Yasiin Bey — formerly known as Mos Def — seems to have acknowledged controversy surrounding former collaborator Kanye West and his “White Lives Matter” t-shirts, which he debuted at his YZY SZN 9 runway show during Paris Fashion Week.
The Brooklyn MC, 48, took to his Instagram account early Friday morning modeling two shirts that read “White Lives Matter” with the “v” faded, resulting in the shirt reading “White Lies Matter.”
“AyYa @yasiinbey @anuarkhalifi,” the artist captioned the post, tagging creative partner Anuar Khalifi and acknowledging their “AyYa” collective, which Khalifi describes as “conceived by artists as a collaboration that brings together their shared interests and ideas, through fashion, art and music.”
“HEGEL 2022” Bey added, as the front of the shirt features a portrait of German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.
VIBE has reached out to a rep for Bey for comment.
The post comes hours after West’s latest attempt to justify creating the “WLM” shirt during a sit-down with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.
“The answer to why I wrote ‘White Lives Matter’ on a shirt is because they do,” West said during the interview that aired Thursday, before adding, “I do certain things from a feeling. I just channel the energy, it just feels right. It’s using a gut instinct, a connection with God and just brilliance.”
Several of West’s detractors have spoken up against the shirt, including Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ebro Darden, and mother of Ahmaud Arbery Wanda Cooper-James. He has found support, however, in Selah Marley — the daughter of Lauryn Hill and grand-daughter of the late Bob Marley.
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