Kanye West

==Views==
{{Main|Views of Kanye West}}
{{Wikinews|Rapper Kanye West denounces Bush response, American media at hurricane relief telethon}}

West has been an outspoken and controversial celebrity throughout his career, receiving criticism from the mainstream media, industry colleagues and entertainers, and three U.S. presidents.<ref name="amg" /><ref name="NewYorkTimes" /> In a 2005 speech, West criticized both the media and the government's racial disparities in their response to [[Hurricane Katrina]], stating on live television that "[[George W. Bush|George Bush]] doesn't care about black people".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Moraes |first=Lisa |date=September 3, 2005 |title=Kanye West's Torrent of Criticism, Live on NBC |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090300165.html |access-date=December 2, 2022}}</ref> West has voiced his [[opposition to abortion]] in 2013, citing his belief in the [[Thou shalt not kill|Sixth Commandment]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Kanye West Claimed Democrats Make Black People Kill Their Children |url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zmj5b8/kanye-west-interview-big-boy-democrats-abortion-and-plan-b|first=Susan|last=Rinkunas |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215155700/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zmj5b8/kanye-west-interview-big-boy-democrats-abortion-and-plan-b |archive-date=December 15, 2019|date=October 28, 2019|access-date=July 5, 2020 |magazine=Vice}}</ref> and in 2022 deemed abortion "genocide and population control" of black people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-10-24/kanye-west-lex-fridman-antisemitism-podcast|title=Kanye West assails Jews, abortion in new interview with Lex Fridman|date=October 25, 2022|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> He has stated that [[Slavery in the United States|the 400-year enslavement of Africans]] "sounds like a choice",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/01/kanye-west-on-slavery-for-400-years-that-sounds-like-a-choice|title=Kanye West on slavery: 'For 400 years? That sounds like a choice'|work=[[The Guardian]]|first1=Benjamin|last1=Lee|first2=Ben|last2=Beaumont-Thomas|date=May 2, 2018|access-date=October 27, 2022}}</ref> before elaborating that his comment was in reference to mental enslavement and argued for [[free thought]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/01/entertainment/kanye-west-slavery-choice-trnd/index.html|title=Kanye West just said 400 years of slavery was a choice|first=Harmeet|last=Kaur|date=May 2018|publisher=CNN}}</ref> He later apologized for the comment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://people.com/music/kanye-west-apologizes-slavery-comment-cries-over-bipolar-disorder|title=Kanye West Apologizes for Saying 'Slavery Was a Choice' in Tearful Interview|work=People|first=Robyn|last=Merrett|date=August 29, 2018|access-date=August 30, 2018}}</ref>

In late 2022, West made a series of [[antisemitic]] statements,<ref name="cnbc" /> resulting in the termination of his collaborations, sponsorships, and partnerships with ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'', [[Universal Music Group]], [[Creative Artists Agency|CAA]], [[Balenciaga]], [[Gap Inc.|Gap]], and [[Adidas]].<ref>{{cite web |title=UMG Confirms Termination of Kanye West Relationship – Gap Removes Yeezy Products From Stores |url=https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/10/25/umg-gap-remove-yeezy-products-from-stores/ |access-date=October 25, 2022 |publisher=[[Digital Music News]]|first=Ashley|last=King|date=October 25, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Adidas cuts ties with Ye over antisemitic remarks that caused an uproar |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/1131285970/adidas-ye-kanye-west-antisemitic|date=October 25, 2022 |access-date=October 25, 2022 |publisher=[[NPR]]|first=Bobby|last=Allyn}}</ref> West was widely condemned after appearing at a dinner hosted by [[Donald Trump]] at [[Mar-a-Lago]] beside [[Nick Fuentes]], a [[white nationalist]].<ref name="cnbc">{{cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/02/biden-condemns-antisemitism-after-ye-praises-hitler-post-trump-dinner.html|title=Biden condemns antisemitism as Ye praises Hitler days after dinner with Trump, white nationalist Fuentes|date=December 2, 2022|last=Kinery|first=Emma|work=[[CNBC]]|access-date=December 6, 2022}}</ref> In a subsequent December appearance on [[Alex Jones]]'s ''[[InfoWars]]'', West praised [[Adolf Hitler]], [[denied the Holocaust]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adragna |first1=Anthony |last2=Olander |first2=Olivia |title='A deranged Anti-semite': GOP outraged at Ye's latest horror show |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/01/ye-antisemitism-republicans-hitler-00071695 |access-date=December 2, 2022 |work=[[Politico]] |date=December 1, 2022}}</ref> and identified as a [[Nazi]].<ref name="timesofisraelnazi">{{Cite web |date=December 1, 2022 |title=Kanye West praises Hitler, calls himself a Nazi in unhinged interview |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/doubling-down-on-antisemitism-kanye-west-praises-hitler-in-unhinged-interview/ |access-date=December 3, 2022 |website=[[The Times of Israel]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="vanityfairnazi">{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/12/kanye-west-alex-jones-donald-trump-hitler|title=Kanye West, Donald Trump's Dining Companion, Tells Alex Jones, "I'm a Nazi," Lists Things He Loves About Hitler|date=December 1, 2022|last=Levin|first=Bess|website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|access-date=February 14, 2023}}</ref> Following the interview, West's Twitter account was terminated after he posted an image depicting a [[swastika]] entangled within a [[Star of David]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mohammed |first1=Leyla |title=Kanye West Leaked Messages Showing Elon Musk Told Him He'd 'Gone Too Far' Before Suspending His Twitter Account For Promoting His Presidential Campaign With A Swastika |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/leylamohammed/kanye-west-suspended-twitter-swastika-elon-musk |access-date=December 22, 2022 |work=Buzzfeed News |date=December 2, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kanye West suspended from Twitter after posting swastika inside the Star of David |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/02/kanye-west-suspended-from-twitter-after-posting-swastika-inside-the-star-of-david |work=The Guardian|first=Dan|last=Milmo|date=December 2, 2022 |access-date=December 2, 2022}}</ref> In July 2023, Twitter reversed the ban, citing assurances from West not to post harmful content in the future.<ref name="Busby 2023 c026">{{cite web | last=Busby | first=Mattha | title=Elon Musk reinstates Kanye West's Twitter account after ban | website=The Guardian | date=July 30, 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/30/elon-musk-reinstates-kanye-west-twitter-account-after-ban | access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Al Jazeera 2023 n578">{{cite web | title=Twitter, now called X, reinstates Kanye West account | website=Al Jazeera | date=July 30, 2023 | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/30/x-formerly-known-as-twitter-reinstates-kanye-west-account | access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref> According to a 2023 report published by the [[Anti-Defamation League]], West's antisemitic rhetoric has caused several instances of hate-speech vandalism, harassment, and violence across the United States.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/kanye-west-anti-semitic-rhetoric-assaults-vandalism-1234678236/|title=Report: Kanye's Anti-Semitic Rhetoric Led to Assaults, Vandalism|date=February 13, 2023|last=Dickinson|first=Tim|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=March 7, 2023}}</ref> In December 2023, weeks ahead of the slated release of his upcoming album, West apologized for his antisemitic remarks in a written statement on Instagram.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/ye-kanye-antisemitism-apology-40450fa8868c660d954b672d5dfbcc3a|title=The rapper Ye, who has a long history of making antisemitic comments, issues an apology in Hebrew|date=December 26, 2023|last=Sherman|first=Maria|website=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=December 28, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/dec/26/kanye-west-apologises-to-jewish-community-for-2022-antisemitic-remarks|title=Kanye West apologises to Jewish community for 2022 antisemitic remarks|work=The Guardian|first=Ben|last=Beaumont-Thomas|date=December 26, 2023|access-date=December 28, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kanye-west-apology-jewish-community-antisemitic-comments-1234936039/|title=Kanye Suddenly Decides His Hitler Talk Was Bad|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Emily|last=Zemler|date=December 26, 2023|access-date=December 28, 2023}}</ref>