Kanye West Controversy: What Did the Rap Artist Say, and Did He Apologize?

By Willie Neal On Oct 29, 2022

Kanye West’s Recent Comments and Erratic Behaviour Have Caused a Number of Brands to Cut Ties With Him.

Kanye West has faced backlash for anti-Semitic remarks he made in recent weeks. Adidas is the latest company to cut ties with Mr. West, who changed his name to Ye last year. Adidas stated to Newsweek that it does not tolerate anti-semitism or other forms of hate speech. According to Forbes, the transaction was worth $1.5 billion. Other businesses have also ended their relationships with the rapper due to his erratic behavior and comments.

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What Did Kanye West Have to Say?

On October 9, Mr. West sent out a tweet that sparked outrage. The rapper did not retract the tweet, which read, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” an apparent reference to a US military readiness code known as DEFCON.

Mr. West, a Black artist now known as Ye, also sparked outrage by wearing a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt during Paris Fashion Week, a blatant misappropriation of the slogan “Black Lives Matter.”

Then, on an October 15 podcast, Ye claimed that George Floyd died from the drug fentanyl and that a police officer’s knee “wasn’t even on his neck like that.” The daughter of Mr. Floyd, whose murder in 2020 became a rallying cry for protests against racism and police brutality, has sued him for the remark.

Is He Apologizing?

Mr. West has not apologized fully. In an interview with Piers Morgan last week, the rapper apologized for his “death con 3” tweet, saying he was “sorry for the people that I hurt.” When pressed by the anchor, Ye stated that he was “absolutely not” sorry for making the remark.

On October 15, the singer stated that he “doesn’t believe” in the concept of anti-Semitism.

Twitter and Instagram Have Been Blocked.

Kanye West has been banned from both social media platforms as a result of the contentious posts.

He faced a similar action in March when he used a racial slur on Instagram to refer to Daily Show host Trevor Noah. The platform removed the post, and the rapper was banned for 24 hours.