UPDATE: Kanye West has a message for his millions of fans that includes distancing himself from politics and Candace Owens. In a series of tweets, West stated, “I introduced Candace to the person who made the logo and they didn’t want their name on it so she used mine. I never wanted any association with Blexit. I have nothing to do with it.”
He added in a separate tweet: “My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative !!!”
ORIGINAL STORY: Black conservative Candace Owens on Monday accused the media of creating “drama and further divisiveness” by crediting rap star Kanye West with designing her new #BLEXIT campaign aimed at getting Black folks to ditch the Dems in favor of the GOP.
“#BLEXIT is about the beautiful stories of so many Black people who have awakened themselves to the possibilities of our future, as Americans,” Owens wrote on Twitter.
The clarification comes amid reports that the “Gold Digger” rapper lent his design expertise to the colors and graphics for a line of hats and T-shirts Owens, 27, is using to promote the campaign, which launched Oct. 27, according to Quartzy. Owens, who also serves as communications director for conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, was on hand at the organization’s Young Black Leadership Summit in Washington over the weekend, where colorful BLEXIT shirts were being passed out.
“Blexit is a renaissance and I am blessed to say that this logo, these colors, were created by my dear friend and fellow superhero Kanye West,” Owens told the New York Post, noting that West has “taken one of the boldest steps in America to open a conversation we have needed to have.
On Monday, the young conservative clarified her comments to say that West had only helped in one aspect of her BLEXIT designs.
.@KanyeWest designed these “Blexit” t-shirts for @RealCandaceO’s new “Blexit” movement. They were handed out at #YBLS2018 pic.twitter.com/fh4IT6lVut
— Nikki Schwab (@NikkiSchwab) October 27, 2018
“I said on stage that my friend and fellow superhero helped me design he ‘X’ for BLEXIT,” she began. “This may shock the world, but Ye is a world renowned designer. Everyone who knows him asks him for advice on designs.”
Owens emphasized that the project “is mine entirely,” but said she felt “blessed that Ye introduced me to a designer who, despite having totally different political beliefs than me, helped me craft some beautiful letters that I used on the BLEXIT caps.”
West and Owens became fast friends earlier this year after the rapper tweeted that he was a fan of “the way Candace Owens thinks.” Their shared, unabashed support for President Donald Trump, who West once called his “brother,” has brought them even closer.
Owens fired off at the media, calling the insinuation that West was the true author of her campaign “pointedly wrong and dishonest.”
“Let’s not politicize love,” she added.
As reported by Quartzy, the product descriptions on the BLEXIT website initially named West as their designer, although the site has since been updated to remove the rapper’s name. Owens’ name also doesn’t appear on the designs.
