2 minute read
Stop listening to Kanye West’s music
News and Info Wars, a far-right conspiracy theory website.
In an interview with InfoWars’ owner Alex Jones on Dec. 1, Ye declared, “I see good things about Hitler.” He also announced, “I like Hitler.”
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In an age of the monetization of pretty much everything — including clicks on a screen — nancial trade-o s accompany all forms of media consumption.
So, the last time you listened to any of rapper Ye’s more than 200 songs, you indirectly gave him money and supported his platform.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West before ling to legally change his name in 2018, has faced tremendous public scrutiny over the past couple of months a er making pointedly antisemitic remarks on Twitter and in interviews for “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox ese comments were not oneo s. According to NBC News, Ye “made a string of antisemitic comments” across social media that was followed by a demonstration on Oct. 22 in which members of the Goyim Defense League, an antisemitic hate group, gave Nazi salutes while displaying a banner over Interstate 405 in California that stated, “Kanye is right about the Jews.” e most troubling thing about Ye’s remarks, though, is that while the media, for the most part, condemns his speech, his fan base continues to turn a blind eye to his antisemitism and support his numerous careers — producing, rapping and fashion-designing.
According to Billboard, Ye was the 25th most-listened-to artist in 2022. He has produced
20 top-10 and four No. 1 hits. In 2021, Ye’s sneaker brand condoning unacceptable, antisemitic behavior.
When you stream one of Ye’s songs, you send the message that antisemitism is acceptable and that a three-minute-long track holds more value than the safety of a people; that you support a public gure who has Tweeted, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 on Jewish people.”
If you patronize a restaurant because the food is good and shop at a store because you like the merchandise, but would change your spending habits if you learned that the restaurant is infested with insects or that the store sells faulty products, the same logic can — and must — be applied to Ye’s careers.
A common defense from those who continue to support Ye is that we need to cut him some slack because he is mentally ill. While mental illness is no joking matter, it is no excuse for antisemitic comments, threats or actions. e only way to combat this appalling wave of antisemitism is to oppose its perpetrators. Stop listening to Ye’s music. Stop buying Ye’s merchandise. Stop shrugging o blatant antisemitism. ese successes, while impressive, were only achieved because of public support. Before Twitter suspended his account on Dec. 2, Ye amassed more than 31 million followers on the social media
It is up to each individual to decide where they want to place their support and what ideals they hope to uplift. It is important that moving forward we think more critically about these decisions and understand the potential impacts our choices can have.
If Ye is truly mentally ill, he deserves help. However, until he gets help, he must be held accountable for the hate and violence he is inciting. No illness justi es bigotry.
Ye is antisemitic. By streaming his music, you are supporting Ye and giving him money. By continuing to support and give him money, you are condoning antisemitism.
Yeezy generated nearly $2 billion in sales.
