Kanye West, master of the public spectacle and known for never being far from the headlines, has once again done what he does best: stir the pot.
His latest antics, however, seem to have left Mzansi feeling decidedly underwhelmed.
In a move that may have been designed to show love, West posted a picture of South African Grammy Award-winning artist Tyla alongside American rapper Gunna on X.
Captioned simply with “Respect and love."
But, if West was hoping for an outpouring of admiration or even mild curiosity from South Africans, he might be disappointed. The reaction from local netizens was, to put it lightly, lukewarm.
Now, before anyone accuses West of lacking sincerity, one might argue that his cryptic post, short as it was, might indeed mean exactly what it says.
The post gained further traction when MDNews, a local entertainment and gossip outlet, reposted his image with the accompanying caption: "US controversial rapper Kanye West posted a picture of Gunna and Tyla on X (formerly Twitter), captioned: respect and love."
US controversial rapper Kanye West posted a picture of Gunna and Tyla on X (formerly Twitter), captioned '🔥 respect and love pic.twitter.com/k6Qc73K68M
Yet, just when you thought West's drama might be simmering down, the rapper gave us more to chew on.
Over the weekend, he turned his attention to a deeply personal subject: his late mother, Donda West. In a bizarre post, West made claims about his mother’s sexuality and the impact it had on his relationships.
According to reports from "Hot New Hip Hop", West suggested that he had learned certain behaviours from his mother, revealing that he once overheard “noises coming from her room” and later discovered she was allegedly a lesbian.
"You know that day when you hear noises coming from your mom’s room and you find out she’s a lesbian, and you’re like, ‘Mom, that’s my babysitter. You’re sleeping with the employees'. See, I got it from you, Mom," West wrote in a now-deleted tweet.
His comments about his mother’s alleged sexuality - who passed away in 2007 - are sure to raise eyebrows.
His mother’s death was the result of coronary artery disease following cosmetic surgery, and her passing has been a source of profound grief for him over the years.