Lauryn Hill's daughter, Selah Marley, has defended her decision to walk in Kanye West's controversial Yeezy show, which showcased models donning T-shirts emblazoned with the words "White Lives Matter."
On Monday, West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, drew fierce criticism when he and conservative commentator Candace Owens posed in "White Lives Matter" tops during the presentation at Paris Fashion Week.
A number of social justice advocates were angered by West's revision of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) message. For years, BLM supporters have protested against systemic racism and police brutality, but some white supremacists have distorted the group's well-known slogan to espouse racist views.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has deemed "White Lives Matter" a hate slogan used by white supremacists, including the Ku Klux Klan.
West, 45, responded to the criticism by attacking global Vogue contributing editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who was present at the show and described the runway display as "incredibly irresponsible" and "pure violence."
Amid the social media back-and-forth on Monday, Selah Marley—whose father Rohan Marley, is one of the sons of legendary reggae musician Bob Marley—spoke out in defense of her decision to take part in West's fashion presentation.
"The past 24 hours has allowed me to realize that most of [y'all] are stuck in a hive mind mentality," she wrote in an Instagram Story post. "You do what the group tells you to do & think what the group tells you to think.
"Witnessing someone break free from 'the agenda' sends you all into such a panic that you will do whatever it takes to force them back into the box that you feel they should exist in. All morale [sic] & empathy is eliminated due to the fact that you feel justified by your emotions. The victim becomes the victimizer."
"You [cannot] bully me, manipulate me, or coax me into silence," she went on. "Nor will you bully me into being who you want me to be. I don't care how many tweets you make, DMs you send, or articles you write.
"Throughout all the chaos, I have yet to speak on my experience. If you know me, you know that nothing I do is without deep thought and intention. Wait ['til] you hear what I have to say."
In a follow-up post several hours later, Marley, 23, shared a screenshot of a direct message she had sent to West, in which she said, in part: "[I] think what we did has obviously created a lot of conversation & [I] would like us to continue that conversation & provide the necessary depth & clarity that we are both extremely capable of.
"[I] love taking risks & embracing freedom, but in this case, [I] think we can continue to discuss the depth behind our decisions to show the purity of our intentions & provide healing to our community. love you so much. [Let's] keeping this going—in a healthy way."
Soon after the post was shared, West republished Marley's message on his Instagram Story feed.
In a 2017 interview with Vogue Italia, Marley gushed about collaborating with West during New York Fashion Week, saying: "Working with Kanye is really exciting and inspiring, 'cause you get to see how he brings the fashion to life."
"He is so passionate about everything, and he has you looking forward to his next move, as he always thinks outside the box," she added. "In his Yeezy shows he always implements art, music and fashion. [...] I admire how avant-garde his things are and he's great at bringing his vision to life."
Marley's mother Hill, who rose to fame as a part of The Fugees in the 1990s, spoke about the backlash she had faced in years past when she spoke out against systemic racism after embarking on her solo career.
"I wrote an album about systemic racism and how it represses and stunts growth and harms (all of my albums have probably addressed systemic racism to some degree), before this was something this generation openly talked about," she told Rolling Stone in a rare interview published in January 2021.
"I was called crazy," she continued. "Now... over a decade later, we hear this as part of the mainstream chorus. OK, so chalk some of it up to leadership and how that works—I was clearly ahead, but you also have to acknowledge the blatant denial that went down with that.
"The public abuse and ostracizing while suppressing and copying what I had done, (I protested) with still no real acknowledgement that all of that even happened, is a lot."
On Tuesday, West responded to the backlash he had received over his "White Lives Matter" tops by hitting out at the Black Lives Matter movement.
"Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam," he wrote in a text post shared on Instagram. "Now [it's] over. You're welcome."
Model Gigi Hadid led the backlash against West over his posts, becoming part of a chorus of fashion professionals speaking out in Karefa-Johnson's defense.
Early Wednesday, Karefa-Johnson broke her social media silence, saying, in part: "One thing about me: I will always speak my mind, and always try to honor my truth. My thoughts are my own, and I stand by them. Thank you all for supporting me in that."
It has since been revealed by West and Vogue that the musician and Karefa-Johnson met up to discuss their differences.
Newsweek has reached out to representatives of West, Karefa-Johnson and Black Lives Matter for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
