T.I. is demanding answers from Kanye West after the 43-year-old told a presidential rally audience in South Carolina that abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman, “never actually freed the slaves” and that the famed Underground Railroad figure “just had the slaves go work for other white people.” Tip shared two photos of Harriet to his Instagram page on July 20, and wrote in the caption, “Nahhhh WE Can’t let you do that Ye’….”
“What WE NOT gon do is slander nor disrespect the legacy of our heroic Queen Harriet Tubman by telling falsities in an attempt to discredit the contributions she made to LIBERATE OUR PEOPLE‼️ Cuzz U BUGGIN‼️” Tip continued. An escaped slave herself, Harriet guided dozens of slaves to freedom in the north during mid 1800’s though the Underground Railroad. They traveled under the cover of night and stayed at a network of safe houses set up by antislavery activists. Harriet was estimated to have made well over a dozen missions to bring slaves to freedom.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY TOO FAR‼️” T.I. continued. He added, “I truly hope you either have a logical explanation for all this…or get the medical attention you so desperately need Bro. I say this with love and sincerity.” One fan didn’t think that Tip should have called out Kanye publicly, writing in the comments, “Then say it to him privately.” T.I. then fired back by answering, “He aint’ f**king up privately. Public violations demand public demonstrations.”
Kanye said this and I left immediately. I went for a laugh and I got one. But when it got disrespectful for me it was over. pic.twitter.com/nNqjUp03mu
— Little Pimp (@toekneerlynos) July 19, 2020
Fans supported T.I.’s statement, with user @iam_brasi_ali writing in the comments, “Right Tip! He was completely out of line with that one! He mad TRIPPIN’!!!!” while @loverunsthrume added, “There is no LOGICAL explanation. He needs help!” @asayles25 agreed, commenting, “Bro breaking down right in front of us and his circle is doing nothing about it.”
Kanye has made controversial comments regarding slavery in the past. On May 1, 2018 during his infamous appearance on TMZ Live, the “Jesus Walks” rapper claimed that slavery was a choice. He told the site’s shocked newsroom that, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice.”
Kanye’s comments about Harriet Tubman at his first presidential rally wasn’t the only moment where he worried his fans. Ye went on to tell a very emotional story of how he wanted then-girlfriend Kim Kardashian to abort their daughter North, now seven, after they found out she was pregnant. He broke down in teams, sobbing, “I almost killed my daughter.” He also said he believed Kim might divorce him after making such deeply private information public, telling the crowd, “So even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn’t want to.”
