Rapper Meek Mill tried desperately to talk Kanye West out of meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House last month (Oct18).
The Fade hitmaker, who has been openly heaping praise on the controversial Republican leader since his election in 2016, joined Trump for lunch in Washington, D.C., where he ranted about a wide range of issues, including criminal justice reform and mental healthcare.
Meek, who was incarcerated for five months earlier this year (18) for violating his probation relating to a 2008 incident, reveals he spent "hours" on the phone with Kanye in the lead up to the event, attempting to make him understand why discussing the need for sweeping changes to the way people are treated in the criminal justice system with Trump would be fruitless.
"I don't think (Kanye) addressed anything that had to do with what was tough on justice reform," Meek told Vulture of West's rambling speech during his White House visit. "He wasn't prepared for it, and he shouldn't have done it. I had phone calls with Kanye for hours. He was trying to get me to go to things like that (high-profile meetings)."
Meek, who had previously rejected a White House invitation to address prison reform legislation, also had the chance to discuss his concerns with Kanye's wife, Kim Kardashian, who has become an advocate for the cause too, and while she was more receptive to his objections, his pleas fell on deaf ears.
"She knew a lot more information (about criminal justice reform) than I thought she would know," Meek admitted, but added, "I just couldn't reason with them."
Sharing his own reasoning for turning down his White House invite following his prison release in April (18), he said, "I already knew that he (Trump) don't give a f**k about me or my kind. It was too much of a game, and I wasn't trying to be used like a pawn."
