Rapper Kanye West said Tuesday he is not the designer of the "Blexit" shirts encouraging black people to leave the Democratic Party, rejecting reports that he was the man behind the idea.

In a pair of tweets, West said Turning Point USA communications director Candace Owens was wrong to mention his name when she announced the new product line.

"I introduced Candace to the person who made the logo and they didn’t want their name on it so she used mine. I never wanted any association with Blexit. I have nothing to do with it," West said.

"My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative !!!" he added.


The shirts, which are a play off "Brexit" in the United Kingdom, were introduced Saturday at Turning Point USA’s Young Black Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.

“Blexit is a renaissance, and I am blessed to say that this logo, these colors, were created by my dear friend and fellow superhero Kanye West," Owens said at the event, according to Page Six.

West was not in attendance at the event.

The designs of the shirts include the words "Blexit" or "We Free" and come in different colors. They are available on the Blexit.com website.

In a tweet Monday, Owens blamed the press for misinterpreting her remarks, calling the "Blexit" project "entirely" her own.

In an interview with Breitbart, Owens clarified that she had consulted the 21-Grammy award-winning rapper about the "X" in the design while she was still working on the idea. The report says that West put her in contact with a designer and that after her conversation with West she took a trip to Africa to find inspiration.

“The Blexit design reflects the deep-seated humanity and harmony we felt in Uganda,” Owens said. “It’s that humanity you see in the artwork. The bodies represent us all bending and binding together as a people to bring healing to our communities and real lasting change. That’s what this movement represents. That’s what was missing from the logo. That’s what we found in Africa.”

Kanye West himself recently traveled to Uganda with his wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, and their two young children.


In a flurry of tweets earlier in the day Tuesday, West listed out ideas he supports and stressed that he wanted to thank "family, loved ones, and community for supporting my ACTUAL beliefs and my vision for a better world."

"I support creating jobs and opportunities for people who need them the most, I support prison reform, I support common-sense gun laws that will make our world safer," he tweeted. "I support those who risk their lives to serve and protect us and I support holding people who misuse their power accountable. I believe in love and compassion for people seeking asylum and parents who are fighting to protect their children from violence and war."

West visited the White House earlier this month, wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, during which he gave an on-camera rant on issues including race and policies and embraced President Trump.