Kanye West has apparently been keeping tabs on those opposing his views about the Jewish community, and rapper/producer Q-Tip has been added to the list of figures he’s lashed out against in recent weeks.
On Monday (Oct. 31), the 45-year-old addressed A Tribe Called Quest member in multiple posts on the conservative social media platform Parler, voicing his disappointment in one of his “heroes” seemingly opposing him at the height of his public scrutiny.
“First one of my heroes Q Tip was mad at Michael Rapaport,” Yeezy wrote, seemingly alluding to the believed hypocrisy of Tip’s stance despite his own beef with the Jewish director of the 2011 documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest. Q-Tip previously spoke ill of Rapaport and his depiction of the group in the documentary on several occasions.
West continued in another post on the platform, adding, “Then Q tip post this while the #redmedia been trying to destroy my life Never meet your heroes.”
Earlier this month, Q-Tip publicized his support for his “Jewish friends and the Jewish people” in a post on his Instagram account. Given the fact the post came amid the backlash received by Ye following multiple Anti-Semitic remarks made by the rapper, many attributed the Queens rep’s statement being in opposition to his former collaborator and CEO’s recent comments regarding the Jewish community.
Kanye West and Q-Tip have been closely associated dating back to the beginning of Kanye’s rap career, as his music garnered favorable comparisons to that of Q-Tip’s own work with A Tribe Called Quest. After working together on several occasions throughout the years, Q-Tip signed with Ye’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint in 2012, and announced plans to release his long-awaited studio album, The Last Zulu, under the imprint.
However, the release of The Last Zulu would not materialize during his time with the label. The pair have since become at odds, with Q-Tip speaking out against the Chicagoan’s support of Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential run.
“It’s difficult because I love him, that’s my brother,” the acclaimed boardsman said of West at the time. “I reached out to him, and I’m hoping that we just get to talk. I really care about that dude, but his remarks are something that requires he and I having a real serious discussion.”
Kanye’s affiliation with Trump reportedly led to the nixed plan of him joining A Tribe Quest as an honorary member for the recording and release of their 2016 album, We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service. West ultimately appeared on one song on the album, titled “The Killing Season,” but has yet to work with Q-Tip since the song’s release.
Listen to “The Killing Season” below.