On Monday night (July 17), Ice Cube visited the notorious Piers Morgan Uncensored show for an interview. During the conversation, Morgan asked the N.W.A. icon about Kanye West, and if they have spoken recently. Along with revealing he and West have communicated in the not-so-distant past, Cube insisted that West is in good spirits.
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“I believe he’s doing great,” Cube said. “He’s still dealing with some people trying to hold onto his money, but for the most part, I believe he’s in a good space. I think he’s learned a lot from this past year, and hopefully, he’ll come out better on the other side.”
What Cube is specifically referring to is West’s antics in late 2022, when he went on a weeks-long bout spewing antisemitic rhetoric. Along with burning bridges with some friends in the music industry, this tirade also cost West business partnerships, brand deals, and more, with some of his relationships ending in lawsuits. Cube continued his chat with Morgan by saying he believes West has learned his lesson.
“I felt that if he was really upset with specific people that the message he was saying would kind of hijack what he’s really upset about,” the emcee said Monday. “That’s kind of what happened. You just can’t generalize, you have to be specific especially if you’re talking about anybody or any race.”
Additionally, Cube addressed West’s now-deleted October 2022 interview with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN of Drink Champs, where West claimed Cube inspired his antisemitism. “Cube’s really set me up for this,” West said on the show. “You’ve really influenced me to get on this anti-semite vibe. I’m here to finish the job.”
Confused by how he could’ve rubbed off on West this way, Cube immediately took to Twitter to refute this, asking West to not involve him in his hate-filled ideologies.
“I hate that my name was dragged into this Drunk Champs bullshit,” Cube tweeted. “I don’t know what Ye meant by his statements. You’re gonna have to ask him. I didn’t put the batteries in his back. Please leave my name out of all the antisemitic talk. I’m not antisemitic and never have been.”
Cube addressed this with Morgan as well. “He spoke my name without really explaining what he meant and I just couldn’t really leave that statement out there,” he said. “I had to rebut that.”
Currently, West is rumored to be working on a new album in Japan. While not much is known about the project, Cube’s proclamation that he is now in a good headspace could mean that the Chicago rapper is ready to return to releasing music soon.
Check out Cube’s conversation with Morgan below.
Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
