Acclaimed rapper Kanye West, also known as “Ye,” has been on a spree of antisemitic and racist actions since early October. His numerous controversial comments during interviews and on social media have led to companies previously associated with West cutting their ties, as well as a surge in antisemitism on a national level. 

West’s first outwardly racist statement in this most recent string was on October 3rd, when West appeared at his Yeezy fashion show in Paris wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt. This slogan is commonly associated with racist, Neo-Nazi groups that arose as a response to the BLM movement. 

He then tweeted on October 9th that he was going to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”  While he most likely was trying to say “defcon” the message was clear. Swiftly after this tweet and additional antisimetic comments on instagram, both West’s twitter and Instagram accounts were restricted. 

Despite being blocked on social media, West didn’t stop in his tirade. On October tenth, Kanye posted a YouTube documentary in which he shows porn to executives from Adidas. On October 11th, Vice’s Motherboard leaked footage from Kanye’s  October 6th interview with Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, in which he claims “Jew” actually means “the 12 lost tribes of Judah…who the people known as the race Black really are.” This footage sparked further outrage, as it had been previously edited out of the news broadcast. 

On October 17th, in another interview, this time with TV journalist Chris Cuomo, West mentions a “Jewish underground Media Mafia,” and further defends his antisemitic posts, saying he was talking about Jewish record labels conning black musicians. He goes so far as to say this, (for the most part) mythical practice is “a form of modern day slavery.”

Now starting to face serious backlash from celebrities including Jaden Smith, Diddy, and Jamie Lee Curtis. He also experienced backlash from fans, with a decline in daily radio play by more than 20 percent in the week following the “death con 3” tweet. Kanye attempted to apologize on Piers Morgan Uncensored on October 19th. West, though saying he had no regrets, stated he was sorry for “the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I have been through.” It’s unclear what trauma could have sparked such scathing remarks about Jewish people, as West did not elaborate on his apology.

Major brand names begin to cut ties with West, starting the 21st with clothing store Balenciaga. The boutiques’ parent company Kering simply stated “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist [Kanye].”

The biggest blow to Kanye’s business relationships however, came on October 25th. Adidas, partnered with Kanye for over ten years and creator of his famous “Yeezy” sneakers, decided to cut him off. The brand denounced West’s antisemitism and decided to cease all Yeezy production and payments to West. 

 On October 24th, producer MRC said they would not be releasing a completed Kanye West documentary and condemned his hate speech, saying “We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform.”

When all was said and done, Kanye West was down 1 billion 600 million dollars, from previous net worth of 2 billion to a current 400 million. But Kanye isn’t the only one facing the consequences of his hateful actions. In the weeks following Ye’s “death con” post, antisemitism has surged nationwide. Banners were hung over an LA freeway bearing antisemitic hate speech, and promoting Kanye’s stance. After the LA Holocaust Museum invited the rapper to a tour, (which he declined) the museum was swamped with hate-mail bearing messages such as “Kanye is right about the Jews.”

 Beth Kean, CEO of the Holocaust museum, reflects “There’s always been threats, there’s always been antisemitism, but it feels like an epidemic right now…Kanye really opened up the floodgates a few weeks ago with his comments.” 

Though Kanye’s comments may seem out of the blue, they reflect a growing trend of antisemitism in America. Antisemitic incidents and hate crimes against Jews have been on the rise since the end of  Trump’s presidency, recently hitting an all-time high. Antisemitism has also been increasingly accepted in politics. Donald Trump, who recently announced his plans for reelection in the 2024 presidential race, tweeted in October, “U.S Jews need to get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel- Before it’s too late!” 

While one person making antisemitic statements might not seem like a big deal, it’s important to note that Kanye has twice the twitter followers and 3 times the listeners on Spotify as there are Jews in the world.