New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the Christopher Columbus statue in New York City should not be taken down, as it is a symbol of Italian American appreciation.

Scott Heins / Getty Images

Cuomo was asked about the statue, which is located at Columbus Circle, during a press conference, Thursday. A reporter asked Cuomo is if was "time for" the statue "to go."

"I understand the dialogue that has been going on for a number of years. The Christopher Columbus statue, in some ways, represents the Italian American legacy in this country. I understand the feelings about Christopher Columbus and some of his acts, which nobody would support," said Cuomo. "But the statue has come to represent and signify appreciation for the Italian American contribution to New York. For that reason, I support it."

Cuomo is of Italian descent.

Statues of historical figures with racist ideology across the globe have been taken down or vandalized by protesters in recent weeks. In Richmond, V.A., protesters threw a Columbus statue into the lake in the city’s Byrd Park. In Boston, a similar statue was decapitated. 

Similarly, the upcoming Columbus Day holiday has been renamed Indigenous People’s Day in several states, in response to the brutality of Columbus' actions.

Drake showed off the new detail he added to his Toronto mansion, and it would appear that he’s had his doorbell installed on a bronze bust of none other than 21 Savage‘s head. Drake is currently under strict quarantine at his home in T.O, after he was potentially exposed to coronavirus when he hung out with his buddy, Kevin Durant, who tested positive for COVID-19 a few days later. Realizing that he was at risk of potentially spreading the virus to others, Drizzy decided to head into isolation, and it looks like he’s gone a little stir crazy holed up in that massive mansion of his.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

He’s been posting some peculiar Instagram stories that make little to no sense, but his latest post is the most shocking. Following a series of nonsensical reaction photos (including a shot of himself passive-aggressively smiling), Drake revealed the latest addition to his home on his story, and it looks like his doorbell now lives on a bronze bust of 21 Savage’s head.

The image shows 21 Savage’s side profile, in which a smidgen of his famous forehead cross tattoo can be seen. Drake gives somewhat of an explanation for his decision to make 21 Savage a permanent part of his crib, mentioning that he lives in “house number 21,” but it’s still a wild idea that surely nobody was expecting. While he, of course, had to have had this made before he went into quarantine, it fits into his somewhat delirious state of mind at the moment. Thankfully, he revealed that he’s tested negative for COVID-19, but he, like everyone else, should still be practicing social distancing for the time being. The upside is, now he can have more visitors, who will have the pleasure of ringing Savage’s head when they come over.

Kanye West can be difficult to comprehend at times, but his cultural impact is indisputable. His more confusing behavior is often explained as the byproduct of genius. Celebrity designer David Week’s new sculpture can be seen to capture the capriciousness of the legendary recording artist. Weeks has created a 5″5 sculpture that depicts four different faces of Kanye West, titled NSEWest (which is a play on North, South, East, West). In Week’s own words, the giant bust “[represents] the range of emotions a creative goes through on a daily basis.” This ambitious year-long project actually marks Weeks’ first sculpture, as the Queens visual artist was largely known before for inventing the broken skateboard aesthetic. 

NSEWest belongs to Week’s new “Modern Day Mount Rushmore” series, which, according to a press release, “seeks to bring awareness to cultural icons within the African American community who’ve helped shape the culture and provide a blueprint for wealth, success and advocacy.”

The public will have 30 days to get a glimpse of this statue at Sneakertopia in Los Angeles, following its unveiling on January 24. The unveiling will be a private event, hosted by recording artist and friend of Kanye, Fonzworth Bentley. People attending this event will have the opportunity to buy a mini version of NSEWest at the pop-up shop (which can be seen in the post below).  

Fortunately, this sculpture bears more resemblance to its subject than the one of Tupac Shakur that went viral this week.