchen, Bella Hadid and Amelia Gray Hamlin. However, only Shayk, Campbell and Amelia Gray Hamlin made appearances.

Ye's "White Lives Matter" shirt sparks controversy on Twitter

Ye's move to wear "White Lives Matter" fueled several reactions from all across the globe, as evident from social media. American author-activist Marc Lamont Hill tweeted, "Kanye West's decision to wear a “White Lives Matter” shirt is disgusting, dangerous, and irresponsible. Some of y’all will rush to defend him. You should ask yourselves why…"

"Whether it's Lauren Boebert or Majorie Taylor Greene saying dumb shit like "democrats have already started the killings" or Kanye West and Candace Owens wearing dumb shit like 'White Lives Matter' shirts... THEY JUST WANT ATTENTION. Please stop giving it to them," a Twitter user wrote.

TV presenter Elgin Charles tweeted, "The timing of Kanye West’s “White Lives Matter” marketing campaign [foolishness] is… convenient. Much like his presidential bid, it’s meant to serve as a distraction and bolster the other side. He is OFFICIALLY the face of ‘All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk’."

Image: