“The thing about it being Adidas is like, I can literally say anti-Semitic shit and they cannot drop me“
After Kanye West- now known as Ye- made this statement, Adidas announced that they have cut all collaborative ties with West and his Yeezy brand, alongside other companies such GAP, Balenciaga, Vogue, Foot Locker and his CAA Talent Agency. As a recognised fashion icon and rapper that has accumulated a business worth $1.5 billion dollars, how did the legacy of West descent into a hole of conspiracy theories and anti-semitism that led to his cultural demise and exile from the upper echelon of Hollywood?
The Presidential Dropout
In the realm of politics, West running for president in 2020 was somewhat of a meme-worthy moment, however this declaration instead became an unexpected tipping point of controversial beliefs and personal revelations. Whilst endorsing Trump left many fans in disbelief, the turmoil continued at his first campaign rally in South Carolina, with West expressing his views regarding Planned Parenthood and revealing his previous intentions to abort his first-born daughter North West, now aged 9 (NY Mag, 2020). Despite West formerly following a pro-choice approach, he announced his pledge to abolish the sale and production of Plan B, an emergency contraceptive that is to be consumed within 72 hours of unprotected sex; a vital tool to combat unwanted pregnancies from circumstances such as rape (People, 2020).
Uncle Kanye
The rally sparked bewilderment online, not only from critics declaring him unfit to run for president, but from West’s proclamations regarding slavery that ‘Harriet Tubman did not actually free the slaves’. West has not shied back from expressing his beliefs regarding slavery, with his first debateable comment garnering worldwide shock in a 2018 TMZ interview; ‘When you hear about slavery for 400 years […] that sounds like a choice’. Thankfully this nonsensical statement was quickly shot down by TMZ employee Van Lathan, explaining to West that his beliefs come from an absence of thought and ‘while you are making music and being an artist and living the life that you’ve earned by being a genius, the rest of us in society have to deal with these threats to our lives and the marginalisation that has come from 400 years of slavery that you said, for our people, was a choice’ (CNN, 2018).
Although most of the public condemned West’s blindingly ignorant remarks, West rectified his statement on Twitter, stating that he knew ‘that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will. My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved’. Continuing his tirade, Kanye turned his anger to the people, stating ‘We need free thought now. Even the statement was an example of free thought. It was just an idea. Once again, I am being attacked for presenting new ideas’ (CNN, 2018).
Springing forward to October 2022, West continues to stir up his ‘genius’ ideas regarding race. At a Yeezy show during Paris Fashion Week, West is seen wearing a White Lives Matter shirt alongside far-right political commentator Candace Owens, explaining that he had a gut instinct to wear the ‘funny’ shirt and it embraces a simple but compelling meaning; ‘White Lives Matter because they do’. Whilst West announced that these shirts were soon to be available for sale, the plan was thwarted as two black radio hosts Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward claimed the trademark, as to ensure that nobody can profit off the pain behind this message (The Daily Beast, 2022).
The Real Cost of Free Speech
Whilst West had made heated remarks regarding his ex-wife, slavery, racism, and politics, it appears that his hit list has space for one more topic; anti-semitism. Whilst West argued that ‘black people can’t be anti-semitic because they are also Jewish’, his tweet stating that he was going ‘Death Con 3’ on the Jewish community led to his suspension on Twitter, alongside multiple erratic posts that led to him being locked out of his Instagram account (BBC News, 2022). West continued to defend his beliefs, arguing that ‘Jewish people have owned the black voice… whether it’s through all of us being signed to a record label, or having a Jewish manager’, adding that ‘the Jewish media blocked me out’ (ADL, 2022). Although West faced a suspension regarding hate-speech, his account was reinstated on November 20, mockingly announcing his return with a simple ‘Shalom’ (Sky News, 2022).
Whilst the anti-semitism sparked outcry, it has been revealed that several employees that worked alongside West had previously overheard him praising Hitler or mentioning conspiracy theories regarding the Jewish community (NBC News, 2022).
The Next Step for Pablo
Although West’s disillusioned bubble continues to grow, his fragmented thoughts are becoming a breeding ground for more instability regarding his next tirade and target. Despite the growing concerns with West’s behaviour, it has been argued that the diagnosis of West’s Bipolar disorder is the reasoning behind these erratic episodes. This is credible. Nonetheless, to reinforce and pin these antisemitic and white supremacy statements under the guise of mental health issues diminishes the hatred behind these messages and does not qualify as a justification.
As West continues to voice his tirades under the pretext of God, all we can do is patiently wait for a divine intervention- if it ever happens. I guess we’ll never know.
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