If you follow him on Twitter, you probably know that Kanye West has recently been engaging in some behavior that’s eccentric even by his standards.
Returning to the social media platform following a lengthy hiatus, the rapper has been tweeting out the sort of impressionistic insprational slogans that might be irritating coming from any other celeb, but are strangely endearing as a result of Kanye’s sincerity.
Nothing surprising there, of course.
What’s caught fans off guard is West’s commitment to his own position on the political spectrum.
We knew prior to the president’s inauguration that Kanye supported Trump, but many thought ‘Ye was simply drawn to a similar-sized ego, and comments he’s made over the course of the past year led fans to believe he’d joined his wife and in-laws with more of a center-left alignment.
But West’s recent tweets have created the impression that he’s more engaged than ever before with conservative thinkers like Candace Owens and Scott Adams.
Shifting political beliefs generally aren’t considered cause for concern, but West’s unexpected views have prompted widespread speculation about his mental state.
And one high-profile media figure has offered insight into what he feels is the primary cause of the rapper’s recent unexpected statements, as well as the erratic behavior West engaged in last year.
Hot 97 host Ebro Darden claims he recently received a phone call from Kanye in which the rapper discussed his recent tweets and accused his friends and fans of being fickle in their support, saying:
“He went on to talk about, ‘Nobody really showed love to me when I was addicted to opioids and in the hospital,"”
While we already knew that Kanye was hospitalized in 2017, the previous explanation was that he had suffered a mental breakdown as a result of professional and family pressures.
Darden says he called West out on his claims that he didn’t receive any support from his high-profile friends during his rehabilitation process:
“You’re a liar. I said, ‘I know people who personally reached out to [Pusha T], Scooter Braun and anybody close to you to come to your aid,"” Darden recalls telling the rapper.
“People love you, bro. And people wanna love you.”
Darden says West also made no apologies for the political views that seem to have upset so many of his followers in the past week.
“Kanye West, quote, ‘I love Donald Trump,"” Darden told his co-hosts on his popular radio show yesterday.
Kanye has yet to speak out about his alleged struggles with addiction, but you can bet he won’t remain silent for long.
Say what you will about the man, he’s never been one to shy away from controversy or conflict.
