During a concert in New York, Kanye West blew some steam off his chest by backing Soulja Boy and telling people to be open-minded.
- Aug 7, 2008
AceShowbiz - Kanye West has continued his defense for Soulja Boy who often becomes the subject of ridicule due to his instant success through the "Crank That" phenomenon. In a concert at Madison Square Garden, New York on Tuesday, August 5, the rapper took time to deliver his thought regarding slur problems faced in the realm of hip-hop.
The concert which is part of his Glow in the Dark tour was wrapped with a speech where he addressed how harsh people has criticized the young rapper. "How is Soulja Boy killing hip-hop?" Kanye shouted out to the crowd. "He had one of the biggest songs of the summer. If anything, he's helping keep it alive. You don't have to be Lil Wayne in order for people to say your sh** is fresh." He also emphasized on the need to accept diversity, adding "Open y'all's f***in' minds. Be accepting of different people. Let people be who they are."
West then clarified his statement by taking an example from his own experience. He said, "You know how many people came at me, calling me 'gay' cause I wear my jeans the fresh way? Or 'cause I said, 'Hey, dude, how y'all gonna say 'f**' right in front of a gay dude's face and act like that's OK?' That sh** is disrespectful." He continued, "It took me time to break out of the mental prisons I was in. The stereotypes of the fear of the backlash that I would get for believing in what I believe in, for accepting people for who they are."
West has been known to be an outspoken artist since his early years. He backed Soulja when the 18-year-old was dissed by veteran rapper Ice-T back in June this year for butchering Hip-Hop with his songs. West wrote in his blog that Soulja is indeed "fresh ass hell and is actually the true meaning of what hip hop is sposed to be".
While he's supporting the fellow rapper, looks like West needs a defense for himself too. He has been slammed by actress Rosie Perez for the lyrics of his song "Good Morning" that mentions her name with disrespect. Perez said in a statement, "I'm a woman of a certain age (and) if you're gonna mention me in a song, have a little respect. He mentions my breasts. When you walk down the street and you have 15-year-old boys... (and) they're like, 'Yo, Rosie, D's D's, Rosie Perez,' it's no good." The lyrics of the song includes "You got D's motherf*cker/D's/Rosie Perez".
Kanye West's End Speech at Madison Square Garden concert:
