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Russell Simmons Has A Few Words For Kanye West

He used the tragic death of a Hip-Hop icon as an example.

Russell Simmons is calling on the Hip-Hop community to come together in the wake of Kanye West’s recent statements on slavery and politics.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Simmons urged Ye’s peers to intervene and used the untimely death of Chris Lighty, who passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2012, as an incentive to take this seriously.

“Kanye West is suffering, he is unraveling in public. We have lost friends like Chris Lighty and others who suffered in silence, reach out to him. He is your brother," he wrote.

Revealing that his attempts to contact Kanye West have gone unanswered Simmons added, “Call your brother. I refuse to believe a black man who supports black empowerment, but now says “Slavery was a choice”, is operating with a healthy state of mind.”

Russell Simmons now joins the list of entertainers who have spoken out about Kanye West’s recent commentary.

Check out his full statement below:

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