What does Wolfsangel mean? Kanye comes under fire over alleged Nazi symbolism in new Yeezy clothing line

Rapper Kanye West (who goes by Ye) is facing backlash after debuting a new Yeezy clothing line allegedly featuring symbols similar to Nazi imagery. On Thursday, December 26, 2024, his clothing line Yeezy dropped new streetwear merch, which includes T-shirts, hoodies, jackets, and shorts, among other items.

The collection features a minimal typographic design stamped on black, grey, and white-colored items. Each article from the collection is priced at $20 each. However, netizens zeroed in on one particular design, which was a logo reportedly resembling the Wolfsangel.

Wolfsangel (or wolf's hook) is an emblem originating from Germany and Eastern France and derived from European wolf traps (they feature a Z-shaped hook). According to the Anti-Defamation League, it was initially used as a runic symbol to ward off wolves.

It was later appropriated by the Nazi Party (1920-1945) and worn by several German military units during the Second World War. Recently, it is being used by neo-Nazi groups like the Aryan Nations (a white supremacist organization).

---

In January, Kanye West faced backlash for wearing a BURZUM t-shirt

This is not the first time Kanye has come under public scrutiny for allegedly promoting the neo-Nazi rhetoric. In January 2024, the Donda rapper faced criticism for wearing a shirt featuring the image of Varg Vikernes, frontman of Norwegian metal band BURZUM. For the unversed, Vikernes is known for promoting Nazism during the 1990s (he has since disavowed the ideology).

At the time, rapper JPEGMAFIA took to his socials to share a photo with Kanye, who is seen wearing a BURZUM t-shirt.

The image came just a month after Ye apologized to the Jewish community for his anti-Semitic comments. In December 2023, the rapper took to his Instagram (post since deleted) to apologize in a post written in Hebrew.

Kanye was referencing his actions and remarks in late 2022 promoting anti-Semitic sentiments. This included going on a rant praising Hitler (December 2022 interview with Alex Jones on the InfoWars podcast) and sharing the Star of David with a swastika embedded on his social media. In his song Vultures (2023), he rapped, "How I'm anti-Semitic? I just fucked a Jewish b**ch."

In light of Kanye's previous remarks, several fans took to X to express their disappointment in the rapper.

"Nazi symbols again I’m so f**king done," one wrote.

"This the most blatant Nazi sh*t Yeezy has ever released and y’all are choosing to not see it!" another remarked.

"Yedolf yeitler is back!" a user commented.

Ye's IG story (Image via Instagram/@ye)

While Kanye has not publicly reacted to the backlash, he took to his Instagram stories to call out designer Erasmo Ciufo for taking credit for the designs of the collection. Ye wrote that Ciufo had "nothing to do with the graphics," adding that Gosha Rubchinskiy (the Russian fashion designer he hired as Yeezy's Head of Design in 2023) was the mastermind behind it.

Ciufo has not commented on West's allegations.