Kanye West has been embroiled in controversy as his recent behavior has ignited debates over race and antisemitism.
White Lives Matter. The latest controversy surrounding Kanye West began on October 3, when the artist launched the latest season of his clothing line in Paris. While at the event, West — and conservative pundit Candace Owens — wore matching t-shirts decorated with the phrase “White Lives Matter,” a phrase that emerged in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. The incident sparked backlash, including from fellow rapper Sean Combs — also known as Puff Daddy or Diddy — who posted an Instagram video urging viewers not to buy or wear the shirt. West then posted a text exchange between the two stars about the incident, including a message he sent saying in part: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.” Instagram then disabled West’s account and deleted the post.
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Candace Owens. When Kanye originally came out in support of former President Trump, Candance Owens, alongside Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk, reached out to Kanye to offer advice. Since then, Kanye and Candace have had an ongoing friendship that some have argued dips into a business relationship. Owens and Kanye dispute the idea that they are working together to set up a presidential run. However, Kanye invited Candance to the fashion show and offered her the t-shirt to make a statement.
Antisemitism? During an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, West spoke about his relationship with Jared Kushner — husband of Ivanka Trump. While talking about Kushner, West shared a story alleging Kushner owned a controlling interest in a company he had started for his ex-wife. West viewed this as a disruption of trust in their relationship, stating that, to Kushner, it’s always about money. He also suggested that Kushner only brokered the Abraham Accords peace agreements between Israel and several Arab nations under the Trump administration “to make money.” Pundits picked up on the comments, and initial allegations arose that West’s remark about Kushner — who is Jewish — was antisemitic.
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A Tweet. Amid the controversy, West posted a tweet saying he would go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” Perhaps expecting backlash, he seemingly attempted to preempt the criticisms by claiming that he “can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew.” He also suggested a group is working to ostracize him for opposing their agenda. The initial phrase appears to reference DEFCON, the U.S. armed forces’ system to set the military’s readiness to address threats. The second portion of the post references a religious doctrine — the Black Hebrew Israelites movement — that argues African Americans descended from the Tribe of Judah, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. West has yet to clarify the final part of his tweet, neither explaining the group allegedly attempting to silence him nor the agenda he claims to oppose.
Divided Takes. Some have accused West of trafficking in antisemitism, including the Anti-Defamation League — a Jewish civil rights group. These critics initially decried the rap mogul’s comments about Kushner, suggesting they furthered the trope that Jewish people are greedy and only motivated by money. They also say the Instagram post about Combs and West’s references to a group moving to silence him promoted the antisemitic theory of a “Jewish agenda” — the idea that Jews are secretly plotting to take over the world. Finally, many critics suggest West’s “death con 3” comment represented a clear call for violence against Jewish people. These condemnations grew stronger after Vice published unreleased footage from Carlson’s interview that had not made the final cut, featuring clips many argued further advocated antisemitism.
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Yet others have rallied to West’s defense — mainly from the ideological Right. Many conservatives hail him as an ally of their values in an industry they believe is oppressively liberal. In 2018, West wore a “Make America Great Again” hat to perform on “Saturday Night Live,” delivering a pro-Trump speech that never aired — an incident many on the Right claimed illustrated the “cancel culture” that silences their views. Following the latest controversy, conservative pundit Candace Owens defended West, saying no “honest person” would believe the tweet was antisemitic. Still, others on the Right suggested that the tweet went too far. Right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro, who is Jewish, praised West for his “moves toward pro-life, faith, and family conservatism” but called the latest tweet “clearly antisemitic.”
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Bank Drops Kanye. Last Tuesday, Candance Owens reported that Kanye received an email from JP Morgan Chase canceling Kanye’s services with the bank as of November 21. The email from the bank did not specify a reason for severing ties with Yeezy LLC, and the bank declined to comment.
Twitter Suspension. Only hours after Elon Musk — soon to be the new owner of Twitter — welcomed Kanye West back on the platform, the site suspended West for writing that he wanted to go “death con 3” on Jews. Musk later tweeted that he had spoken to West about the recent controversy and said he thought the music star “took [Musk’s concerns] to heart.”
Kanye West has a long history of deranged and bizarre behavior. Yet his latest bigoted actions and remarks represent a new low for the disgraced rapper. Amid a historic rise in antisemitic incidents against American Jews, West is perpetuating dangerous stereotypes and conspiracy theories that could further fan the flames of violence. Unsurprisingly, right-wing trolls like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson have rushed to West’s side to defend his disgusting conduct. We should all unequivocally condemn antisemitism, including West’s recent outbursts.
The initial comments made by Kanye were not antisemetic until he tweeted in a fit of anger at reports calling him antisemetic. While some right-leaning commentators have found Kanye’s remarks on Twitter to be antisemetic, others disagree. Where some agreement on the right can be found is that banks refusing to do business with individuals allegedly based on comments they make marks a dangerous precedent that further deepens the divide in this country.
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