Young British Jews who grew up listening to Kanye West’s music are many. However, a lot of people regarded his remarks about Jews to be quite insulting.
The American musician, now known as Ye, has come under fire for a string of disorganized interviews and anti-Semitic social media remarks.
Kanye West was recently suspended from Twitter for a second time after endorsing Adolf Hitler and posting an image that purported to combine a swastika and a Jewish star.
Even Kanye supporters are undecided about whether to continue listening to his music. Few Jews, if any, would now listen to his political ideas.
Unwilling to listen
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Manchester-based music producer Louis Kay, who works part-time, tells BBC Newsbeat, “I’m not going to lie, it hurts my heart.”
“Growing up, I was a huge fan of Kanye and greatly admired his talent as a musician, record producer, and fashion designer.
“Now it appears as though I had an ex-boyfriend. I have so many wonderful memories of him, and I still have some of his clothing in my closet. What to do with them is a mystery to me.”
Louis was motivated by Kanye West’s Life of Pablo album when it was released in 2016.
The 22-year-old listened to it all summer long as he traveled to Israel with a Jewish youth group, just like hundreds of 16-year-olds do every year in the UK.
But, he continues.
It is really difficult to learn that your favorite artist supports the exact opposite of who you are and criticizes your race, culture, and everything about you.
Louis still admires West’s Grammy Award-winning body of work, but he is concerned about the effect Ye’s outbursts may have on his neighborhood and his industry.
“Just out of curiosity, I’ll continue to listen to his music in the few venues from which he can’t profit.
“But he has a lot of influence and can continue to use it to disseminate anti-Semitic discourse. It’s risky for someone with a platform as large as his.”
Kanye West’s timetable of a fall from grace
Ye can still engage with his 18.5 million Instagram followers, and he has ardent supporters online, including far-right white nationalists.
Other admirers have asserted that his behavior has been affected by his mental health. He received a bipolar disease diagnosis many years ago, and he has openly discussed his struggles.
Medical professionals and those who have the same diagnosis as him have cautioned that mental health issues should not be used as an excuse for anti-Semitism.
An all-out Boycott
Some Jews are left with no choice except to fully shun him as a result.
Amber Pinto, a 25-year-old from Hertfordshire, adds, “I feel like I have no choice.”
She no longer enjoys Ye’s music and has decided to quit wearing her assortment of Yeezy sneakers, after previously purchasing and reselling pairs in her spare time.
“Kanye West has attacked the Jewish people with what he has done. It serves as a reminder of the dangers that our community today faces, from Nazi praise to the repetition of centuries-old anti-Semitic slurs.”
There’s something particularly brutal and targeted about this, even in light of his condemnation of women’s rights and public humiliation of female superstars like Taylor Swift.
Adidas, which has produced Ye’s Yeezy clothes and shoes since 2015, severed relations with him last week in response to demand from the public, although his music is still accessible on major streaming services.
The artist and the art
Ye’s remarks “disappointed” George Ratner, a 24-year-old marketing expert from London, but he won’t be removing him from his playlists.
It has altered my perceptions of him personally, but not of him as an artist, he claims.
George says,
“I still listen to some other rappers who happen to be controversial.”
Therefore, I do not believe that I should stop listening to Kanye just because his opinions are directed toward my community and not toward another group.
“My Jewish identity and black identity”
Ye’s views on the Black Lives Matter movement and African-American slavery have already alienated some individuals. His most recent outburst hurts me as a black British Jew on several levels.
On Spotify, Mordechai, who has wanted to only be known by his Hebrew name, was placed in the top 2% of Kanye listeners globally in 2019.
When Ye said that slavery was a choice, he claims, that was “the tipping point.”
“I was done with him once he mentioned White Lives Matter. But as he began talking more about Jews and Nazis, I was unaware that I would be impacted twice as hard.”
“Trying to reconcile my black identity and my Jewish identity in that setting for a while was pure torture.
“But I believe that, regardless of their backgrounds or who Kanye may have offended, people are finally beginning to realize how terrible his remarks are.
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