- Sources told CNN that Kanye West reportedly wanted to name the album “Ye” after Hitler.
- A business executive who worked for Ye told CNN that the rapper had an “obsession” with Hitler.
- Ye has sparked controversy over anti-Semitic remarks in recent weeks.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, previously wanted to name his album “Ye” after Adolf Hitler, apparently, a source close to the rapper told CNN in a report released Thursday. There is an “obsession” with the Nazi leader.
Sources told CNN that Ye publicly admired the Nazis’ use of propaganda and spoke of reading Hitler’s manifesto “Mein Kampf,” which seemed to contradict Ye’s claim that he never read the book.
“He would praise Hitler and say how incredible it was that he was able to amass so much power, and would talk about all the great things he and the Nazi party had accomplished for the German people,” a business executive who had worked for Ye told the outlet.
Multiple brands have cut ties with the rapper after he made anti-Semitic remarks in recent weeks and wore a “White Lives Matter” shirt to his Yeezy fashion show in early October.
Ye shared anti-Semitic remarks on Twitter on October 8, including that he said he would perform a “death hoax 3” against Jews.
The tweet was removed for violating the platform’s rules, and a Twitter spokesperson told BuzzFeed News on Oct. 9 that Ye’s account had been locked “for violating Twitter’s policies.” Also on October 8, Instagram told Insider that it had placed restrictions on Ye’s account after breaking the rules on the platform.
In addition to his social media posts, Ye claimed in an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson that Jewish Jared Kushner brokered the Abraham Accord “to make money.” Unplayed clips of that interview obtained by Motherboard also show Yeh making additional anti-Semitic remarks.
Ye’s anti-Semitic remarks sparked criticism from Jewish groups including the American Jewish Committee and StopAntisemitism.org, people familiar with the matter previously reported. Brands including Kering, the parent company of Vogue, Adidas and Balenciaga, have cut ties with the rapper, as has his former talent agency CAA, according to the Los Angeles Times.
On Monday, Yeh’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian said in a tweet that she stood with the Jewish community and called for “an end to the horrific violence and hate speech against them.” She did not specifically name Ye in the tweet.
Universal Music Group, owner of Def Jam, which previously released Yip’s music, also said in a statement to CNN that its relationship with Yip’s GOOD Music label ended last year.
“There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society. We are firmly committed to fighting anti-Semitism and all other forms of progress,” the group said in a statement.
