Kanye West stirred controversy with his comments about abolitionist Harriet Tubman at his first presidential campaign event on Sunday.
At one point in the rally in South Carolina, where the rapper is trying to get enough signatures to appear on the ballot, West claimed Tubman “never actually freed the slaves,” but instead, “she just had the slaves go work for other white people.”
The remarks drew ire from a number of entertainers and the hip hop community.
Rapper 50 Cent tweeted, “what the F— did he just say. This is all Jay Z fault, Kanye’s first Rally. LOL.”
? what the F**k did he just say. This is all Jay Z fault, Kanye’s first Rally. LOL #bransoncognac #lecheminduroi pic.twitter.com/q2I0dNAzYU
— 50cent (@50cent) July 19, 2020
Chicago rapper Noname warned West to “KEEP HARRIET TUBMAN NAME OUT YOUR F—ING MOUTH!!!!!!!”
Q-Tip simply tweeted a photo of Tubman with the hashtag, “#Hero.”
KEEP HARRIET TUBMAN NAME OUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!!!!!!!
— noname (@noname) July 20, 2020
#Hero✊? pic.twitter.com/rtkyKhmD8w
— QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) July 19, 2020
Tubman was a black woman who escaped slavery in the 1800s and later helped others who were enslaved travel North to freedom. She later worked for the Union Army during the Civil War and became a staunch supporter of women’s suffrage.
