Kanye West has been a household name since the early 2000s. You may know him from his controversial interaction with Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when he interrupted her onstage and snatched the microphone to instead praise Beyoncé for her music video. Or maybe you remember when he released the “Famous” music video, in which he depicted multiple celebrities as naked while singing lyrics about being the cause of their fame. Oh wait, what about his TMZ interview in 2018 where he claimed 400 years of grueling slavery was a choice? You get the point.
West’s digital footprint and behavior are certainly incomparable to your average “canceled” celebrity. The train of X posts, Instagram stories, website advertising and musical lyrics have been excruciating to watch, as no real consequences have come about. West is sitting comfortably at the moment, with support from the United States’ elite such as President Donald Trump.
In recent events, West has extended his First Amendment rights beyond its limit. If you thought the comment about slavery was bad, brace yourself for complete hatred. West tweeted in 2022 that he wanted to go “death con 3” on all Jewish people, but ‘backed it up’ by falsely claiming Black people cannot be antisemitic because they are Jews (West is not Jewish). In addition, he began a chain of posts on X adding more vial remarks such as “IM A NAZI,” “I LOVE HITLER NOW WHAT B*****S,” and “CALL ME YAYDOLF YITLER…”. If these statements do not disgust you to your core, then please educate yourself. These posts should be considered a hate crime, even though they are online, because they directly threaten Jewish individuals.
A hate crime is defined as a crime which is motivated by prejudice based on race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or ethnicity. Although hate crimes are currently referred to as physical violence, West’s behavior demonstrates threats of physical violence (“death con 3”). Threats and internet posts have become the new way to express beliefs, so it is about time we add a new section to the hate crime definition. If not a hate crime, this behavior should be addressed as hate threats with dire consequences.
As for physical imagery, West advertised new antisemitic merchandise on his website–which once sold items of his brand Yeezy. He launched a commercial during the Super Bowl to publicize his new clothing launch. Now, this new merch is not surprising. He sold T-shirts, hoodies and hats displaying the swastika (A famous Nazi and genocide symbol). In 2020, he also sold shirts that read “White Lives Matter” at the same time that he denounced George Floyd‘s death as “due to fentanyl.” It is so frustrating to see this hate speech perpetuated in the year 2025 with no consequences besides self-defamation. If anything, the attention empowers West.
On that note, it is important to note that West is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, allowing him to experience manic highs which can swing into depressing lows. However, this is no excuse for his actions, as he was admitted to psychiatric care in 2016 but refuses to take his medication. In 2018, he tweeted, “6 months off meds I can feel me again. Remember when “dark fantasy” came out I used to tweet a storm also.” Medication is a serious deal for people suffering from bipolar disorder and it is highly irresponsible of West to ditch his prescription just to produce an album.
To the individuals who joke about West’s hatred by stating, ‘but he made “Graduation,'” by defending his behavior: you are supporting it. Kanye West is openly racist, a sexual abuse apologist and an antisemitic man who needs to face the consequences of his threats. He has created a new form of hate crime through his digital footprint. This behavior is quickly swept under the carpet, as it has become his personal normalcy. His actions are long overdue for consequences whether that be revoking awards, making public apologies, taking away his platforms, lawsuits or incarceration. The true test of America’s amendment against hate speech is Kanye West. Where do we draw the line between hate crime and freedom of speech?
