Highsnobiety

The timing couldn't be more bizarre. Mere days after Drake and Kanye ride the high of their Free Larry Hoover benefit concertwhich Kanye fans are over the moon about, BTW — news broke about one of Ye's publicists apparently pressuring a volunteer working the 2020 election ballots to admit to bogus federal crimes related to the January 6 riots. Phew.

Trevian Kutti, a "confidante of Kanye West" who Reuters reports is a publicist and "Director of Operations" for the rapper, is involved in a twisted tale involving dubious claims of voter fraud.

Long story short: on January 4, 2021, Kutti attempted to put the squeeze on Georgian election worker Ruby Freeman. She allegedly used both muscle and claims of being sent by an anonymous "high-profile individual" to pressure Freeman into admitting that Freeman and associates had counted false ballets to help Joe Biden win crucial swing state voites, a claim that had already been debunked by Atlanta voting officials several times over.

Quick digging turns up basic truths about Kutti: she purports a history in working in Chicago luxury retail and joined Kanye's executive staff in 2020 to help with Yeezy's doomed presidential bid.

Kutti previously handled publicity for an even more embattled Chicago musician: R. Kelly.

Furthermore, Kutti is apparently a staunch Trump supporter and may have been responsible for the flood of Trump protestors that surrounded Freeman's home in Atlanta with bullhorns and signs on January 6 (Freeman had evacuated a day earlier on a tip from the FBI).

Atlanta is obviously a far ways away from Washington DC, where the actual capitol riots went down.

But, given Kutti's ties and the fact that the Atlanta Trump mob on the same day as the bigger riots, it's not hard to conceive that the assault on Freeman's house was part of a coordinated push from powerful figures that sought to give credence to Trump's spurious election fraud claims.

What's the takeaway? Well, to me, it doesn't not sound like some kind of political opp.

Remember that Yeezy still has some disagreeable views and supports Trump — though he kinda flipped last year, he did reaffirm love for Trump in his recent "Drink Champs" interview.

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this YouTube video.

But there's not enough evidence to assert that Kanye had a direct role in this mess or in the January 6 riots. After all, this could've been masterminded by some other right-wing power player and, despite her ties to Kanye, Kutti could've just as likely gone rogue (though that's the story they'd want you to believe!).

Like with all the other Kanye rumors flying around, let's step back and reiterate the certain truths: a supposed Kanye associate seemingly played a role in targeted political harassment that could have been tied to the January 6 riots, though there's no definitive evidence of the latter.

It's not as snappy as saying, "Kanye caused the capitol riots!" but it's the fairest analysis of the available facts pertaining to a very strange footnote in what was already a weird year for Kanye.

We Recommend
  • Kanye & Wife Bianca Call It Quits
    • Culture
  • Is Kanye West Still One of Hip Hop's Wealthiest Moguls in 2023?
    • Culture
  • Pastelle, the Original Kanye Brand, Is Back
    • Style
  • Ozzy Osbourne's Kanye Cosplay Is Insane & Amazing
    • Style
  • Of Course North West Wins at Kanye-Themed Halloween Costumes
    • Style
What To Read Next
  • Veja's New Running Shoe Is a Surprisingly Slick Crossover Sneaker
    • Sneakers
  • The Trader Joes Tote Bag Is No Stanley Cup
    • Style
  • Ghettotech, Bootytech, Sextech, meet the Detroit trio HiTech
    • Culture
  • Kendall Jenner in Business Bottega Is Best-Dressed Material
    • Style
  • 2024, the Year of the Beautiful Celeb Couple
    • Culture
  • A Love Letter to Ferrari's IYKYK Super Car
    • Culture
*If you submitted your e-mail address and placed an order, we may use your e-mail address to inform you regularly about similar products without prior explicit consent. You can object to the use of your e-mail address for this purpose at any time without incurring any costs other than the transmission costs according to the basic tariffs. Each newsletter contains an unsubscribe link. Alternatively, you can object to receiving the newsletter at any time by sending an e-mail to info@highsnobiety.com

Web Accessibility Statement

Titel Media GmbH (Highsnobiety), is committed to facilitating and improving the accessibility and usability of its Website, www.highsnobiety.com. Titel Media GmbH strives to ensure that its Website services and content are accessible to persons with disabilities including users of screen reader technology. To accomplish this, Titel Media GmbH tests, remediates and maintains the Website in-line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which also bring the Website into conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that our efforts to maintain accessibility and usability are ongoing. While we strive to make the Website as accessible as possible some issues can be encountered by different assistive technology as the range of assistive technology is wide and varied.

Contact Us

If, at any time, you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any particular webpage on this Website, please contact us at accessibility@highsnobiety.com, +49 (0)30 235 908 500. If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to specify the web page and nature of the issue in your email and/or phone call, and we will make all reasonable efforts to make that page or the information contained therein accessible for you.