Kanye West can’t seem to escape controversy. The Chicago rapper has been in hot water over his anti-Semitic comments, where he threatened to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”
In response, social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter have restricted the rapper’s accounts, and JP Morgan closed West’s accounts. Most recently, West appeared on Chris Cuomo’s show, where the NewsNation host pressed him about his about his recent statements.
Despite West’s efforts to help clarify his statements, the rapper seemed to have dug himself into a giant hole. West claimed his actions had nothing to do with his mental health but, instead, the lack of ownership among Black artists and entertainers.
“And it’s unfair to make it be about, ‘Oh, are you taking care of yourself?’” West said. “The reason why I repeated it a bunch of times and for all of my friends that are in the entertainment energy industry that are Black actors, Black athletes, and Black musicians […] there’s so many Black musicians signed to Jewish record labels, and those Jewish record labels take ownership, not only of the publishing […] but also ownership of the culture itself. It’s like, ‘Oh, that’s mine.’ This guy signed to me. It’s like modern-day slavery. And I’m calling it out. That’s what DEFCON three meant. I’m gonna call it out. It didn’t mean to wish any harm on [anyone].”
Ye speaks on Black musicians and the labels they are signed to: "It's like a modern day slavery and I'm calling it out." He further explains what he meant by recent comments and that he wasn't wishing harm on anyone.#CUOMO pic.twitter.com/wqi7bVCV8v
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) October 18, 2022
The “Power” rapper also told Cuomo that “Black people are all also Jews” and that he would not be backing down from his statements, noting he had a responsibility to change conventional thinking.
“I don’t have to understand or accept because they’re not willing to understand or accept,” West said. “That’s the reason why I’m not backing down. People have had their careers destroyed. That’s why they keep on saying Ye’s dangerous: because he will keep talking.”
