Chance the Rapper became interested in rap music because of Kanye West. He has spoken often about his admiration for the other artist and has defended him in the past amid controversy. Recently, however, Chance said it has been a while since he last spoke to West. Still, he said this is not because of West’s inflammatory remarks.

Chance the Rapper said he hasn’t spoken to Kanye West in some time

This year, West described himself as a Nazi, praised Adolf Hitler, and expressed his ardent support of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Chance has not spoken out in his defense like he has in the past. They no longer have the solid relationship they once did. 

“I was gonna say honesty is the best policy — I haven’t talked to him in a long time,” Chance said on the New Rory & Mal Podcast. “He’s one of the most influential people in my music. He was at my wedding, our kids have hung out together.”

He said that their busy schedules have put distance between them, and did not comment on what he thought about West’s hateful rhetoric.

“I’ll always love Kanye, but just being honest, I haven’t talked to him in a while. I feel like I’ve been hella busy. I’m working on s***,” he said. “He’s obviously been busy. I be trying not to take opportunities to diss motherf***ers or add too much to the story.”

He noted that he is not trying to avoid a hard conversation with West, resulting in a rift.

“It’s not like I’m anticipating some conversation, something where it’s like, ‘All right, now it’s my time to fix you and tell your a** what you’ve been tweaking on,’” he said. “No s*** like that.”

Still, he said he does not currently have plans to reach out to his friend and former collaborator.

“The way that I think about my world is, I be thinking about my day,” he said. “So, what I gotta do that day and what I’m working on for the next two weeks, maybe six months.”

A video surfaced of Kanye West yelling at Chance the Rapper

Chance joined West in the studio for his album Donda. A video surfaced of an agitated West telling Chance to sit his “a** down and listen to the album or leave.” Chance admitted this made him reevaluate his relationship with West.

“I did come out there to check on my friend,” he said, per NME. “Me and a lot of other people still have love for Ye. But he’s human, he’s not perfect. He was obviously going through it at that time … It made me evaluate my friendship with him, for sure. I had never been so close to him going through an episode.”

Still, he said he had nothing but love for West.

He previously apologized for his support of West

In 2018, West sparked backlash when he posted a picture of himself in a “Make America Great Again” hat signed by Donald Trump. Chance, who had publicly spoken out against Trump in the past, defended West.

“Black people don’t have to be democrats,” he tweeted.

Trump later thanked Chance for his tweet, prompting him to clarify his statement. 

“Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about my city and my loved ones. Kanye West is not just a mentor or big homie to me,” Chance said in the statement, per CBS News. “He’s my family. No matter how much I may disagree with him, it’s hard for me to watch people talk about someone I love — even if they were justified in doing so.”

He said he spoke up at the wrong time, and never wanted people to mistakenly view him as a Trump supporter.

“I’d never support anyone who has made a career out of hatred, racism and discrimination,” he wrote. “I’d never support someone who’d talk about Chicago as if it’s hell on earth and then take steps to make life harder here for the most disenfranchised among us.”

In 2020, Chance endorsed West for president.