Only polarizing rap star Kanye West could steal Donald Trump’s spotlight. The self-declared “Yeezus” left fans scratching their heads, and in some cases outraged, when he inexplicably tweeted on the night of Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary: “BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!”
BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 9, 2016
It’s still unclear whether the hip-hop star’s social media account was hacked. The reference to the embattled comedian, who has been accused by several dozen women of rape and who currently faces charges stemming from an alleged 2004 sexual assault on a former employee of his alma mater Temple University, came amid one of West’s prototypical Twitter rants — this one concerning a sneaker deal his sister-in-law Kylie Jenner purportedly may have reached with Puma. West, who is affiliated with Adidas, also tweeted apologies to NBA star Michael Jordan, whose Nike brand the rapper reportedly trashes on a new track.
As of Wednesday morning, the controversial Cosby tweet has yet to be deleted from West’s account, despite several prominent social media users condemning it. In the past, as he did with his recent string of insults directed at fellow rapper Wiz Khalifa and his former girlfriend Amber Rose, West has deleted uncouth tweets that have gotten him into trouble, but not this time. Ironically, in a recent song West appeared to be criticizing Cosby. In “Facts,” which debuted on New Year’s Eve, West rapped: “Do anybody feel bad for Bill Cosby? Did he forget names just like Steve Harvey?”
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Perhaps West was simply being provocative to draw attention to himself or it was meant to be ironic. Some have also speculated that a later tweet which included an image that read “Kylie was here,” implies that his sister-in-law may have been pranking him. Still, many of his followers, several of whom are women, are unamused:
https://t.co/AS7qvgtMjU God, I now take back all those nice things I said about Kanye over the years. Jesus.
— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) February 10, 2016
Kanye!! You can't be for real. FIFTY WOMEN. With nothing to gain thanks to a statute of limitations ON RAPE. Oy. https://t.co/3ekYD43uMs









