Death threats, racism and conspiracy

Is it finally time to cancel Ye?

Spencer Bispham / Asst. Opinion Editor / The USD Vista

(CW: antisemitism, anti-Blackness)

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, derailed his career in only a month and a half. Once a respected rapper and fashion designer, his recent public outbursts have led many to condemn him as both racist and antisemitic. Though he has sparked controversy before, something about this time is different. Ye is now showing the public his true colors and how powerful hate can be with a celebrity mouthpiece.

It’s important to note that some of Ye’s supporters have used the fact that he was diagnosed several years ago with Bipolar I (referred to here as BD-I) to defend his problematic behavior. When I wrote about this issue last spring, in an article titled “Ye vs. the World,” I concluded that this condition is not an excuse for any of the harm he has caused. Comments such as “he just needs to take his meds” are ignorant and reductive; they imply that the racist, antisemitic things Ye says are a result of BD-I. In reality, these comments result from ideologies that exist separately from any mental illness.

For example: take the most recent Paris Fashion Week, where Ye’s clothing brand Yeezy presented its ninth fashion show. At the event, titled “YZY SZN 9,” he was photographed wearing a shirt with the text “WHITE LIVES MATTER” emblazoned on the back. The shirt was also included in several of the show’s outfits which upset plenty of people, myself included.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) details the origins of the phrase and why it is inherently problematic.

“Formed as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement, White Lives Matter (WLM) describes itself as ‘dedicated to promotion of the white race and taking positive action as a united voice against issues facing our race,’ in the words of its website,” it reads.

Emblazoning anything that’s pro-WLM on a t-shirt is inexcusably racist, and unfortunately Ye doubled down on these hate-filled messages. In addition to distributing more “WHITE LIVES MATTER” shirts to unhoused people in Los Angeles, his Twitter account was suspended in response to more of his comments.

On Oct. 9, Ye tweeted the following message:

“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” he wrote. “The funny thing is I can’t actually 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.”

There are multiple problems with these claims. First, a death threat to a marginalized group (no matter how vague) can be used to incite violence, especially when it comes from someone with such a large platform. Second, the comments promote false conspiracies based on the ideology of the Radical Hebrew Israelites. This is an antisemitic group which tries to “appropriate biblical Jewish heritage to claim an exclusive identity as the true chosen people of God and decry Jews as the impostors and thieves,” accoring to the SPLC.

Ye’s statement was so concerning that it drew the attention of the Holocaust Museum of Los Angeles.

“Words matter and words have consequences Ye,” the museum said in a statement. “We urge you to come visit us at Holocaust Museum LA to understand just how words can incite horrific violence and genocides.”

Not so ironically, an antisemitic hate group in Los Angeles proved this statement right on Oct. 22. They hung a banner with the message, “Kanye is right about the jews” over an overpass on I-405 while performing the Nazi salute.

Following these actions and his own comments, Ye has not responded to or shown comprehension of the museum’s statement. Instead he’s appeared on FOX News, Clique and Piers Morgan Tonight, among a number of other media programs. In these interviews he’s shared more opinions on abortion, racism, the Jewish people and corporate America.

On the Drink Champs podcast, Ye taunted the sportswear giant Adidas over their contract for Yeezy footwear production.

“The thing about me and Adidas is like, I can literally say antisemitic [expletive] and they can’t drop me,” he said. “I can say antisemitic things and they can’t drop me. What now?”
Shortly after giving this statement, Adidas proved him wrong. They terminated the partnership with the rapper on Oct. 25, following in the footsteps of Ye’s other creative partners: Balenciaga and Gap. The two major, albeit very different, fashion brands both cut ties with him after his antisemitic remarks and have not looked back since. Neither has his former lawyer, Camille Vasquez, who quit in protest over the same controversy.

Without a lawyer, Ye is in deep legal trouble. He is also currently being sued for $250 million by the family of George Floyd: the Black man whose gruesome murder sparked worldwide protests against racialized police violence. On the same episode of Drink Champs, Ye claimed that Floyd’s death was due to a fentanyl overdose, long after former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of suffocating him in broad daylight.

Ye addressed this false statement in a speech to TMZ reporters just last week.

“It hurt the Black people,” he said. “So I want to apologize for hurting them because right now God has shown me what Adidas is doing, and by what the media is doing, I know how it feels to have a knee on my neck now.”

The hypocrisy of this message is just as ridiculous as it is hurtful. Comparing frustrating media coverage to a fatal, racially-motivated hate crime shows just how disconnected he is from “the Black people” he claims to be apologizing to. Additionally, any semblance of his sensitivity to Black issues was removed after he compared his own situation to the lynching of Emmett Till in an Instagram post on Sunday night.

If it hasn’t already, the ignorance Ye is spewing into the world will soon overshadow his contributions to American pop culture.

The number of people who refuse to consume his art will only grow, as demonstrated by the backlash he continues to receive from the public. Black and Jewish folks have endured more than enough hate from him to the point that it’s become physically dangerous, which is absolutely inexcusable. Those of us who knowingly consume his art need to confront the fact that we are contributing to this and adjust our habits accordingly.

When I feel the need to stream Runaway or wear my Yeezys, it’s only fair that I fight against Ye’s messages with that same enthusiasm. Personally, I will make sure to vote in the upcoming midterm elections in order to prevent people like him from having a platform to spew their hatred. I hope to see you there as well.