Do you know how difficult it is to find a legit photo of Kanye West in braids or cornrows? You can see one photo here of pre-mega-fame Kanye, circa 2000. I’m just going to use some of the oldest photos we do have of Kanye, which are circa 2004-05. He was so cute back then! He smiled more back then too. I think Kanye believes that if he smiles too much these days, he won’t be taken seriously as an artist or fashion guy. And I miss Kanye’s Robert Evans look, with the aviator shades and the velvet. That was a hot look for him. Anyway, in case you couldn’t tell, this story is about vintage Kanye. Back in 2000, Kanye was convicted of a felony: stealing printers from an Office Max, which… is a totally random crime, right? TMZ has some dirt about Kanye’s law-breaking and how he believes he was racially profiled because of his braids.
Kanye West says he has been racially profiled by cops … arrested and charged with stealing printers from an OfficeMax back in 2000 … all because of his braids.
We got hold of Kanye’s deposition in a case filed by a photog who Kanye assaulted at LAX. In the depo, Kayne admits to being convicted of a felony … and then recalls the incident where he says, “I was racially profiled for having a white T-shirt and braids.”
Kanye says cops snagged him for allegedly stealing printers at the Illinois OfficeMax. He gets sketchy, not explaining where cops found him, but he does say at the time he was already a successful music producer. Kanye suggests cops even doctored the evidence to frame him, saying, “I was driving a white Ford Expedition. When I saw the police report, they crossed out where it said ‘Cream Ford Explorer.'”
In the depo, filed in court by his lawyer Shawn Holley, Kanye says he believes he was convicted of a felony but says it was actually “a mistaken identity for stealing some printers from OfficeMax after I was a platinum producer.”
The opposing lawyer responded, “I’m sure that wasn’t in the charge that you were … a platinum producer.” Kanye fired back, “Yeah, I believe so. I think that’s what — I think that’s what — where America had me at that time for having braids.”
We all laugh at Kanye’s delusions at being the next Walt Disney/Steve Jobs/King of France, but what if Kanye’s version of events might be close to reality? I mean, do we really believe that Kanye stole some printers from Office Max? Or did he just happen to look like a guy who actually stole printers from Office Max? We want to believe that cops would never just arrest the first black guy they saw near an Office Max, but sometimes, that’s exactly what happens. #TeamCornrows
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I can’t stand him sometimes but sadly I know that that type of behavior from lazy and prejudiced cops who’d rather close a case than solve a crime is more common then we would like to admit.
I think he could be telling the truth, but who knows with him. I mean, I know that kind of thing definitely happens, but he just says such delusional stuff all the time, I don’t know what to think.
He was kind of cute back then. He and Kim have managed to suck all of the personality and hotness out of each other.
That. Or the darkness of a mental illness has perhaps overtaken.
Baby Kanye is pretty adorable.
I don’t know what to even think of this one. But I’ll admit the idea of him stealing printers from Office Max is hysterical.
I live in Illinois near Chicago and we have stories upon stories about Kanye. I bet they’re just local legend at this point but they’re fun. We’re sorta proud, mostly ashamed of him.
I didn’t recognize him at first with the smile.
He looks more handsome when he smiles, I think. But that’s kind of a granny thing to think, I guess.
I don’t know about it being granny, he has a nice smile.
I just remembered how I loved his songs Through the Wire and All Falls Down. I was so impressed with his music. Now he seems crazy, a control-freak and he is married to the most narcisstic person who was ever on this planet.
It seems a kind of mean to refer to someone as “crazy” especially if they have mental health issues.
Sorry, didn’t know you had inside information about his mental health.
Lol he’s said he suffers from depression.. That’s not any “insider” information, it’s never been a secret
May be he really did it back then just to have some fun with PO POs for attention, who knows what goes on with Kanye Cornrows? 😀
It’s weird to see him look happy.
His pose in the picture with braids made me laugh but I do agree that he was kind of cute back then. I do feel bad for him for being a victim of racial profiling if that was the case.
This is a little weird. If he had printers in his cream, excuse me, white Ford, he must have paid cash and immediately lost the receipt in the parking lot. If he did pay for them, a cashier would have remembered it. I’m not so sure he is innocent. I could see him deciding “Imma just going to walk out – those lines are too long for ME.”
“Imma just going to walk out – those lines are too long for ME.”
Seriously? You really believe that?
Based on his blatant narcissism yes.
I believe it to be true. If he had paid for them there would be a record of some sort even if he paid cash. I know a few people who went to high school with him and they said he was basically ignored as the little guy who was always running his mouth about this, that or the other thing. And that was only when he came to school. His mother spoiled him rotten and I can see him thinking he would just move on. But KanYe always has some sort of excuse about the man trying to keep him down. Funny he hasn’t brought this up before the way this guy runs his mouth and places blame on everyone but himself. And yes I do believe he is mentally ill but he then should be getting help for it.
I don’t understand why this is all of a sudden brought up 14 years later. If he was racially profiled, that was wrong. But seems like he brings up the race card when it suits him.
I’m pretty sure his lack of smiling has to do with his depression. He’s talked about how he was in a deep depression after his mum died and that’s around the time he stopped smiling as much. I think he has changed since Nori’s been born though (he’s mentioned it in music) and seeing the paparazzi pictures of them together is so cute, I wish they were published in magazines and on bigger websites more often cause you can see how close they are but I guess it fits the “Kanye never sees Nori” story more to not publish them lol
Not sure why people are so quick to think he’s making up a story about being racially profiled while he had braids since it’s such a common thing. A few of my cousins used to have cornrows (when they were cool lol) but they had to cut them off because of the way they were treated because of it. They’ve still been racially profiled since then but at least now they have a better chance of getting a job and being taken seriously. and it’s not really something to laugh about IMO since black people have literally been shot and killed for these same reasons…
I think he was happy before his mother died. I think that really has impacted him. Its why I am shocked that he is attracted (at least in a baby mama sense) to Kim K. His mother died getting plastic surgery that he was reportedly against and then he actually marries the most plastic famewhore imaginable. I’m sure there is plenty to analyze with that!
He’s an only child and Kim K has a bunch of brothers and sisters. That’s instant family for him.
I do think he has his own family even though his mother didn’t have other children I do believe his father did. And he has aunts and uncles and cousins and they are his family too. We all feel bad when a parent dies but that is the circle of life and we all move on. And I think Kanye has as well in his own way. Why else would he marry the queen of plastic surgery and selfies and pap strolls?
I do think a lot of his issues started after his mom died. I don’t think he ever recovered from her death, and everything since may be just trying to fill the void she left.
This is pretty cynical…but maybe after she passed, he didn’t feel like he had to live his life in the way his mom expected him to. I don’t know that his professor mother would have approved Kanye marrying Kim? But eh, I’m just speculating.
I’m trying to figure out how you can walk out the door with PRINTERS. Not print cartridges, but the whole printer? Did he stuff it in his pants like Jameis Winston stuffing crab legs?
The idea of Kanye stealing printers from an Office Max does seem random. But given Kanye’s penchant for exaggeration and hyperbole I’m going to side with the fact that he was actually CONVICTED in a court of law. There’s no speculation there. It’s a fact that he’s a convicted felon no matter what story he want’s to spin. After all, every prisoner will tell you they are actually innocent and have been framed. All of that aside, I also like the smiling Kanye. Bring back the smiles dude! You have a great life.
Thanks Ginger, that’s what i was thinking . HE WAS CONVICTED. ( HA! can’t vote) HE IS A FELON) SO they just happened to convict him of a felony for no damn reason besides the fact
he had braids. I am keeping my fingers crossed for two more strikes. He is a fool.
I agree. And considering this happened when he was already a platinum producer (as he claims), he would have been able to afford pretty exceptional defense counsel.
I misread the headline and thought Kanye got arrested for stealing 2000 printers. That would have been pretty impressive.
HAHAHA
LOVE the Robert Evans reference ha ha. He was convicted. I don’t see him as Reuben Carter – just an idiot who ripped off a store and was busted. What a tool.
Kanye’s lawyer is Shawn Holley?
Guilty as charged!
Why did he plead guilty? I’m not saying he did it, I’m just saying he seems like the type of guy to fight a criminal charge if he is innocent. He had some money back then, but nothing compared to what he has now. This may be an incident of mistaken identity but there must be more evidence than just “he looked like the guy who took the printers”. Also, why steal printers lol the ink is the valuable part and that you have to buy separately !
Maybe he pleaded guilty so he could avoid jail time and get a quicker court date as he was a producer who had to fly around a lot. I don’t know but there is more to this story that we don’t know.
If he’s actually a convicted felon, wouldn’t he have trouble traveling? There are bureaucratic ways around it after a certain time, though. But I’ve never heard of him having trouble in countries that definitely balk at letting felons in even for visits. Was it reduced to a misdemeanor in return for a no contest plea? It does sound awfully strange, it’s not like shoplifters go for printers.
Sure, racial profiling is a very real and ugly thing. But Kanye, honey, you admitted you were guilty, and got sentenced. Also, what did you need those printers for? You didn’t plan to print a few hundred thousand copies of your concert programs, and something about you being the new coming of Dior, Elvis, Christ and Martin Luther King, did you?