Kanye West Selling Confederate Flag T-Shirts on 'Yeezus' Tour
Some artists shy away from controversy while others outright court it. Kanye West falls into the latter category, as recently evidenced by his choice to use a Confederate flag on his Yeezus tour merchandise.
The controversial image—which some argue is a symbol of Southern pride, while others see as a tacit endorsement of slavery—pops up on two t-shirts available at the Yeezus tour merch table. One shows a grim reaper draped in the Confederate flag, while the other shows the flag, a human skull and the words "I ain't comin' down." Similarly eye-brow raising is another t-shirt, which shows a skeleton wearing a Native American headdress.
While Kanye obviously isn't endorsing slavery—and he probably isn't a fan of "Southern Pride" as an excuse for wearing the Confederate flag—the Chicago rapper is clearly aware of how potentially offensive these shirts will be to some. Most likely, he's playing with the visceral emotional response this flag stirs in most Americans as a means of commentary.
1m
3m
22m
4m
1m
22m
2m
1m
22m
1h 34m
1m
26m
1m
20m
1m
5m
3m
59s
21m
20m
57s
48s
2m
1m
45s
1m
30s
30s
30s
46m
29s
2m
21m
2m
29s
3m
3m
3m
10m
20m
1m
20m
44m
44m
20m
44m
21m
1h 13m
43m
1m
1m
1m
2m
3m
1m
12m
1m
22m
23m
46m
2m
21m
20m
44m
41m
45m
22m
22m
2m
30s
1m
1m
2m
2m
51s
21m
1m
5m
20m
13m
14m
3m
10m
1m
1m
2m
5m
2m
7m
1m
14m
1m
1m
2m
3m
2m
11m