"We had hip-hop": Candace Owens claims Charlie Kirk once didn't know "difference between Jay-Z and Kanye"

Candace Owens amused her followers with a throwback revelation about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s evolving relationship with hip-hop. On October 23, 2025, Owens shared a series of text messages between herself and Kirk, claiming that he once couldn’t tell the difference “between Jay-Z and Kanye.”

In her X post, Owens reflected on their 2018 conversations, writing:

“2018 was such a ride. Charlie went from not knowing the difference between Jay-Z and Kanye, to texting me like this on his daily runs. Everyone in politics was fake and gay but at least we had hip hop.”

The chat screenshots showed the pair bonding over Kanye West’s hit song Monster, featuring Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, and Bon Iver. The texts revealed Charlie Kirk’s growing enthusiasm for the genre, particularly his fascination with Nicki Minaj’s standout verse.

In one chat exchange, Owens praised the track, telling Kirk that Minaj’s verse was “the best.” In response, Charlie Kirk enthusiastically quoted one of her most famous lines from the song:

“FIRST THINGS FIRST I EAT YOUR BRAINSSSSS,” he wrote.

Owens replied with equal excitement, adding that it made her “so happy.”

In the second chat screenshot, Charlie Kirk quoted a line from Jay-Z’s verse from Monster. He also wrote that when “Nicki drops,” he loses his mind.

Owens encouraged his enthusiasm, responding that Minaj was “THE best” and sharing that she often did her workouts to the same track. She also noted that Jay-Z’s verse made her “think” about where she was in life, suggesting the song’s intensity resonated with her personally.

Kirk seemed equally energized, replying that the track got his “blood flowing” and that he was “about to run a few miles jamming to it.”

“I am LOVING your hip-hop development,” Candace Owens wrote in response

---

Candace Owens makes explosive claims about Charlie Kirk’s death

Charlie Kirk (Image via Getty Images)

Ever since the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on September 10, Candace Owens has made a series of explosive allegations surrounding the circumstances of his death.

Through her podcast and social media posts, Owens has suggested that several powerful figures, including billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were linked to events that allegedly placed Kirk “under duress” in the days before he was killed.

In the September 16, 2025, episode of The Candace Podcast, Owens claimed that Ackman had threatened Charlie Kirk during a private gathering in the Hamptons shortly before his death.

She also alleged that Netanyahu had personally reached out to Kirk, inviting him to Israel as part of what she described as an “intervention” over his changing stance on Israeli politics.

Candace Owens explained that Kirk’s increasingly critical views of Israel had angered influential political and financial figures. Detailing the alleged confrontation, she said:

“So Bibi Netanyahu, in that phone call, what took place was a couple of weeks ago, before Charlie lost his life. Charlie was in the Hamptons… (and) an intervention was staged by Bill Ackman because Charlie’s rational thoughts about Israel were a no-no… Bill Ackman was very upset, and threats were made.”

According to Owens, this “intervention” left Kirk deeply distressed. She claimed that in the days before his death, he had been “under duress” and was even offered financial incentives to change his foreign policy views.

Weeks later, Owens revisited the subject in her October 7, 2025, podcast, asserting that Charlie Kirk had privately expressed frustration over what she described as “Israel bullying him.” Introducing what she said was new evidence, Candace Owens told listeners:

“He knew, and others knew, that Charlie was done with Israel bullying him — and I am now going to present proof of what I’m saying.”

She then presented “an actual group chat” involving nine people, including Kirk and his pastor, Rob McCoy. According to Owens, the messages exchanged two days before Kirk’s assassination showed Kirk’s growing disillusionment with certain major donors.

In that chat, Charlie Kirk wrote about losing “another huge Jewish donor” worth $2 million annually after he refused to “cancel Tucker,” vowing that he would no longer be “bullied like this.”

“So again, this is 48 hours before Charlie was assassinated. He was very clear and explicit — and he did not back down. Not in that Hamptons meeting they’re all lying about, nor in this text thread,” Candace Owens remarked.

On October 20, Candace Owens took to X to declare that she intended to break the gag order imposed in the case to reveal what she called “explosive information.”

In her post, she insisted that she could no longer stay silent and hinted that she had uncovered shocking new details about Kirk’s death. Using incendiary language, she wrote that what she had discovered was “enough to burn the house down” and alleged that everyone "betrayed" Charlie.”

Additionally, The Charlie Kirk Show publicly addressed this controversy after Candace Owens released the chat screenshots.

Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet confirmed that the screenshots were authentic, explaining that he had personally shared them with others. In a video statement posted on October 7 (reshared to X by user Evan Kilgore), Kolvet stated:

“I’m here to address some of the things that have been going around in public...released by Candace Owens. And I just want to address it head on because, you know, that was a text grab, a screen grab that I had shared with people. So it is authentic. And I want to go into it because I actually am really excited that the truth is out there.”

---

Charlie Kirk’s murder continues to fuel widespread speculation and controversy, intensified by Candace Owens’ recent online activity.

As 22-year-old Tyler Robinson remains in custody as the prime suspect in the conservative activist’s fatal shooting, questions and theories surrounding the case persist across social media.

Meanwhile, Candace Owens is focused on her work, continuing to host her self-titled daily podcast.

Edited by Shayari Roy