Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has made it clear he is standing by his friend, rapper and mogul Kanye West, after the artist stirred a controversy for designing and wearing ‘White Lives Matter’ apparel this past week during his YZY Fashion Show.
Antonio Brown via I AM ATHLETE YouTube
Brown took things a step further, posting “All Lives Matter 🔔 🛎 #CallGod #Boomin” to his personal Instagram account accompanied with a short clip of him and West free styling together.
On his Instagram Stories, Brown also posted “@kanywest, we always got the plan. Change gon come. Trust.”
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West’s ‘White Lives Matter’ apparel wasn’t all that shook up liberals. During his appearance, he walked out on stage with conservative commentator Candace Owens, an avid critic of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Candace Owens Twitter
Later, West took a moment to call out Black Lives Matter directly on his Instagram Stories, saying that “Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam now it’s over you’re welcome.”
Kanye West Instagram
In a later post to his Instagram, West posted “Here’s my latest response when people ask me why I made a tee that says white lives matter… THEY DO.” The original post has since been removed.
Kanye West Instagram
Critics came out in force following West’s statement, including Will Smith’s son Jaden Smith who reportedly stormed out of the show and went on a long series of twitter rants afterwards.
“Black Lives Matter,” Jaden posted in a standalone tweet.
Jaden Smith Twitter
“We Demand A More Progressive Future,” he added in another tweet.
Jaden Smith Twitter
Days after the incident, West sat down with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to discuss people’s reaction to the situation. West told Carlson, “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.”
“It’s like if you ask Tanya Harding how she did the triple flip or the triple spin, she was in so much practice that when it was time for her to skate in a competitive format it just happened. It happened outside of practice. It happened in a real format. That’s what’s happening. God is preparing us for the real battles,” he continued.
Kanye West via Fox News YouTube
West would later return to the specific question saying, “You know my Dad is an educated ex-Black Panther. He put a text to me today, ‘White Lives Matter ha ha ha ha ha.’ And I said, ‘I said, ‘I thought the shirt was a funny shirt; I thought the idea of me wearing it was funny. And I said, ‘Dad, why did you think it was funny?’ He said, ‘Just a Black man stating the obvious.'”
After a brief discussion about his relationship with his father and how the fashion industry treats Kim Kardashian, West further elaborated, “They are looking for an explanation. And people say, ‘Well as an artist you don’t have to give an explanation,’ But as a leader you do. So the answer to why I wrote  ‘White Lives Matter’ on a shirt is because they do.”
Carlson further asked why West thinks as many people have reacted to his slogan as negatively as they have, with West stating that it’s because he personally believes that the mainstream media thinks he shouldn’t be making the statements he has because it runs counter to their narratives.
“Because the same people that have stripped us of our identity and labeled us as a color, have told us what it means to be black and the vernacular that we are supposed to have,” West responded.
The Anti-Defamation League has classified the phrase ‘White Lives Matter’ as a ‘white supremacist’ slogan and classifies its usage as a form of hate speech.
Kanye West via Fox News YouTube
Regardless of the criticism, West at least knows that Brown is standing by him despite all the blowback. In February of this year, Brown announced that he was to be named president of West’s Donda Sports organization, which focuses on sports related events and activities for families.
What do you make of Brown standing beside Kanye?