On Monday, Chance the Rapper took to Twitter to defend his support of Kanye West’s bid for president. After West tweeted a video for his new song dedicated to his late mother, Chance retweeted it saying “and yall out here tryna convince me to vote for Biden. Smfh.” This led some Twitter to go back and forth with the Grammy-winning rapper, trying to explain the irresponsibility of voting for Kanye and why voting for Joe Biden was important.
And yall out here tryna convince me to vote for Biden. Smfh https://t.co/JgbGBmPQk5
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) July 13, 2020
Chance the Rapper regularly expresses his opinions about politics and social issues. He is known for trying to provoke change in his hometown of Chicago, specifically working in education reform. He is also known for his close relationship with fellow Chicago artist Kanye West, who he sees as a mentor.
Chance has defended West’s questionable political affiliations before. When West was supportive of Donald Trump’s bid for presidency, Chance defended him by saying that not all Black people need to be Democrats. On July 4th, Kanye West announced that he would be running for president in this upcoming election. People criticized his decision, saying that he was woefully unqualified, has exhibited erratic behavior in the past and missed the deadline in some states to be officially put on the ballot. He would also help split the Democratic vote and lead to Trump’s re-election.
When Chance the Rapper came out in support of his friend, Twitter users were quick to reiterate these points. They added that Chance using his platform to promote an unviable candidate was irresponsible.
If you use your platform to encourage Black people to vote for Kanye West, who has no chance of being elected to office, you will simply help re-elect racist Donald Trump.
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 13, 2020
Sometimes one can be too woke. West has ZERO chance of winning. His votes will mostly come from Biden voters. That helps Trump. So, essentially, you are helping Trump. Congratulations. Might as well wear a MAGA hat and call it good.
— Aaron J. Fentress (@AaronJFentress) July 13, 2020
He’s a good rapper and producer, but he’s mentally unstable and has no chance of winning considering that it’s past the deadline in multiple states for him to register. Pushing this on your platform is going to take votes away from Biden and get Trump re-elected. Please stop.
— DJ Vlad – VladTV.com (@djvlad) July 13, 2020
Other users came to Chance’s defense, saying that he had a right to oppose Joe Biden as candidate due to his questionable political beliefs.
Y’all mad he won’t vote for an undercover racist/peephole? How that work
— Goddess☀️ (@goddess4o) July 13, 2020
Chance continued the conversation, trying to suss out why people disapproved of Kanye’s bid for presidency. He asked if Biden would really be a better president, and if people were more “pro Biden” or “anti Kanye”. Several people responded seriously and respectfully, explaining that they were either voting for Biden simply to get Trump out of office or that Biden had stances on a number of issues that would be beneficial to the country as a whole.
Hi Chance,
I’d like to answer your question seriously rather than trying to tear you down. I’m voting for Joe Biden against Donald Trump because I see Biden as the only viable alternative to a white supremacist who wants to overturn Obamacare and tells Americans to drink bleach.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) July 13, 2020
You’re not voting for Biden, you’re voting to get Republicans out of power. There’s an entire cabinet being replaced. You get a better Secretary of Education. Better Housing and Urban Development leader. Hopefully ICE won’t be putting kids in cages. Its bigger than Biden vs Trump
— Tune (@CartuneNetwerk) July 13, 2020
Chance saw these responses as the majority trusting Biden over Kanye, and said he didn’t feel the same way.
After hours of back and forth between Chance and passionate Twitter users, Chance eventually said that this hill wasn’t worth dying on. He realized that West’s odds of winning the presidency were little to none, and recognized that people voting for Biden were doing so out of necessity, not enthusiasm.
Ok this is me slowly trying to get down from this hill without falling and dying:
Whoever you vote for I hope they abolish the prison system as we know it, honor black reparations and all treaties with Indigenous folk and lastly end homelessness. Whomever that may be God bless em— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) July 13, 2020
While Chance did walk back his previous tweets, many people thought that there was no excuse for his initial ignorance and that the damage was done. Others thought that he should have held his ground and not backtrack his opinions at all.
Although Chance did bring up some fair points criticizing the two party system and the shortcomings of Biden as a presidential candidate, his behavior as a person of influence is very dangerous. Chance is one of the most famous musical artists in the world and definitely has sway over the people who listen to him. To endorse a candidate who is openly ignorant about basic political issues and in turn encourages people to do so is irresponsible and will more likely than not lead to the re-election of someone who has already proven that they are not cut out to be president.
