Talib Kweli at DC Jazz Fest (Photo by Vickey Ford)
Talib Kweli has been a friend and collaborator to Kanye West for more than a decade, and he tweeted a message to the superstar musician after West's endorsement of President-Elect Donald Trump.
"We love u. U r everything u say u are. A genius, an icon. U added greatness to my life," Kweli tweeted. "But lifting Trump kills us. Come home."
West has been derided by fans since Thursday night, when he told the audience at his concert in San Jose, Calif. that he "would have voted on Trump" had he participated in the election. He seemed to mirror was some pundits said about the disruptive, anti-establishment stance that was a central part of Trump's campaign.
"There’s nonpolitical methods to speaking that I like, that I feel were very futuristic. And that style, and that method of communication has proven that it can beat a politically correct way of communication," West said during the monologue, which attendees said lasted between 40 minutes and an hour.
He also praised Trump, saying he "inspired racists to reveal themselves." He added, "stop focusing on racism. We are in a racist country, period."
Kweli's working relationship with West goes back more than a decade: West produced Kweli's 2003 hit single "Get By," and Kweli appeared on West's "Get Em High," from his renowned 2004 debut album The College Dropout. They have worked on several other songs over the years.
Around the time they began working together, Kanye West made impassioned pleas for disenfranchised people. During a telethon to raise relief money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, he famously said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." That same year, in an interview with Sway Calloway for MTV, he spoke out against homophobia in hip-hop and the black community. He has also spoken about racism in his music.
Many have been puzzled by his support for Trump, whose campaign has widely been identified as racist, xenophobic, and unsupportive of LGBTQ rights. Trump promised to build a wall to keep out Mexican immigrants, labeling them as drug dealers and rapists. He also championed a "law and order" approach while black communities are fighting against police brutality. His running mate Mike Pence has been criticized for supporting anti-LGBTQ legislation, most notoriously a proposal that dedicated resources "toward institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior."
Since Trump was elected, there has been a spike in hate crimes across the United States.
