Nearly a year after he firstappeared on Drink Champs, Kanye West returned to the show this week to discuss a variety of topics with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN.
One of the clips from the episode that’s resulted in backlash sees Kanye discussing George Floyd, who West incorrectly claims died of a drug overdose. While referencing Candace Owens’ new documentary, “The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM,” Ye attempted to tie Floyd’s death to fentanyl. Floyd’s death was of course, ruled a homicide, and his killer, Derek Chauvin remains in prison.
“If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that,” Kanye said.
Though Floyd’s autopsy found fentanyl in his system, medical experts determined it wasn’t enough to be considered fatal.
Elsewhere in the episode, Kanye mentioned how his Drink Champs viewership did better than Kim’s SNL episode when she hosted. He also called Drake “the greatest rapper ever.”
The interview with Ye was pushed back several hours last night, but later went live on the Revolt app. They added a disclaimer this time: “All views or opinions expressed during the Podcast are solely those of the individuals expressing such view or opinion and does not reflect the views or opinions of Sean Combs, Revolt Media & TV LLC, or their respective parent and/or affiliate companies.”
In the sneak preview, Ye talked about Virgil Abloh, Mav Carter blocking his interview on The Shop, and Bad Bunny.
The episode arrives as Kanye has been embroiled in controversy.
Earlier this month, Kanye experienced backlash after wearing a t-shirt with the phrase “White Lives Matter” during his YZY SZN 9 presentation that took place in Paris. The Chicago artist subsequently doubled down, calling Black Lives Matter a “scam.” He has since been ripped by countless critics, including Diddy, Boosie Badazz, and Jaden Smith, among others.
Throughout the interview, Ye continues speaking about Jewish people, most notably Dov Charney—the Los Angeles Apparel founder, who printed Kanye’s controversial White Lives Matter tees. According to Ye, Charney, who is Jewish, refuses to release the shirts after West’s “Death con 3 on Jewish People” tweet. Charney encouraged West to visit the Holocaust Museum, to which West told him to visit Planned Parenthood, “our Holocaust Museum.”
West also claims the four concerts he had booked at Los Angeles’ So-Fi Stadium were canceled by the stadium owners following his Death Con 3 tweet.
Ye then accused Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, of killing Virgil, who died in November 2021 after a battle with cancer. Shortly after posting the rant on social media, Tremaine Emory, Supreme’s creative director, urged the rapper to not use the Virgil’s name as part of his “victim campaign” and alleged that Ye “rode on [Abloh] in group chats” and elsewhere.
Emory then shared a screenshot of Ye’s Instagram post about YZY SZN 9 from earlier in the day in which he proposed discussing “more important things like how late the show was or how Bernard Arnault killed my best friend.” Arnault, notably, is the CEO at LVMH.
In his caption, Emory urged Ye to not use the late Virgil Abloh’s name as part of his “victim campaign” and alleged that Ye “rode on [Abloh] in group chats” and elsewhere.
“Ye tell the ppl why you didn’t get invited to Virgil’s actual funeral the one before the public one at the museum,” Emory, the founder of Denim Tears and Supreme’s current creative director, said. “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.”
Check out more below:
