This past weekend, rapper Kanye West (who legally changed his name to “Ye” in 2021) went on an antisemitic rampage to his more than 33 million followers on X. If this sounds familiar, it’s because West went on a similar posting spree back in 2022.
After being suspended from what was then Twitter, West was welcomed back on July 29, 2023, just days after the platform was renamed X. The rapper/producer/fashion designer even got a gold check mark next to his name. This is indicative of an official organization, typically used for business accounts, but was awarded to West because “Ye” himself is seen as a brand.
After the 2022 tweetstorm, West had apologized for speaking negatively about Jewish people. However he seemingly retracted that apology over the weekend when he posted: “I’m never apologizing for my Jewish comments. I can say whatever the f— I wanna say forever. Where’s my f—— apology for freezing my accounts.” His posts ranged from praising Hitler and identifying as a Nazi, to defending Sean “Diddy” Combs (accused of sexual assault and sex trafficking), to claiming “dominion” over his wife. He also said, “Some of my best friends are Jewish and I don’t trust any of them.”
Will the public come to view West’s antisemitism as mere performance and even tire of it to the point of boredom? What does that do to the taboo?
In addition to his latest antisemitic social media posts, this past November the superstar made headlines for creating a hostile work environment with antisemitic remarks. According to a Rollings Stone article, West’s “‘antisemitic tirades and conspiracies were a daily occurrence.”’
X owner Elon Musk did not respond to West’s posts nor were they taken down. This came a few weeks after Musk himself posted a series of Nazi puns on the heels of the controversy over his gesture at an inauguration rally that many interpreted as a Nazi salute. “Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations! Some people will Goebbels anything down! Stop Gőring your enemies!” Musk tweeted, adding, “His pronouns would’ve been He/Himmler! Bet you did nazi that coming.” Kanye West even went so far as to call out Musk: “Elon stole my Nazi Swag at the Inauguration.”
Andrew Michaels, Moment’s social media manager, explained how X’s algorithm was able to give more of an audience to West’s posts. “Because of Kanye’s money, cultural influence and what the algorithm prioritizes, it’s not just something that’s on the platform but something being pushed front and center for a large number of users. Including those with no interest in Kanye, celebrities, antisemitism or hip-hop.”
The Anti-Defamation League responded to West’s posts, calling them “Another egregious display of antisemitism, racism and misogyny from Ye” and linking to their report identifying 30 antisemitic incidents tied to his 2022 rants.
According to The Independent, on Sunday a content warning was placed on some of his posts and a message added on West’s account that read “sensitive content.”
Actor David Schwimmer shared his opinion on Instagram and urged Musk to take down West’s posts. “Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X. That’s twice as many people than the number of Jews in existence,” Schwimmer wrote. “His sick hate speech results in REAL LIFE violence against Jews.”
In addition to his posts on X, West ran a Super Bowl ad that aired in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta, directing viewers to his Yeezy website. On Monday morning the only product on the site was a white t-shirt with a swastika on it. It is worth noting that Los Angeles is home to the second-largest Jewish community as well as the home of Kanye West. As of Tuesday morning, the website was no longer available.
Meanwhile, West continued to make posts during the first half of the Super Bowl. Then, regarding Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance, he said, “KENDRICK IS BEING USED BY THESE WHITE PEOPLE AND JEWS AND SO AM I.” He then made his final post “I’m logging out of Twitter. I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent. It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board.”
Milo Yiannopoulos, owner of the talent management company that represents West, said that his client would be taking a break from social media. Musk deactivated West’s account on Sunday night.
The recent posts arrived on the heels of the rapper’s arrival at the Grammys with his wife Bianca Censori in a shocking display of nudity. The couple stood on the red carpet, and West gave Censori approval to remove her coat, revealing a sheer dress underneath. Attendees observed Censori’s discomfort with the display.
“Every few years Kanye says or does something extremely offensive and is condemned not just by the music industry but by the culture as a whole,” says Michaels. “More and more, we’re seeing people who used to work with him won’t work with him anymore. But there are a lot of people who will.”
Is this outrageous, antisemitic behavior now just part of a cycle in which we call him out and then move on? Will the public come to view West’s antisemitism as mere performance and even tire of it to the point of boredom? What does that do to the taboo against voicing antisemitism we’ve already seen eroding?
West seems to have gone quiet for now, but a strange ripple effect occurred on Tuesday when an AI deepfake video went viral, showing Scarlett Johansson, Adam Sandler, Drake, Jerry Seinfeld and other prominent Jewish celebrities wearing a shirt featuring a middle finger and Star of David that read “Kanye” underneath. It was revealed that the video was generated by Guy Bar and Ori Bejerano, both of whom work at an AI company in Israel, and that none of the celebrities shown in the video were contacted about using their likeness. “I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind,” Johansson said in a statement. “But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”
Above image: Pieter-Jannick Dijkstra (CC BY 2.0)
who cares ???????????? and who or what is he ??????????