Kanye West, popularly known as Ye, seems to be spiraling out of control when it comes to creating controversy. From teasing the public about his 2024 presidential run and the ‘White Lives Matter’ t-shirt to making religious statements, he has been sparking controversy. He even got blocked from Twitter and Instagram in recent times for making inappropriate anti-semitic comments.
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The rapper made an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast recently, and made some outrageous claims about George Floyd’s death.
The George Floyd tragedy
George Floyd lost his life in 2020 following a violent altercation with police. There is video evidence of the incident, which took place in Minneapolis when policeman Derek Chauvin killed him by placing his knee on Floyd’s neck for close to nine minutes.
The officer was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter after this tragic incident, which was the beginning of the global Black Lives Matter movement.
Kanye West’s statements about the incident
According to West, as per Billboard, Floyd allegedly died due to fentanyl and not by suffocation due to the officer’s knee.
West made this claim while discussing Candace Owen's documentary The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM,as per The Independent. Kanye said, 'They hit him with the fentanyl, if you look the guys knee wasn’t even on his neck like that'. The Gold Digger artist even ended up comparing Floyd’s death with that of Virgil Abloh, questioning whether the fashion designer actually lost his life to cancer.
Floyd family’s reaction
After West went public with his thoughts on Floyd’s death, his family naturally didn’t take it well. As per IB Times, his family is considering filing a lawsuit against Kanye for his false statements.
Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt tweeted the following statement about Kanye’s false claims:
While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death.
— Lee Merritt (@MerrittForTexas) October 16, 2022
Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.
Sources used:
- The Independent: 'Kanye West sparks fresh controversy as he claims George Floyd's killer didn't really have knee on his neck'
- IB Times: 'George Floyd's Family May Sue Kanye West Over Fentanyl Death Claims'
- Billboard: 'Kanye West Talks George Floyd Death Theories, Calls Drake 'Greatest Rapper Ever' & More on Drink Champs'
Read more:
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⋙ Kanye West teases US Presidential run for 2024, here's everything we know
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