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Rapper Kanye West is facing backlash for wearing a black outfit resembling the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) hood. The incident occurred during a listening party he organized for his upcoming album, Vultures on Monday, December 11, 2023. The party called the "Vultures Rave" took place at the Art Basel in Miami, Florida,
KKK was an American white supremacist organization that targeted minority groups like African Americans, Hispanics, Jews, Asian Americans, and homosexuals, among others.
What shocked internet users was that Kanye, who now goes by Ye, donned the hoodie when he came up on stage to perform the album's title track along with his 10-year-old daughter, North West. Some of the lyrics from the song are as follows:
"I ain't antisemitic... I just f*cked a Jewish b*tch..."
The provocative lyrics added to the 46-year-old rapper's long list of controversial antisemitic statements from late 2022 that resulted in Vogue, Universal Music Group, Gap, and Adidas terminating their contracts with him.
Needless to say, netizens were baffled at the artist's actions, with one user saying:
"Does he actually like his marketing agent?": Internet left split by Kanye's actions
As photographs of Kanye's choice of outfit from the event spread, netizens were quick to express their opinions online. While many criticized his actions, others pointed out it was just a hoodie.
Some remarked that while the lyrics were inflammatory, they were normal for the industry and had no antisemitic undertones. Here are some comments seen under @MarioNawfal's post about Ye on X:
More about Vultures
Vultures would be Kanye's first album to be released following a series of antisemitic rants last November. This included an interview with Alex Jones on his podcast, where he stated he liked Hitler and blamed Jews for keeping the world from seeing his value.
The album is a collaborative effort between Kanye West and R&B singer Ty Dolla Sign. On August 25, 2023, NBC News reported that the rapper planned to release his album soon, stating that "new music (was) imminent." After Universal Music Group dropped the rapper, both he and Ty were spotted in recording studios in Italy.
Vultures is set to debut on December 15, 2023.
