Kanye West drew a torrent of criticism on social media this weekend after putting out an open casting call for the latest iteration of his fashion line that requested only “multiracial” women try out.
In a tweet on Friday, the 39-year-old rapper and fashion mogul solicited models for his upcoming Yeezy “Season 4” show, set to open on September 7, the first day of New York Fashion Week.
“Multiracial Women Only,” the casting call read. “No Makeup Please Come As You Are.”
The tweet drew immediate backlash from West’s social media followers, who accused the rapper of excluding both white and black women from the tryouts.
Responses also included several women who posted pictures in hopes of receiving a callback, and at least one user who doubted the “multiracial” requirement could be enforced:
Despite the uproar over the casting call, the New York Daily News reports that thousands of women lined up outside the auditions at West 26th Street in Manhattan with the hopes of being picked for the show.
“I don’t see anything wrong with it because it’s his vision,” one attendee told the Daily News of the casting call. “As an artist, if you have a vision, people shouldn’t be able to say anything about that vision.”
West has been busy lately; in addition to preparing for his fashion show, the rapper is scheduled to perform two concerts at Madison Square Garden this week as part of his cross-country Saint Pablo tour.
On Sunday night, West made a surprise appearance at the Bad Boy Family reunion show at the Garden, where he joined fellow rapper Diddy for a song. Diddy posted video from the performance on his Instagram account:
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum