Kanye West calls Virgil Abloh’s death a message for those who ‘steal’ from him

Kanye West, now known simply as Ye, has sparked intense conversation once again, this time during a Parti livestream with Sneako over the weekend. The rapper and fashion icon used Virgil Abloh’s death as a heavy-handed example of what happens to people who, in his view, "steal" from him. At around the 15-minute mark of the stream, Ye shared, “You know when ns be really mad? It’s when you actually give them something ‘cause they don't want to actually receive, so they want to take it from them. But if you give it to them, it’ll make it really make them feel bad like, ‘Damn.’ And then the best? The blessings are bestowed as I bestow grace on these ns.” Ye didn’t stop there. He continued, “And I'm like, man, ns who go against me be dead, bro. Ns who steal from me, bro, look at Virgil, he dead, bro. N****s who steal from me and try to take the king position be dead, bro.” Doubling down on his statements, he added, “When we say ‘watch the throne,’ it's only one throne. It's only one king, and we know who the king is obviously. Who y'all watching, who y'all care about?” Just a minute deeper into the conversation, Ye connected Abloh’s appointment as Louis Vuitton’s artistic director in 2018 to personal trauma, along with "dealing with [his] children" and the death of his mother back in 2007. This is far from the first time Ye has spoken harshly about Virgil Abloh since his passing from a private cancer battle in 2021. Earlier this year, Ye posted a fiery rant on X (formerly Twitter), where he said, “I LOVE TRAV VIRGIL AND DRAKE DRAKE THE REALEST ONE OF THOSE THREE THOUGH HE NOT FAKE COOL HE’S JUST TALENTED AF AND YES ITS FUCK VIRGIL AND ANY OF THESE OTHER N****S THAT WORKED FOR ME THAN USED ME THEN WENT AGAINST ME I LOVE VIRGIL AND HE USED THAT VERY LOVE TO BEAT NIGERIANS ARE SUPER SMART.”   Ye also out right tweeted, 'F*** Virgil. His tweet sent a shockwave to fans since the two had a long standing friendship.  Earlier this year, West also revealed why he turned on Abloh.  While many fans still mourn Abloh’s contributions to fashion and culture, Ye’s comments are yet another reminder of the complicated legacy between the two former collaborators.