Kanye West Stops Concert to Deliver 40-Minute Pro-Trump Rant (Video)
Kayne West’s Saint Pablo Tour concert in San Jose quickly turned chaotic Thursday night after the rapper delivered a nearly hour-long political speech in which he said he would have voted for Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election.
“I told y’all I didn’t vote, right? But if I were to vote, I would have voted on Trump,” the rapper told the crowd, which responded with a chorus of boos.
"I would have voted for Trump." – Kanye West pic.twitter.com/g9qxaT7aRc
— billy (@billycrossover) November 18, 2016
West then praised Trump’s anti-politically correct stance and said that he feels vindicated after having been persecuted for supporting the President-elect.
West continued the show, ordering his DJ to play his 2008 hit “Heartless.” The crowd loudly sang the song’s lyrics, but were interrupted by yet another rant from the Grammy-winning rapper.
“I just said that I would have voted for Donald Trump and then I did a song and y’all sang it at the top of your lungs,” West told the crowd. “That doesn’t mean that you’re a Trump supporter. That just means you ok with a celebrity having their own opinion. Or that someone else is ok to have their own opinion. That might not be your opinion but you can still like that person or still like that person’s music.”
Later in the show, West sparked another round of boos when he rebuked black people for focusing on racism.
“Specifically to black people, stop focusing on racism. This world is racist, ok? Let’s stop being distracted to focus on that as much,” the chart-topper said.
West noted that neither Hillary Clinton nor Trump winning the election would’ve ended racism in America.
“It’s just a fucking fact. We are in a racist country. Period,” he said. “Not one or the other candidate was going to instantly be able to change that.”
Kanye West tonight speaking on racism in America. "Specifically to black people, stop talking about race so much." pic.twitter.com/HTWlJgdq7E
— Brandon E. Patterson (@myblackmindd) November 18, 2016
West continued to rant, as noted by one concertgoer who live-tweeted the monologue. He also bashed the audience for being closed-minded, and allowing the “more liberal” media and the internet to convince them that Clinton would win.
Another show stopped. Kanye is asking who voted for Hillary, mixed cheers and boos. Kanye is calling out Trump supporters.
— Raptor (@RaptorJesuss) November 18, 2016
"People who voted for either side come out to the show, I know media is more liberal, what I'm saying is I'm not judging Trump voters"
— Raptor (@RaptorJesuss) November 18, 2016
"There are Hillary supporters that may be louder, but MY fact is that there are people who who voted for Trump here at the show"
— Raptor (@RaptorJesuss) November 18, 2016
"The dumbest thing about politics is that politics separate, not one side or the other side is bad, it's not Democratic or Republican"
— Raptor (@RaptorJesuss) November 18, 2016
"Echoing is what made people think Hillary was going to win, you thought because what the Internet was telling you, that she was gonna win"
— Raptor (@RaptorJesuss) November 18, 2016
"Rappers are philosophers of our now, celebrities are the influencers of our now, just look at the president, he wasn't in politics & won"
— Raptor (@RaptorJesuss) November 18, 2016
Before continuing his politically charged rant, West hinted at his plan to run for president in 2020.
When Kanye announces he's running in 2020 pic.twitter.com/R1VuIo1b0d
— Mikaela (@WhiteMikaela) November 18, 2016
Someone in the crowd apparently threw something at West, while he was beginning yet another pro-Trump rant.
Kanye West just stopped the show again to tell us that Kanye liked Trumps campaign. Someone threw something at Kanye but he isn't mad.
— Raptor (@RaptorJesuss) November 18, 2016
Moments later, another flying object apparently hit the rapper.
Someone threw something at Kanye that hit him, he's now threatening to cancel the show. "Am I not allowed to have an opinion?"
— Raptor (@RaptorJesuss) November 18, 2016
West has gone radio silent since Thursday night’s controversial concert. His next show is Saturday night in Sacramento, California.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter: @JeromeEHudson