T.I. says his patience for Kanye West is dead and gone after Trump meeting
(CNN)As recently as May, rapper T.I. was still firmly on Team Kanye, but that ended Thursday with the latter’s much-publicized trip to the White House.
In a lengthy post on Instagram, T.I. said he’s been “extremely patient and made it a point to not jump to any premature conclusions about” West and “his antics,” but said West’s meeting with the president was something of a last straw.
“This is the most repulsive, disgraceful, embarrassing act of desperation & auctioning off of one’s soul to gain power I’ve ever seen,” he wrote.
T.I. claims West invited him to accompany him to the White House, but he declined the offer. His post indicates he has no regrets about that decision.
“I refuse to associate myself with something so vile, weak, & inconsiderate to the effect this has on the greater good of ALL OUR PEOPLE!!!!” T.I. wrote. “At one time it was a pleasure to work alongside you… now, I’m ashamed to have ever been associated with you.”
T.I. and West previously paired up on “Ye vs. The People,” a song in which they debate West’s support of President Trump.
To West’s fans and music colleagues, T.I. added, “Don’t follow this puppet. Because as long as I’ve lived I’ve learned that it benefits a man nothing at all to gain the world, if to do so he must lose his soul. We just saw Mr. West’s Soul on auction. If you listen closely you can hear the tears of our ancestors hit the floor. All I can say is… I’ve reached my limits.”
The rapper wasn’t the only one to slam West’s meeting with Trump.
Director Ava DuVernay, meanwhlie, attempted to refocus the public’s attention, tweeting a series of articles about the hurricane destruction in Florida, the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the accusations of minority voter suppression in Georgia.
“Don’t let the circus distract you. We have to focus,” she wrote. “Our future depends on it.”