Why was Kanye West’s ‘Drink Champs’ appearance deleted? N.O.R.E. reflects on the rapper’s “weird” behavior on the show

N.O.R.E., host of the Drink Champs podcast, recently called Kanye West’s 2022 appearance on the show “weird” and explained why the episode was deleted. During the 2022 interview, Kanye (Ye) made several controversial comments, including false claims about George Floyd’s death in 2020.

For the unversed, Officer Derek Chauvin was later convicted of Floyd’s murder.

However, Ye said on the podcast that the victim was under the influence of fentanyl, which led to his death. The episode was later taken down after a lot of backlash.

N.O.R.E., whose real name is Victor James Santiago Jr., appeared on The Breakfast Club 105.1 on June 30 and said:

"We didn't edit nothing until then, but Kanye's was very weird. I got secondhand hate." "He was like 'What's the difference between George Floyd and Martin Luther King?' And we were all thrown off," N.O.R.E. continued. "And he was like, 'Martin Luther King had b**ches.' And we were like 'Aw, sh*t.' We knew that had to be edited right there."

N.O.R.E. added that he spoke to West a few times after the episode was released, but the rapper stopped talking to him after the episode was deleted.

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N.O.R.E. apologized to George Floyd's loved ones after Kanye West's comments on his show

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Back in 2022, after Kanye West's episode, N.O.R.E. appeared on the Breakfast Club and said (h/t Complex):

“I just wanna be honest, I support freedom of speech. I support anybody, you know, not being censored. But I do not support anybody being hurt. I did not realize that the George Floyd statements on my show was so hurtful. And you gotta realize, it was the first five minutes of the show. When he walked in, he told my producer, he said that if he’ll stop filming, he’ll walk out.” “I apologize to the George Floyd family,” he added. “I apologize to anybody that was hurt by Kanye West’s comments.”

N.O.R.E. also asserted that he doesn't support West's comments about George Floyd, or any antisemitic comments either.

Also Read: Has Kanye West changed his name to "Ye Ye"? Rapper's spokesperson clarifies rumors

On October 10, 2022, N.O.R.E. appeared on Apple Music's Rap Life Review, where hosts Ebro Darden, Nadeska, and Lowkey questioned him about Kanye West’s controversial comments on the Drink Champs podcast. Along with spreading false claims about George Floyd’s death, West had also made antisemitic remarks.

N.O.R.E. explained that he was in a rush and hadn’t watched the episode before releasing it. He saw it at the same time as the audience and was “caught off guard” by Ye’s comments.

Moreover, N.O.R.E. explained that he knew a different version of Ye as compared to what his public image was. However, he asserted that he doesn't want to defend the rapper as he can defend himself.

The Drink Champs podcast had also issued a statement, condemning West's comments before removing his episode from their YouTube channel.

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Edited by Divya Singh