Leave it to the Internet, the cornucopia of everything poignant, mundane and bizarre to concoct a characterization so rich and humorous. A reminder of how much change the man, who once reprimanded then-president George W. Bush on his tepid response to the afflicted African-American population in Hurricane Katrina’s wake, has undergone.
Kanye West, a gifted Hip-Hop producer, rapper and fashion designer who often spoke truth to power now is seen from the other side of the fence. For a hot minute, a google image search for The Boondocks, the politically-charged and critically-acclaimed comic strip and animated television series from Aaron McGruder, shows the “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’” Chicago emcee’s portrait as the avatar for the show’s infamous Uncle Ruckus.
If you’ve never seen an episode of the bitingly comedic program, Uncle Ruckus is a definitive Uncle Tom. A hyperbolic pot-stirrer who has a giant Confederate flag hanging on his living room wall, Ruckus routinely disparages Black people and culture at every appearance, much to the chagrin of the main trio of Huey, Riley, and Robert Freeman.
Needless to say, fans of Hip-Hop and the Black Community at large have channeled their feelings of betrayal into rebranding the mercurial West as the internalized racism of Uncle Ruckus.
Eyebrows rose when Kanye’s relationship with Kim Kardashian became public. Jaws dropped when the once vocally pro-Black West threw his literal (MAGA) hat in the ring with Donald Trump. Kanye made a number of appearances with The Donald and on his campaign’s behalf to further drum up support.
And Kanye, who’s admitted to suffering from some mental health challenges to some degree since the premature passing of his mother, lambasted Black people in saying that “Slavery was a choice…” and much else that could’ve prompted a return of Nat Turner from his grave to smack some clarity back into the consciousness of the College Dropout.
Can we all agree Uncle Ruckus is Kanye West personified 😭 pic.twitter.com/XkoF8wEdxc
— Cici 💋 (@cicigotthis) November 2, 2020
Apparently, Google has since taken down the photo, but the joke was already told. As Yeezy once rapped in his single, “Ye vs. The People,” “I know Obama was heaven sent/But ever since Trump won, it proved that I could be President.” Guest star T.I. answers, “Yeah you can, at what cost though?/Don’t that go against the teachings that Ye taught for?”