Chicago’s Chance the Rapper himself never shy away from sharing his political views on Twitter, and is known for supporting public education and the Chicago Teachers Union.
But few fans and followers could have guessed that the rapper supported Kanye West’s bid for the White House.
On Monday morning, Chance shared West’s tweet promoting his new song, “Donda.”
Named after West’s mother, the song calls for an end to racism. Donda opens the song by reciting KRS-One lyrics.
Some commentators called Chance irresponsible for promoting the West in such a crucial election, while others expected a “Sike!” Cheep.
Chance then asked the fans if they were more pro Biden or anti West and why. Some tweeted their own reasons for voting for Biden and cited West’s comments against abortion and the vaccine as troubling positions for Democratic voters.
Kanye’s candidacy is a joke, but I’ll take Chance’s question seriously.
Where do i start Kanye knows nothing about politics, has 0 experience, called slavery an option, endorsed Trump, is an anti-vaxxer, etc.
Biden has experience and plans for climate change, race, economy, etc. pic.twitter.com/BTtrHqSN1x
– Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) July 13, 2020
On July 4, West tweeted that he was running for president in the 2020 election under what he called the birthday party banner. So far, you have not completed any of the documents necessary to appear on the ballots in any state. In an interview with Forbes, West, who has been a vocal advocate for President Trump, denied that his campaign was a publicity stunt for his new album and listed his own priorities if chosen.
Chance’s criticism of Biden is all the more puzzling because the rapper’s father, Ken Williams-Bennett, worked as Sen then. Barack Obama’s state director and later in the 2008 president’s campaign and at the White House. After leaving the White House, Williams-Bennett returned to Chicago to work for then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Chance seemed to be reading the responses to his tweets and replied with:
I finally got the answer now. I get it. Everyone trusts Biden more than everyone trusts Ye. I think I understand why, I just don’t feel the same.
– Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) July 13, 2020
For the next few hours, Chance continued to ask questions from what it means to be “presidential” to ideas about abolishing the prison. Thousands of people responded to his original and subsequent tweets.
Chance recognized his trend status with a simple request:
I had no plans to make a trend today, but I would like to take this opportunity to say: with all these apologies and responsibilities around the city of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department you should finally admit and report the murder of Fred Hampton
– Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) July 13, 2020
Fred Hampton, a leader of the Black Panther in Chicago, was shot dead at his home by the Chicago Police and the state attorney’s office in December 1969. Anyone interested can also see “The Fred Hampton Assassination: How The FBI and Chicago Police Killed a Black Panther.
