Back in 2022, musically acclaimed rapper and songwriter Kanye West was seen on Twitter (now X) making anti-Semitic and racist remarks towards Jewish people, along with multiple statements on Alex Jones’ podcast, such as, “I see good things about Hitler.” Even more anti-Semitic comments followed from this initial tweet soon after, in which West stated, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” These comments, made erratically in a possibly misunderstood reference to the US military Defense Readiness Condition, sparked outrage toward Kanye West and his company, Yeezy, from which Adidas cut ties with the rapper and shut down the Yeezy-Adidas clothing line.
The commotion created a divide in Kanye’s fan base, where some stopped listening due to his comments, and others continued to listen, using the popularized justification, “He made Graduation.” Kanye’s music was, and continues to be very influential, so some of his fans weren’t tainted by the comments because of his albums and hit songs. Kanye was soon after banned on Twitter, and his account went dark, with all other comments coming to a halt. However, when Elon Musk purchased Twitter, he unbanned Kanye’s account, and he reappeared on the platform. Despite his unbanning, his reputation has been severely damaged, banning him from the Grammys, the Super Bowl, and more popular public events revolving around music.
Recently, Kanye has begun yet another anti-Semitic rant during which he declared in all capitals, “I’M A NAZI,” continuing his spree of racism by commenting, “I just think that’s what they’re about, is making money” in a reference to Jared Kushner and his family. Furthermore, he comments, “This ain’t a game. Imma use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me. I told you this is war. Now gone get you some business.” This quote heavily refers to the horrific and long lasting conspiracy theory that Jewish people control the media, banks, and governments.
On top of this, Kanye bought commercial time during the Super Bowl to advertise a website where Kanye sold only one thing: T-shirts with prominent swastikas. This was seemingly the final straw for Kanye’s online presence on X, as soon after his account was banned again, and the website selling shirts with Nazi imagery was taken down. Keep in mind, the Super Bowl is the most commonly watched sports event in the entire nation, with an average 127.7 million viewers seeing the advertisement. This is seemingly the end of his second wave in Kanye’s hate-filled spree online, and more may develop in upcoming days or weeks.
Kanye’s reputation is forever tainted by these remarks, comments, and scandals, and the man behind such great pieces of music will now always be known for the hateful meltdowns of his career. Is this the end for Kanye West?
