Kanye West Calls ‘Black Lives Matter’ A “Scam” Amid ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirt Backlash

Kanye West briefly addressed backlash he received Monday for wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt to his YZY SZN 9 runway show in Paris, referring to “Black Lives Matter” as a scam.

“EVERYONE KNOWS BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM,” the artist, 45, posted to his Instagram Stories early Tuesday morning. “NOW IT’S OVER. YOU’RE WELCOME.”

As an organization, Black Lives Matter has been under heavy scrutiny due to allegations of misappropriating donated funds, with Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation leader Shalomyah Bowers being accused of stealing $10 million in donations just last month.

The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation also faced criticism after the cash purchase of a $6 million home in Los Angles in 2020.

While the organization has faced scrutiny, BLM as a movement continues to garner support from many seeking social justice. Ye’s “White Lives Matter” shirt set off a wave of disappointed responses from several public figures, including journalist Van Lathan, who shared an image of Ye in the shirt to Instagram captioned, “Ya’ll.”

Within his comment section, he elaborated, responding to a follower who asked, “do white lives not matter?”

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Candace Owens and Kanye West sport ‘White Lives Matter’ shirts together at his fashion show in Paris. pic.twitter.com/EiVCH9DW4g

— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 3, 2022

“We don’t need a reminder of the worth of white lives,” he replied, via Yahoo. “America is a shrine to the worth of white people. This message is reactionary to a message affirming Black lives, which have never been worth anything in America.

“In its intent, it’s a white supremacist notion,” he asserted, adding that and West is “apparently centering that notion. The notion that it always has to be about white people in America is incredibly frustrating, emotionally draining and a whole problem.”

Lathan was joined by Jemele Hill, Jaden Smith, Marc Lamont Hill and others in his critique.