Westside Gunn has never been one to dim his light, especially when it comes to fashion. Even before signing to Eminem, joining JAY-Z’s Roc Nation or collaborating with Kanye West, the Buffalo, New York native confidently crowned himself “Flygod.”
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His latest flex wasn’t met with the usual fanfare he’s come to expect, though. On Tuesday (October 26), Westside Gunn tweeted a photo of Mr. T draped in his trademark gold chains with the caption, “The Diff between me and Mr T is My smallest chain cost more than all his shit #FLYGOD #GXFR #BUFFALOKIDS.”
The Griselda MC’s boast was met with widespread criticism as fans called him out for being ignorant and disrespectful to the world-famous actor and wrestler, who’s best known for his roles in The A-Team and Rocky III, as well as his iconic catchphrase, “I pity the fool!”
“He didn’t even buy his smallest chain,” fellow rapper Sage Francis reminded Westside Gunn. “Good on you for having really small chains though. Weird flex but [flexed biceps emoji].”
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Another fan replied, “That’s cool but Mr T wasn’t flexing to flash but to represent the evolution of how we wore chains. They asked why he wore so many chains he often replied ‘you weren’t worried when my ancestors wore heavy chains’ so I applaud you for being in the position you’re in but just know!!”
Even Mr. T’s daughter, comedian Erica Clark, clapped back at Westside Gunn, reminding the Hitler Wears Hermes rapper of her father’s accomplishments.
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“Difference is… All of it was real.. All of it was given to him. All of it is his. He still has all of it.. And he was a movie star, TV star, commercial star with bedsheets. Pajamas, Lunch boxes, dolls, cereal, cartoons, Wrestlemania, albums… He’s my dad too.”
Perhaps having caught wind of the backlash, Westside Gunn returned to Twitter shortly after to pay tribute to Mr. T, applauding him for finding success in the worlds of wrestling, television and movies.
“I love MRT I was literally just sitting here thinking how he was so dope for the Culture,” he wrote. “How he was able to jump into the wrestling world and be fly, get on TV shows, movies, action figures, he was a one of one.”
As day-one Griselda fans will know, Westside Gunn also named a song after Mr. T (whose real name is Laurence Tureaud) on his 2016 album FLYGOD.
This isn’t the first time Westside Gunn’s brash nature has landed him in hot water this year. Last month, he caught flack for posting a photo with controversial shock rocker Marilyn Manson, who he rubbed shoulders with at Kanye West’s Donda listening event in Chicago.
Westside Gunn Knew Marilyn Manson Photo Would Have People 'Shitting On Themselves'
Despite the multiple sexual assault allegations hanging over Manson’s head, Gunn couldn’t care less that his photo ruffled feathers.
“I knew people was going to be fucking shitting on themselves when I did it, but it was just like, why not?” he told HipHopDX. “At the end of the day you mad at me, but he on Kanye’s porch, not mine. I gave him his flowers. I’m a ’90s baby. That’s Marilyn Manson.”
