Ice Cube Addresses “Sellout” Critics Following Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Meeting

Ice Cube has been catching flack this week after meeting up with the controversial politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the former mayor of Cleveland Dennis Kucinich. The 54-year-old rapper hasn’t taken the criticism lightly and went directly at his naysayers via social media.

Kennedy Jr., the son of the late RFK and nephew of the late former President John F. Kennedy, shared a photo of their gathering on Monday (July 10). “@Dennis_Kucinich and I spent a wonderful evening with one of our country’s most influential and outspoken civil rights leaders @icecube!” he captioned the photo of the three embracing and smiling. While their spirits were high, fans felt the complete opposite given that both Cube and RFK Jr. are vocal anti-vaxxers. They publicized their dismay as they interpreted the photo as Cube endorsing the latter’s presidential aspirations.

“For all the simple minded short bus people out there,” the Los Angeles rapper wrote. “A picture is not an endorsement, dummy. Now get your a** over to bungalow 51 and STFU.” One fan, in particular, expressed his disappointment in the “No Vaseline” rapper being a “sellout” after his previous stances against former Presidents and the police. “Sellout?” Cube asked. “I work for myself. I’m self-made. How do you feed your family??? How much do you sell your time for per hour on your job?”

It wasn’t all negativity toward Ice Cube. One fan called out critics for deeming the Mount Westmore member responsible for “saving all Black people” and gave him props for giving himself and his family a better life. The father of four echoed the sentiment and added, “I’ve saved a countless amount of people. I’ve been doing this for over 3 decades. Think about all families I’ve fed, careers I’ve started and LIVES I’ve saved through the years. Every time I do something people are saved from a harder life.”

One rap peer, Chuck D, stood up for the West Coast rapper amidst all of the hatred. “Know this fact,” the Public Enemy member wrote. “@icecube has gone into every one of these ‘industries’ many of the masses worship… on HIS own rule and as his OWN MAN. A game that’s twisted many into demise. Not him. Know that. Seen the same dude since the day I met him. He KNOWS who he is. Know who YOU are.” Cube showed gratitude to the “Fight The Power” rapper in a quote tweet, writing, “Thanks Big Bruh.”

The back-and-forth eventually got to the point where the gangsta rap legend stopped informing people about his impact and resorted to harsh insults. One user said that he went from “f the police to let the police f me,” to which he replied, “And you went from Bi**h to h*e… I ain’t cha Bro.” Another fan compared the AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted rapper to Kanye West and expressed sadness over what he’s become. “Dirty bi**h, you ain’t sad,” Cube wrote. Check out the tweets below.

While Ice Cube is fighting off political-based hatred, he is also in the midst of a battle with the NBA. The BIG3 owner feels that the long-running basketball powerhouse has been trying to sabotage his growing 3-on-3 league made up of former NBA players and international hoopers.

“We’re not trying to compete in any shape or form with the NBA. We’re very complimentary,” Cube said on an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience in June. “So, I don’t understand the things that’s being done behind the scenes. Encouraging people to not sponsor us, encouraging networks not to play us… We’ve been able to survive but at a certain point it’s just redundant and ridiculous and we gotta fight back in some shape or form.”

More from VIBE.com

• Ice Cube Claims American Record Labels Encourage Criminal Activity

• Ice Cube Responds To Tony Yayo Claiming Biggie Is The Superior Storyteller

• Tony Yayo Says Biggie Was A Better Rapper Than Ice Cube, O'Shea Jackson Jr. Responds

Click here to read the full article.