Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, went on a rant on X that spanned from Thursday, February 6th, up until Sunday, February 9th.
The rant began with him campaigning for Diddy’s release from prison, saying, “Free Puff.” The tweet sparked controversy and confusion, because Diddy is currently being held on RICO and sex trafficking charges.
This caused many to question why Ye was pleading for Diddy’s release. However, this tweet was just the beginning.
Ye later tweeted, “I love Hitler”, “I’m a Nazi”, and a series of other tweets bashing Jews. Ye’s X rant lasted for three days, coming to an end on Sunday, February 9th, after he deactivated his account.
The rant brings light to a controversial topic in society: cancel culture. Should people be de-platformed and ostracized from society, or “cancelled”, for expressing views that are widely interpreted as offensive?
Ye should be held accountable for what he says. But why punish and ban him when we could educate him?
When a celebrity – or anyone for that matter – says something offensive, it’s best to first educate them on why what they’re saying is hurtful.
Ye, however, has had a history of saying antisemitic statements. In 2022, he went on a rant on the Alex Jones show, where he said, “ I see good things about Hitler.”
Ye also had a series of other antisemitic comments earlier that year.
In one of these tweets, he said, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
Many people interpreted this as a threat, believing that Ye meant DEFCON 3 instead of death con 3. Kanye was banned on X for these comments, but was unbanned in July of 2023. While he deactivated his X account after his recent rant, he has since reopened it, and X did not ban him.
Many were calling for Kanye to be banned, but X has been a lot less strict with banning ever since Elon Musk purchased the company in October of 2022. It is safe to say that Kanye can be added, if not already, to the list of cancelled celebrities. This doesn’t discredit him as an artist, but it discredits his character.
Music is objective, but character is not.
While it is important to educate others before bashing them, Ye has had a history of hateful comments, and enough warnings to go with them. He needs to show real change before most people can forgive him.