Kanye West Defends Tyga & It's A Problem

In an interview on the radio show The Breakfast Club on Friday, Kanye West addressed the feud between Amber Rose and Khloe Kardashian which started, ironically, when Rose did an interview with The Breakfast Club a week earlier. West only added fuel to the fire in his own interview, not only slut-shaming Amber Rose by saying he had to "take 30 showers" after dating her, but by defending Tyga and his supposed relationship with his wife Kim Kardashian's younger sister. Kanye West said of Tyga in regards to Kylie Jenner, "I think he got in early. I think he was smart." West might have been joking, but regardless, he's all but condoning a statutory relationship for the sake of fame.

Last week on the radio show, Rose called out Jenner, 17, for dating rapper Tyga, 25. (Tyga has since denied the relationship.) Khloe Kardashian came for Rose on Twitter, who came back at her with digs at Kim Kardashian, and it quickly devolved into a mess of slut-shaming.

Naturally, West was asked about the feud since he once had a high-profile relationship with Amber Rose, and besides his misogynistic slut-shaming, he also insinuated that he essentially made Rose's career. "If Kim had dated me when I wanted to be with her, there would be no Amber Rose." But equally problematic was his response to the comment Rose's made last week that "Tyga should be ashamed of himself."

West's "I think Tyga was smart" comment being so flip makes it all the more horrifying. In the state of California, the age of consent is 18 years of age, but beyond it being a legal matter, West seems to totally endorse the relationship for what Jenner would be worth to Tyga's career. I'd like to believe that West and Kim Kardashian's love is capital 'r' Real, but when he tokenizes Kylie Jenner as basically a business opportunity, his motives come into question.

I respect West as an artist that's pushing boundaries, always innovating and speaking up about the difference in treatment of black and white artists. But when he resorts to objectifying young women, one who happens to be his sister-in-law, it just diminishes his stature as an artist. If he makes terrible, disparaging comments so tactlessly about his wife's sister, how can we not let that affect or detract from his reputation as an artist?

There's no real discussion about Tyga and Kylie Jenner in West's interview, so he shouldn't have said anything on the matter, at all. But instead, he decided to endorse Tyga's behavior. What exactly did 'Ye mean when he said that Tyga was "smart" that he "got in early?" Because Jenner is so young? Because the Kardashians and Jenners are a road to exposure? It doesn't matter the reason. What matters is that it's pretty obvious West views Kylie Jenner in an opportunistic light, and that it's unacceptable.

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