Kanye West’s Self Destruction

Kanye West pictured on an Instagram live stream

Instagram

Kanye West pictured on an Instagram live stream

From anti-semitic tweets to being dropped by Adidas, Kanye West has really done it this time. The 45-year-old, Chicago-born rapper and producer seems to be on a “self destruction” rampage.

Fans believe that this began in 2007, following the tragic death of his mother Donda West. The death came on suddenly and abruptly, the result of a botched cosmetic surgery. He was soon after diagnosed with bipolar disorder. 

Kanye’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, posted a lengthy statement on Twitter regarding Kanye’s mental health, “As many of you know, Kanye has [bipolar] disorder,” begging fans for “compassion and empathy . . . so that we can get through this.” The pending divorce of Kardashian and West has been ongoing since early 2022. Following, Kardashian and her family have been victims to many of West’s social media rants and outbursts. Many other celebs have landed on West’s Twitter page, including Kid Cudi, Pete Davidson, Taylor Swift, and more. 

However, many believe that Kanye went too far this time. On October 8th, West tweeted that he’s “going death con [sic] 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” and also that, “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” Following these tweets, West was dropped by the multi-million dollar company Adidas, who manufactures his shoe brand “Yeezy.”  

The company let out a statement expressing that “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech.” 

Sources also claim that after being dropped by Adidas, West tried to find a new home for the “Yeezy” brand. An article from TMZ claimed he approached “Skechers headquarters to talk with the company’s honchos, but immediately got turned away.” Skechers was founded in 1992 by Robert Greenberg, and is now run by Micheal Greenberg – both Jewish.

According to West, after two failed business deals, he lost “2 million dollars” in just that one day.

Along with these multi-million dollar companies, many celebrities also expressed their reactions on Kanye online. Jamie Lee Curtis, the 63-year-old actress, got emotional when speaking her opinion in a live interview on the Hoda Kobt show. She began by calling West “abhorrent,” then continuing with, “it’s bad enough that fascism is on the rise around the world, but on Twitter, on a portal, as if Jewish people haven’t had it hard enough.” It was notable that Curtis was extremely upset and concerned about Kanye West, his platform, and his effect on the world.

Students at SWHS also shared their opinion on Kanye West. Senior Sophie Finer commented on the rapper’s recent actions with, “I connect to my Jewish heritage, it’s important to me. Someone who has a platform should not be spreading anti-semitism like this, it’s dangerous.” 

West pictured with Candice Owens at Paris Fashion Show

The rapper has been seen doing other controversial acts, such as speaking at a pro-life rally, stating “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people” on live television, and been pictured wearing “White Lives Matter” shirts with radical conservative political figure Candace Owens. Overall, many of West’s fans are fed up with his actions, and have made vows to stop listening to his music all together. “Separate the music from the artist,” many use to defend controversial artists; however, has Kanye West gone too far this time?