The artist formerly known as Kanye West, now going by the name ‘Ye’, has become well known over the last several years for his controversial social and political viewpoints. Over the last couple of weeks, Ye has managed to drum up a substantial amount of controversy, even by his standards.
It all began during Paris fashion week when Ye and Candace Owens sported shirts sporting the White Lives Matter line. This appeared to be a parody of the Black Lives Matter movement, substantiated by an Instagram story Ye posted in which he called the movement a “scam.”
As his fashion choice made headlines, Fox News eventually approached Ye. In the interview aired on Fox News between Ye and Tucker Carlson, Ye explained his reasoning for wearing the shirt, describing it as “funny” and a “statement of the obvious”. He would also in this interview go more in-depth about how he believes liberals exert their will over African-Americans for their nefarious intentions, among other politically charged topics.
Several days after this interview aired, Ye sent out a tweet: “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.”
This tweet was widely condemned and sparked outrage. Twitter and Instagram have temporarily locked Ye’s accounts in response. It was also announced that Ye and his clothing brand (Yeezy Inc.) relationship with the bank JP Morgan Chase bank has ended. It’s important to note that this decision predates the rapper’s recent controversies, instead tied to criticism Ye made of the bank online. When a reporter questioned this separation, Ye said, “Hey, if you call somebody out for bad business, that means you’re being antisemitic. I feel happy to have crossed the line of that idea so we can speak openly about things, like getting cancelled by a bank.”
All of this wraps back around to the Tucker Carlson interview. Unreleased footage recovered by Vice reveals more controversial statements made by Ye, much of it described as anti-semitic rhetoric by many.
Ye says that Planned Parenthood was founded by Margaret Sanger, who he describes as a “known eugenics” in conjunction with the KKK, to control the Jewish population. Kanye specifies what he means by Jewish population: “When I say Jew, I mean the 12 lost tribes of Judah, the blood of Christ, who the people known as the race Black really are,” Adding, “This is who our people are. The blood of Christ. This, as a Christian, is my belief.”
This conspiracy theory is associated with some Black Hebrew Israelite sects who believe non-Black Jews are usurpers of the ‘true’ Jewish identity. It may also give more insight into what Ye was referring to in his tweet.
In another clip, Ye discussed how his children celebrate Kwanzaa in school: “I prefer my kids knew Hanukkah than Kwanzaa. At least it will come with some financial engineering.” The implication is that Jews control the financial system, a well-documented anti-semitic belief.
Ye has always been one for making controversial statements and for supporting unpopular ideas. Many think that, in this instance, Ye has stepped over the line of acceptability. Only time will tell if Ye will back down or his stances will become even more controversial.
