Rapper T.I. has slammed Kanye West and other African-American stars who’ve met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump’s elevation to America’s highest office has divided the nation and he has been accused, among other things, of inflaming racial tensions and courting the support of far-right groups.
In an Instagram video T.I. called on celebrities to refuse meetings with the billionaire turned politician, claiming the interactions were part of a strategy to divide African-Americans.
“I’m going to tell all you celebrities – black, minority, all of you man, athletes. Let me tell you something: there’s a strategic plan that people are trying to make you a part of,” he said. “Do not accept any invitation or have any meeting no matter how positive you think the outcome may be, without understanding man people have a very Willie Lynch agenda.”
The term Willie Lynch refers to the subject of a widely believed hoax story of a plantation owner who pitted his slaves against one another.
Directly referring to Kanye in another video he added, “They seen how adamantly against him (Trump) being president the hip hop community and young black people in America was, so what do they do? They get Kanye West. He’s their representative. They buy his music, they buy his shoes they go see well surely if he smiles says he’s cool with it they’ll fall right in line.”
T.I., real name Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr., also slammed TV host Steve Harvey for meeting Trump.
The angry videos were posted online on America’s Martin Luther King Day holiday (16Jan17), the same day the late civil rights leader’s son met with the President-elect. Martin Luther King III also came in for criticism from the rapper for his rendezvous with Trump.
The Live Your Life rapper has also addressed Trump in an open letter published by RollingStone.com on Friday, in which he wrote, “Should it ever at times seem as though we are against you (Trump), I assure you it’s a result of you defining yourself as the representative for those who are and who always have been against us.”
The billionaire turned politician will become America’s 45th President on 20 January (17).
