Photo: Getty Images
Ye's apology to the Black and Jewish communities has drawn responses from those he's harmed in the past.
On Tuesday night, January 27, Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP, reacted to the apology that the rapper formerly known as Kanye West issued earlier this week. In his statement to The Breakfast Club's Loren LoRosa, Johnson acknowledged Ye's attempt to take accountability for his actions. He also urged the embattled artist to "use his platform to advocate for additional federal and private mental health support" as he continues to heal from his past manic episodes.
“There is courage in owning one’s journey—whether confronting mental health challenges or reckoning with chapters of our lives that require reflection and repair," Johnson said. "Reflecting on one’s actions and being accountable for the impact it has on others is a journey to understand and not repeat past harms. Progress begins when we acknowledge, take responsibility for our actions, and seek efforts to repair for the harms caused."
In his apology letter, Ye revealed that he suffered from frontal lobe damage following his infamous 2002 car accident. He claimed the untreated damage in his brain led to his type-1 bipolar diagnosis, which fueled his hateful rhetoric toward the Black and Jewish communities. Johnson spoke on the mental health crisis that plagues African Americans today and pleaded with him to become a mental health advocate.
"This is an opportunity for him to use his platform to advocate for additional federal and private mental health support to remove barriers and increase access to care," Johnson concluded.
Ye's apology received mixed reactions when he published it in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. While some believed it came from a genuine place, others instantly thought it was a publicity stunt ahead of his upcoming album BULLY. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Ye clarified that the apology had nothing to do with his album. His team also revealed that Ye had been working on the letter for months before it dropped.
BULLY has been in the works for some time. It was scheduled to arrive on January 30. However, Rolling Stone reports that the album will drop on March 20 via a new deal he inked with Gamma.