News

Russell Simmons Tells Kanye He Shouldn't Have Apologized To Bush

12:35 p.m. · November 15, 2010 · by Andrew Winistorfer

It's the story that just won't die: Kanye West apologized to President Bush for saying he doesn't care about black people on the Today Show, and then a bunch of stuff happened with Kanye hating Matt Lauer. Now Russell Simmons, rap culture's man on the mountain (at least circa 1992), has decided to get in on the action, telling Kanye he shouldn't have apologized for speaking his mind:

With this power, as you know, comes great responsibility. I am saying nothing you haven’t heard before. When you spoke about President Bush during the Katrina telethon, it was not the particulars of your words that mattered, it was the essence of a feeling of the insensitivity towards our communities that many of us have felt for far too long. It was the image of the President, our President, the President of the United States Of America, peering out the window of an airplane, as the people on the ground were drowning, that hurt us the most. For centuries, our people have relentlessly tread water as hard as they could to stay afloat, and here we were, literally drowning, and it felt like the President was insensitive. There is no need to apologize, Kanye. You spoke from your heart and that is all we will ever ask from you. Don’t be afraid of the press, as your art is your blueprint, thanks to Jay-Z, your big brother, we will always carry our destiny in our own hands. You are are an artist whose art is masterful. You are a servant to this world who no matter how hard it gets, keeps on giving. Giving gifts that inspire us, challenge us and motivate us to be better family and friends.

Fair enough, I guess. But a lot of this reads like Simmons writing Kanye a flowery love letter. You can read the whole thing here. Can we get to the music on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy yet? Because that shit is awesome. And way more interesting than this. [Real Talk]