Understanding the Text Messages in Kanye West’s Phone

Since Kanye West returned to Twitter last month, he’s questioned “the culture” and sent the general public into a racial, social and political frenzy – and the hysteria isn’t going away.

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It all started one spring afternoon (Apr. 13) when Twitter founder Jack Dorsey welcomed Kanye back to his social media platform after a very, very long hiatus. ‘Ye retweeted Dorsey’s post then decided to begin sharing his new thought wave in 210 characters or less (over and over again). He told his now 28 million-plus followers that you sometimes “have to get rid of everything,” which led to two tweets announcing the recent layoffs of his manager and lawyer (because he “can’t be managed” and needs a team that can be around full-time).

Yeezy then spewed out a slew of throwback tweets, artwork and philosophical sayings like “naps are awesome” and “stop thinking about things for a long time without saying what you think.” He even took a day to talk about music, announcing his next solo album will release in June; he’s dropping a joint project with Kid Cudi titled Kids See Ghost; he’s producing Nas’ next album, which, according to him, will be out June 15; that Pusha T’s next project is coming May 25; and that Teyana Taylor’s sophomore album is finally dropping June 22.

One would think these announcements would dominate headlines, especially the fact that Kanye parted ways with his longtime manager, Scooter Braun, and his new music coming alongside A$AP Rocky, but there was only one announcement that trumped all (no pun intended) — his love for No. 45, Donald Trump.

On April 25, 13 days into ‘Ye’s Twitter resurgence, he tweeted, “You don’t have to agree with Trump but the mob can’t make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.”

You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.

— ye (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018

The world went into a state of panic and the people closest to West tried to persuade him to understand the power of his words and the platform he holds. Others simply reached out to show support. Yeezy took screenshots of a few of those texts and posted them on Twitter, and since changed his phone number as a response. Just peep his tweet.

for anyone whose tried to text or call me in the past 2 weeks I got rid of that phone so I could focus on these albums

— ye (@kanyewest) May 15, 2018

So now, it’s time to analyze who’s blowing up Mr. West’s phone and getting in his ear.

Malik Yusef

The first screenshot the “Famous” rapper posted was from man we believe to be Chicago artist Malik Yusef. He sent Kanye a picture of a poster that reads “Keep America Great #Kanye2024.” ‘Ye has previously said he would run for president in the future, and in today’s climate — why not? However, the G.O.O.D. Music mogul has opted to push back his campaign run four years to avoid stepping on his buddy Trump’s toes (you know, since Trump already stated he’ll run again in 2020).

T Mills (Tracey Mills)

T. Mills hit Kanye’s line in the early afternoon proposing a conversation about “this hat.”

He sent a series of texts with a lot of cryptic undertones that came in the form of emojis and a still shot of Tupac from Juice. T. Mills reached out to Kanye again with another text that listed theories from Thomas Sowell.  

Anthony Scaramucci

Ebro Darden

A day before Kanye’s tweet storm, he phoned into Hot 97 to tell Morning Show host Ebro Darden that he loved him, which has been a constant theme of ‘Ye’s for awhile. A day after their on-air conversation, Ebro texted Yeezy to make sure he was okay.

Kanye took a screenshot of 29 fire emojis and a conversation about hiring Ebro to fill one of the 160 position he’s looking to fill with the Yeezy brand this year. So, “159 to go.”

John Legend

John Legend once credited Kanye as the one who created the “Ordinary People” singer’s stage name. As an extended courtesy, the Grammy Award-winning singer — and vocal Trump opponent — asked Kanye to reconsider his support for Trump.

Legend told him he was “too powerful and influential” to back No. 45 begged him not to “let this be a part of your legacy.”

Before posting the screenshot on twitter, Yeezy responded to his friend and colleague, saying, “I love you John and I appreciate your thoughts. You bringing up my fans or my legacy is a tactic based on fear used to manipulate my free thought.”

Knowing Kanye would likely post their chat on Twitter, Legend wrapped their conversation by letting the world know his new single, “A Good Night,” was available for all.

Wes

While jaws are dropping over Kanye’s rant everywhere, it seems his words are creating a little inspiration too. On April 28, Kanye posted a screenshot of a conversation he had with a man named Wes. Wes is believed to be artist Wes Lang. Their chat began with West teasing the idea of using a photo of Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon who performed the fatal surgery on his mother, as his album cover.

This text led to a conversation about forgiveness and loving everyone, which inspired Wes to cross out a F.T.W. (f—k the world) tattoo on his arm and change it to L.T.W. (love the world.) Kanye posted his revised tattoo on his timeline.

 

Michael Eric Dyson