While social media continues to tear into Kanye West, Jermaine Dupri is having none of it.
The Chicago MC drew some heat last week when he voiced support for Donald Trump and Black Lives Matter critic Candace Owens, but former collaborator Dupri doesn’t want that to distract from Ye’s business acumen.
“The fact that @kanyewest is a 40-year-old Black man, heading towards being a Black billionaire, based of a pure creation, [on] belief and passion, let’s not act like that’s normal, easy or regular,” Dupri tweeted Tuesday, April 25. “I say all this because I knew @kanyewest before all y’all, his first track placement was on my ‘Life in 1472’ album, so for me to see him then and what’s he’s doing now, amazing!! #Trumotivation.”
The fact that @kanyewest is a 40 year old black man,heading towards being a black billionaire,based of a pure creation,none belief and passion, let’s not act like that’s normal,easy or regular
— Jermaine Dupri (@jermainedupri) April 25, 2018
Ye himself tweeted that his Yeezy brand is on track to hit the $1 billion mark this year.
We have 160 positions to fill by the end of the year. Yeezy will hit a billion dollars this year. It is the 2nd fastest growing company in history. It is a unicorn on its way to becoming a decacorn.
— ye (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018
And on Monday, April 30, the rapper touted the technology the company is implementing, saying it should no longer be referred to as just a fashion brand.
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/991013454143082496
There has never been a Disney or Apple of apparel and now there is. We are hiring the greatest technical and industrial designers in the world to deliver the highest level of product to ALL CLASS
— ye (@kanyewest) April 30, 2018
Yeezy is also food shelter communication education and now a VC
we've invested in 3 companies since last week
— ye (@kanyewest) April 30, 2018
“Can someone help me out here, since so many people are against @kanyewest why when he drop them sneakers y’all be lined the f— up ? holding dem s—s up by your ear all kinda s— lol,” Dupri continued last week.
Yet despite all of the big things Yeezy has in store, folks still have some issues with its founder.
“Imma need the proof on this ‘heading towards being a Black billionaire’ nonsense,” one person tweeted. “‘Cause last I checked, his own wife has been outearning him for the past two to three years & even Drake’s net worth is higher than his.”
“You made this tweet before the MAGA hat tweet I see LOL,” one person said. “Just know Jermaine your brand isn’t strong enough to [get] on Trump’s side.”
“Y’all fell for it. The issue with Ye is not his money or his accomplishments,” another said. “It’s his rhetoric and the rhetoric he’s supporting and promoting.”
“I don’t understand the correlation?” someone else tweeted. “Can’t you like someone’s shoes but not like their political ideology at the same time? We can walk and chew gum sir lol.”