The rapper made dozens of offensive anti-Semitic posts on X, coming under a storm of criticism
US musician and fashion designer Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, found himself at the center of a new major scandal on Friday, after he made dozens of offensive posts on X.
In a series of now-deleted all-caps posts, the rapper declared himself “a Nazi” and professed his “love” for Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler, insisting that “racist stereo types [sic] exist for a reason and they all be true.” The offensive posts largely targeted the Jewish community and contained assorted anti-Semitic claims.
“Some of my best friends are Jewish and I don’t trust any of them,” Ye revealed in one of the posts. The rapper also pledged to buy “two Maybachs tomorrow” and “make the Jewish person who’s selling it to me read all these tweet [sic].”
“And I bet you see me whipping Maybachs,” he added.
The rapper also claimed that “all white people are racist,” alleging that “Jewish people actually hate white people and use black people.” Ye also appeared to stand by his previous hateful remarks, stating he would never apologize for them and suggesting that Jews should apologize to him instead.
“I’m never apologizing for my Jewish comments. I can say whatever the f*ck I wanna say forever. Where’s my f*cking apology for freezing my accounts,” he stated.
Ye also gave a shoutout of sorts to X owner Elon Musk, claiming that every post he produced “promotes Elon’s platform.” He made reference to a controversy connected with US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, when the billionaire made questionable gestures perceived by some as a Nazi salute. Musk dismissed such allegations as “dirty tricks” and “pure propaganda.”
“Elon stole my Nazi Swag at the inauguration,” the rapper wrote.
The outburst prompted a storm of criticism from various rights groups and Jewish organizations that condemned the musician over his anti-Semitism. “Once again, Kanye West has spewed vile antisemitism, glorifying Hitler and spreading Nazi propaganda on his social media platforms in a desperate bid for attention,” Jewish Future Promise president Hadara Ishak wrote, branding the remarks not only “offensive” but “dangerous” as well.
Shortly after the rapper produced his explosive X thread, Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy announced he was ending his collaboration with Ye’s fashion brand. It was not immediately clear whether the designer’s move was linked to the outburst. “I’m deeply grateful to Ye and the entire YEEZY team for a memorable experience – one that will always stay with me,” Rubchinsky wrote on Instagram.
Ye is notorious for publicly expressing anti-Semitic views and has gone on hate tweeting binges before. A major outburst occurred in late 2022, when the rapper also professed his love for Hitler and declared himself a Nazi. At the time, the posts yielded the rapper a ban on X, while several major companies ended their collaborations with him.
The rapper produced an apology in Hebrew for his behavior about a year after the 2022 X scandal, only to face more criticism from rights groups that questioned his motives and choice of language.
Ye, a 24-time Grammy Award winner, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016 and has spoken about his struggle with mental health. Earlier this week, he revealed he had also been diagnosed with autism.
