Kanye West made headlines yet again this week for meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. But as it turns out, some of West’s colleagues have soured on the rapper’s propensity for hopping into the spotlight.
At their meeting on Thursday, Trump and West talked about masculinity, mental health, prison reform, and U.S. manufacturing, among other things. West was also on hand to celebrate the Music Modernization Act, which Trump ratified into law at a signing ceremony that day.
The MMA allows artists and publishers to earn royalties on recordings predating 1972, and would also help songwriters and producers whose music is available for streaming to get paid more efficiently. Industry leaders who supported the legislation were instrumental in passing the act through the House and Senate, but Rolling Stone reports that many of them were shut out of the official signing ceremony and not formally recognized by the president.
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The guest list was notably high-profile, featuring stars such as West, Kid Rock, and the Beach Boys’ Mike Love, all of whom reportedly had little to nothing to do with the bill. Kay Hanley, a co-executive director of Songwriters of North America, told the magazine, “We also knew, as of the time of the party, there were no women. On any list. Anywhere.”
The event resulted in a partisan photo op with some of Trump’s most well-known supporters. But people like Hanley and other music industry leaders noted that the legislation was widely overshadowed by the president and West’s attention-grabbing antics.
The backlash over Trump and West’s meeting wasn’t limited to music industry bigwigs. West was widely criticized by a number of celebrities for this meeting and for his outspoken pro-MAGA stance. Many fans also believe that his Trump-friendly social media presence — which also got its fair share of heat — was controversial enough to factor into his recent decision to quit Twitter and Instagram (again).