On Thursday, rapper Kanye West posted a series of antisemitic, racist and homophobic tweets on the social media platform X.
West’s rant, which is ongoing as of Friday morning, includes posts that read “I LOVE HITLER” and “I AM A NAZI.” He also referenced Elon Musk’s controversial salute at the recent presidential inauguration, writing “ELON STOLE MY NAZI SWAG AT THE INAUGURATION.”
In another post, West claims that “SLAVERY WAS A CHOICE.” X users have attached a lengthy community note to the post that disputes and fact checks this claim.
West also used the platform to defend Sean “Diddy” Combs, the rapper and mogul who is currently incarcerated as he awaits trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. In a series of posts, West called on President Donald Trump to pardon Combs, including “DONALD TRUMP, PLEASE FREE MY BROTHER PUFF.” Diddy went by “Puff Daddy” for many years.
The rant, which has caused an uproar on social media, is not the first time West has expressed hateful rhetoric.
In 2022, West repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler and made a series of antisemitic remarks on a podcast with the far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
“There’s a lot of things that I love about Hitler,” West told Jones during his appearance on an episode of “Infowars.” Shortly afterward, West was suspended from X, after posting a swastika inside the Star of David, violating the social media platform’s then rule against the incitement of violence.
As of Friday morning, West’s X account remains active.
After his 2022 outburst, West was briefly exiled from the public eye. Across the fashion and music worlds, brands and individuals distanced themselves from West. In December of that year, Adidas ended its lucrative partnership with the rapper.
But despite his broad cancellation, West — who now goes by Ye — continues to make music. Last year, he released two albums, “Vultures 1” and “Vultures 2” alongside singer Ty Dolla Sign.
At the Grammys last Sunday, West made headlines after showing up on the red carpet with his wife Bianca Censori, whose mesh dress showed her entirely nude body.
On Wednesday, West appeared on The Download podcast, where he told listeners that he was recently diagnosed with autism.
“My wife took me (to the doctor) because she said, ‘Something about your personality doesn’t feel like it’s bipolar, I’ve seen bipolar before.’ And come to find out, it’s really a case of autism that I have.”
