Kanye West said Sunday that “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) is using “black people to hold other black people back.”
The 43-year-old rapper took to Twitter to criticize the late-night sketch comedy show and said he was “praying for” actress Issa Rae and her family. Rae’s character had slammed the rapper on the show for running for president in the 2020 election. The post was noted by the Hollywood Reporter in a piece published Monday. (RELATED: Kanye West Meets With White House Advisor Jared Kushner)
“I’ve always said SNL uses black people to hold other black people back,” West tweeted, along with a screenshot of Rae. “My heart goes out to Issa Rae. I’m praying for her and her family.”
“I know that the twenty years of service that I’ve paid in the entertainment field has furthered our ability to be more successful,” he added.
Ive always said SNL uses black people to hold other black people back My heart goes out to Issa Rae I’m praying for her and her family I know that the twenty years of service that I’ve paid in the entertainment field has furthered our ability to be more successful pic.twitter.com/kExwUVVsqv
— ye (@kanyewest) October 18, 2020
The comments came after Rae’s SNL appearance in a sketch about Chicago elections. In the bit, her character said she didn’t care what the person’s background was or whether they were ever involved in politics, but that she planned to vote for “everybody black.” (RELATED: Kanye Fails To Get On Presidential Ballot In South Carolina As Family And Friends Reportedly Worry About Him)
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“I’m voting for everybody black,” Rae’s character said in the sketch. “For too long, our people’s voices have not been heard. It’s our duty to stand together and take our power back.”
At the end of the sketch, when the host said that when they came back they would talk about the race between President Donald Trump, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and West, Rae’s character said, “Kanye? F him!”