Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. Photo: BANG Showbiz via Reuters Connect
An impersonator of Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, walked the runway at New York Fashion Week on Saturday night wearing a shirt that said “Jewish Lives Matter,” an apparent swipe at Ye following the barrage of antisemitic comments that he made last year.
Baron Jay Littleton Jr — who has been imitating Ye for almost two decades and goes by the social media handle The Kanye Clone — walked in a show at the Conrad New York Downtown hotel that was organized by the social media management agency Creators Inc. He paired the eye-catching blue shirt with black pants, black leather boots, black sunglasses, and a black baseball cap that said “YZS” on the front, which was a play on the rapper’s YZY brand.
Littleton Jr, who is based in Los Angeles, told New York Jewish Week that producers of the fashion show wanted him to wear a “White Lives Matter” shirt, to reference the same shirt Ye wore during a show for his Yeezy collection last year during Paris Fashion Week. Littleton Jr. instead suggested the “Jewish Lives Matter” shirt.
“My intention behind it is that each culture can rally around each other,” said the 46-year-old, who is the same age as Ye. “All ethnicities matter. Black lives matter, white lives matter … I feel like because I look like Kanye West, I’m at an advantage to spread the message and to fill in the gaps that Kanye West is not able to fill in.”
Andrew Bachman, the Jewish CEO of Creators Inc, told the New York Jewish Week: “I just thought it was a genius concept … Kanye West has made antisemitic remarks, so taking someone who looks identical to Kanye West and making that statement is powerful and thought provoking.”
Littleton Jr said he has been hired for gigs — like bar mitzvahs, birthday parties, and corporate events — because of his resemblance to Ye. “Everywhere I go, I’m getting mistaken as Kanye West,” he explained. He even appeared as Ye in the music video for Drake’s song Energy. Proceeds he makes from the bookings go to the Baron Jay Foundation, which focuses on empowering underprivileged youth in Los Angeles. Littleton Jr. is director of the foundation.
Ye made a series of antisemitic comments about the Jewish community starting late last year on both social media and during interviews. He promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories and stereotypes, praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and threatened violence against Jews. He faced global condemnation for his remarks, was temporarily suspended from Twitter — now called X — and lost his Yeezy partnership with Adidas, as well as many other brand partnerships.
Littleton Jr commented on Ye’s offensive comments about Jews.
“I would like to create a world where different races are wearing each other’s ‘Lives Matter’ shirts. Black people wearing ‘Jewish Lives Matter’; Jewish people wearing ‘Black Lives Matter’; Asian people wearing ‘Jewish Lives Matter.'”
At the same fashion show on Saturday night, prankster and YouTuber Fred Beyer crashed the runway and walked right after Littleton Jr., but security removed him soon afterward.
by Shiryn Ghermezian
