Following his meeting with President Donald Trump, rapper Kanye West visited an Apple Store in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, where he proceeded to climb atop a display table and deliver a "keynote" to gathered customers.
Source: Jack Jenkins via Twitter
The scene was chronicled by Religion News Service reporter Jack Jenkins, who happened to be at Apple Georgetown when Kanye decided to drop in.
Shared on Twitter, Jenkins' account starts off as a celebrity sighting, but quickly takes a turn for the surreal when West asks to give an impromptu "keynote" to customers in the store.
He just asked to give a "keynote" on top a table.
-- Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins) October 11, 2018
He's doing it. pic.twitter.com/y30F1bU9aj
According to Jenkins, West said he made a hat for Trump that reads "make America great," a take on the president's "Make America Great Again" or "MAGA" slogan. Trump donned the cap during his meeting with West earlier today, the rapper said, showing proof of the encounter on his iPhone.
West claimed the inclusion of "again" in Trump's catchphrase "hurts b[l]ack people," according to Jenkins.
Apple store staff refused to comment on why West was at the location, though photos shared to Twitter suggest he was attending a Genius Bar appointment. Whether employees permitted the rap guru to stand on the store's tables and address its customers, or if West's request to do so was mostly rhetorical, is unclear.
West exited the premises in as dramatic a fashion as he entered, announcing he is "going to Africa."
The bizarre chain of events followed an equally odd meeting with Trump, at which West proposed "The iPlane 1," a hydrogen-powered replacement for Air Force One. West said, "We're gonna have Apple, an American company, work on this plane with...," only to leave assembled media in the Oval Office hanging.
West is typically hot-and-cold on Apple, often lauding or comparing himself to co-founder Steve Jobs while referencing current executives in tweets and interviews. In 2016, Yeezus promised his then-new album The Life of Pablo would "never be on Apple" before pleading with fans to subscribe to Tidal, Jay-Z's music streaming service in which he once held a minor stake. Before bailing on Tidal last year, West called for Apple to buy the service and end the "beef" between the streaming competitors.
Most recently, West in October made outrageous claims that his "YZY" brand was part of Apple. "Ye" later clarified -- but not really -- that YZY works for "Eddie Q and all 123 thousand [Apple] crew members," suggesting any proposed affiliation is more spiritual than contractual.