Kanye West responds to criticism over ‘White Lives Matter’ T-shirt at Yeezy show

Kanye West has spoken out following the ongoing backlash he's received for wearing a 'White Lives Matter' T-shirt at his Yeezy fashion show.

The 'Praise God' singer - now formally known as Ye - debuted the controversial fashion statement at Paris Fashion Week where he was showcasing season nine of his Yeezy clothing line.

The 45-year-old's attire sparked mass outrage online, with Jaden Smith - son of actor Will Smith - even tweeting he had to remove himself from the fashion show after seeing Ye's attire.

Ye has since responded to the backlash.

Taking to his Instagram story, Ye wrote: "Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam.

"Now it's over.

"You're welcome."

At the fashion show, Ye had a picture of the Pope on the front of his long-sleeved top and 'White Lives Matter' emblazoned across the back.

However, it wasn't only the rapper who was caught wearing it either, as several models at the pop-up show were also spotted dressed in the T-shirts, as well as Candace Owens, a controversial conservative political commentator and talk show host.

Social media exploded as soon as the T-shirts were spotted.

"Kanye West making Black models wear 'white lives matter' shirts is a culmination of his anti blackness and his immersion in white supremacy ideologies and methods. Disgusting," one user wrote.

Another said: "Kanye West was on Instagram not too long ago talking about the Kardashians were corrupting his BLACK children… just to be wearing a White Lives Matter shirt."

A third user questioned: "Do white lives not matter?"

To which another responded responded: "We don't need a reminder of the worth of white lives. America is a shrine to the worth of white people. This message is reactionary to a message affirming the worth of Black lives, which have never been worth anything in America.

"In its intent, it's a white supremacist notion, because it posits that we can't have a conversation about the worth of Black people without having a conversation about the worth of white people, which is f**king insane.

"The notion that it ALWAYS has to be about white people in America is incredibly frustrating, emotionally draining, and the whole problem.

"But here's Kanye, apparently centering that notion."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact Stop Hate UK by visiting their website www.stophateuk.org 

Topics: Kanye West, Music, Instagram, Social Media, Black Lives Matter

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.