United States Rapper and Fashion Mogul Kanye West has officially launched his campaign for the 2020 US presidential election, with an unconventional rally in Charleston, South Carolina.
The 43-year-old West is running as a candidate for his self-made “Birthday Party”.
At the event, the rapper appeared to have made policy decisions away from the cuff and ranted on a number of issues, including Harriet Tubman and abortion.
Fans have questioned whether his last-minute bid for the White House is actually a promotional stunt.
Charleston Riley did little to clarify whether his run was real or not. But a tweet just deleted from West’s account on Saturday appears to show a list of songs for a new album. This added to the speculation.
Held at a wedding and conference hall in the city, the event was open to registered guests only.
At one point, West started crying while talking about abortion. He said his parents almost aborted him.
“There would be no Kanye West, because my father was too busy…”
He added: “I almost killed my daughter … even if my wife divorced me after my speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn’t want to. “
Kanye West also cried as he talked about his late mother, who died of complications during cosmetic surgery in 2007.
His speech has been met with outrage by some people – mostly through their comments about Tobman – but also about his welfare.
Jason Nichols, a senior lecturer in African American studies at the University of Maryland, told the BBC he feared that West’s rambling appearance pointed towards a “manic episode.”
Professor Nicholas added that he was disappointed because he hoped West would “succeed in pushing other candidates”  if he had the proper advice and support.
“I was actually interested to see what would happen, but after today’s incident, all that interest has turned into anxiety.”
Kanye West announced his candidacy on July 4. He has however missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in several states. He needs to collect enough signatures to appear on the ballot among many others.
Last week he qualified for the Oklahoma presidential ballot, the first state he met requirements before the deadline.
He needs to collect 10,000 signatures by noon local time (18:00) on Monday to appear on the South Carolina ballot.

Credit : Selahafrik