Akon Responds to Recent Backlash: “I Clearly Do Not Agree With Kanye’s Remarks”

Akon Responds to Backlash: “I Clearly Do Not Agree With Kanye’s Remarks”

Akon’s decision not to condemn Kanye West for his antisemitic remarks in a recent interview has drawn much criticism.

In the days following his appearance on London’s Sky News, Akon’s Twitter account has been flooded with angry comments. On the show, the 49-year-old said that he supports the “Good Life” rapper’s “opinion”. He also stated that he was “not bothered” by Kanye West’s rhetoric since it “does not affect him personally.”

People were fired up by the “Locked Up” singer’s “disconnected” stance. The backlash prompted Akon to take to Twitter to respond.

The “I Wanna Love You” singer said:

“I clearly do not agree with Kanye’s remarks about Hitler. I am simply saying that everyone should have the right to their own opinion. Doesn’t mean we will always agree.”

This sentiment was also shared with the Sky News interviewer. The Kulture Konvict founder explained why he still believes Kanye West should be allowed to express himself.

“I show support for opinion.  I think that people will always have a specific opinion. The moment we get to place where we close ourselves up to other people’s opinion, it kind of doesn’t allow us to better know each other, better know our mindsets, and more than anything better know our movements.”

Later, he explained how he would deal with Kanye, 45, directly,

“Now the day me and him have a conversation, I will give him my viewpoint on why I disagree. And then he may come back and say, you know what, you’re right or he may come and say no, you’re not. Then, at the point, it’s my job to understand why he’s viewing it that way.”

Commenters, however, were still not happy with Akon.

This is not the Senegalese-born entertainer’s first time in the hot seat. He was side eyed in 2020 for telling black people to let go of the past when it comes to slavery.

Akon said,

“I think it’s also the art of just letting the past go and moving towards the future. I think in the U.S. they have this stigma of just not letting go of the past and blaming the past on every mishap, or you know, disappointment. I think as long as you hold on to that past, it’s just a lot of weight that you carry with you everywhere you go and it’s hard to move forward and move fast when you got a weight on your back.  You just gotta let it go.”ons, this is the second time in a week he’s been accused.

That same year, Akon also made another questionable statement when he said,

“the rich go through more issues than the poor”.

Even though there are not many of industry figures like Akon holding Kanye accountable for his antisemitic remarks, his business partners have. Over the last two months, he’s lost deals with Balenciaga, Adidas, and more. This, in turn, stripped the Donda Academy founder of his billionaire status. He was recently banned from Twitter again for “incitement to violence” after sharing a disturbing image of a swastika buried inside a Star of David. He’s also made unfavorable remarks about George Floyd and slavery. On October 7, he stunned fans with his “White Lives Matter” shirts.

What do you think about the backlash Akon is getting? Tell us in the comment section below.