Owens credited the Yeezy designer bigwig with designing “Blexit” merchandise, a portmanteau of “Black” and “Exit,” a reference to Britain's departure from the European Union, when he launched a campaign in late 2018 to encourage black voters to leave the Democratic Party and register as Republicans.
“Brexit is a renaissance and I am fortunate to say that the logo and colours were created by my dear friend and fellow superhero, Kanye West,” Owens said. Page 6 At Turning Point USA's Young Black Leadership Summit in Washington, DC on October 27, 2018 (at the time of the event, Owens was the director of communications for Turning Point USA).
But a few days later, Ye took to Twitter to clarify and deny directing the design: “I introduced Candice to the people who created the logo, but they didn't want their name on it, so she used my name,” Ye wrote. “I never wanted anything to do with Brexit. I have nothing to do with it.”
West later wrote that the gaffe put him at risk of accidentally promoting ideas he personally did not agree with, and announced, “I am stepping away from politics to focus entirely on being creative!!!” But this isn't the end of West's political shenanigans, as he continues to push for a 2020 presidential campaign under his separate “Birthday Party.”
On Halloween (October 31), Owens wrote an apology blog post titled after the rapper's fourth studio album. 808s & Heartbreak Especially for falsely linking him to her Blexit movement when he is a “superhero” and a “friend” to her.
“I think listening to Kanye West and Jay-Z's music has kept me sane on some of my worst days. I can't believe I woke up one day and suddenly had friends with the words and lyrics that literally kept me sane. God is good. There are so many people in the world who know Kanye West is great and powerful and awesome and love him, but not everyone in this world knows what it means to have someone's rap lyrics literally save you,” she began. “…If I had to imagine what it felt like to have a bullet pierce my heart, it would be the exact same as the moment I found out Kanye told the world that I was using him. I would never wish what I felt last night on my worst enemy.”
She continued, “I have never said that Kanye designed the BLEXIT T-shirt. This appears to be a lie that has been spread around the world. I would like to correct that again for the record. It is entirely natural that Kanye would feel taken advantage of in that regard, and I would like to publicly apologize, as I have done privately, for any undue stress or distress that efforts to correct that rumor have caused him, his business relationships, or his family. He simply never designed that T-shirt.”
Owens and Ye have since reconciled, with Owens supporting the rapper by attending his controversial Paris Fashion Week show in 2022 and Ye returning the favor by walking the red carpet for her film premiere. The Biggest Lie of All Time: George Floyd and the Rise of Black Lives Matter.
