For the past few weeks, Ye f.k.a. Kanye West has been digging a deeper hole for himself with antisemitic rants, disingenuous statements on race and the murder of George Floyd, and for using the r-word to refer to President Joe Biden. His antics have caused much concern, criticism, but also compassion online, the latter being primarily from similarly controversial figures. Few pop culture stars fit this bill more than Antonio Brown, the former NFL player who sparked a friendship with Yeezy and has taken to Twitter to show love to the rapper.
"Free YE... LOVE" the former buccaneer tweeted. adding "Support YE" in another tweet. Readers probably remember many of Antonio Brown's antics and similarly questionable behavior, whether it's his harassment of a woman at a hotel pool, his alleged mistreatment of his partner Chelsie... pick from the list. Similar to Kanye's r-word comment, which has been condemned by national disability and mental illness organizations, AB also caught flack for using the r-word to propose a new name for the Arizona Cardinals.
Given the two's relationship in the past, this show of support should come as no surprise. The former football star also praised Kanye's embrace of the conservative social media platform Parler as the "best social media for sharing thoughts and opinions today," including the Elon Musk-led Twitter as another noteworthy platform. As AB, Kanye, and other celebrities continue to confuse free speech for hate speech online, we hope that an escape to other platforms for their views will not shield them from accountability.
Stay tuned to HotNewHipHop for the latest on Ye and Antonio Brown, and whatever backlash they face next.