Late last month Kanye West flipped Hip-Hop on its head when he exhibited support for President Trump and posted an image of himself in a “Make America Great Again” hat. The controversy didn’t stop with Ye but was also extended to Lyor Cohen who was positioned in the middle of the now infamous image with a hand gesture that can be associated with members of the Alt-Right movement.
While speaking about the newly announced Youtube Music streaming service, Cohen revealed how the image came into existence. The music executive states the hand gesture was just an “ok” symbol and also made it known that he did not believe the picture would become one for the entire Internet to see.
“We were [in Calabasas] because Kanye wanted to play us some music. I was on the way to the restroom and there was Lucian and Kanye was coming out, and he said, ‘Oh wow, we’re all together. Let’s take a photo.’” Cohen shared. “I thought he was going to take a photo and send it to Lucian and myself. I had no idea that he was going to put that on social media.”
Cohen clarified that he is not in favor of Kanye’s political views but shared the music was impressive. “I think he’s doing himself a disservice by not leading with the music,” Cohen stated.
Lyor Cohen isn’t the only one who did not expect to become a conversation started by Kanye’s Twitter. In his interview with Angie Martinez, J.Cole also said he didn’t know his conversation with Ye unknowingly was going to be public knowledge, stating it made him “feel a certain type of way.”
