Who Is Candace Owens? Kanye West Distances Himself From 'Blexit'

Kanye West announced in a series of tweets Tuesday that he was “distancing himself from politics and completely focusing on being creative.”

This announcement came days after right-wing personality Candace Owens asserted that the pro- Trump rapper had designed a logo and merchandise for a political branding exercise called “Blexit,” which urges African-Americans to part ways with the Democratic Party.

West took to Twitter to deny her claims saying she "used" him with her Blexit campaign.

“I introduced Candace to the person who made the logo. 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,” he wrote.

“My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in,” he said. “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.”

Page Six reported that at a recent Washington, D.C. event, Owens said, “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.” She added that West “has taken one of the boldest steps in America to open a conversation we have needed to have.”

However, on Monday, she released a statement that walked back on his involvement in Blexit. “I said on stage that my friend and fellow superhero helped me design the ‘X’ for BLEXIT,” she wrote. “BLEXIT is a project that is mine entirely. I am blessed that Ye introduced me to a designer who despite having totally different beliefs than me, helped me craft some beautiful letters that I used on the BLEXIT caps.”

Owens is a conservative African-American video blogger who is also the director of a not-for-profit organization called Turning Point USA which aims at educating young people about conservative values.

She had received a lot of flak from the liberals for her outspoken support for President Donald Trump and also for her insistence that African Americans should abandon what she calls the “victim mentality” and leave the Democratic party’s “plantation.”

Heavy.com reported that Owens grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and as a senior in high school she had experienced a period of intense bullying. She had said some of her classmates left her voicemail messages calling her names and threatening to kill her.

She runs a YouTube site called Red Pill Black and in 2015, she left a job in finance to start a left-leaning blog called Degree 180. The blog denounced Trump. She said it was during the 2016 elections that her sympathy for Trump started after she encountered pushbacks from liberals. This sympathy then turned into political affiliation.

Earlier this year, Owens and West had appeared together in an infamous TMZ interview in which he talked about how “slavery is a choice.” He also said he had gotten a lot of his ideas from Owens and that he liked the way she thinks.