By Violet Wexler
Kanye West has a reputation. From the 2009 VMAs when Kanye ran up on stage to interrupt 19-year-old Taylor Swift and announce that she didn’t deserve the award, to his run for President in 2020 and his MAGA agenda, to his most recent anti-semitic comments, Kanye West is not afraid to “get canceled.” Why is this? Why is West so confident that he won’t lose his platform? Students at LREI answered whether they think his anti-semitic comments will finally be the breaking point and whether they think Kanye “is over?”
On his Twitter, West claimed he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people” and defended himself by claiming “black people are actually Jew also.” LREI Junior Crosby Jassem responded, “I think Kanye should be over. I think he definitely should be, but I think he has die-hard fans who will never cancel him.” Kanye’s social media accounts got taken down for hate speech, but the damage had already been done. These comments from Kanye created a massive rise in antisemitism as a large banner was placed over an overpass that read, “Kanye is right about the Jews.” Additionally, residents of LA have reported antisemitic fliers at their homes. Another Junior, Shoshi Fine, answered, “I think that Kanye, because he’s already had such a big impact on the music industry and because so many people already view him as one of the most influential people in musical history, I don’t think that’s ever going to change. I mean, in recent years more stuff has been coming out but no one ever thought he was a good person. Although, with the recent stuff it has been more of a question of if you separate the art from the artist?” Kanye’s impact is immense, and his words can influence violence toward marginalized groups. Even with all this, is Kanye over?
Carrie Murphy, LREI Junior, answered, “I think he should be over. Music aside, he is a horrible person. I think he should take a break from his career and get mental help. I think he should be over, and not be active right now in the music industry but I don’t think he will. Posting about Kim Kardashian and his daughter negatively also crosses a line. It feels invasive on our end, seeing it on social media. I think Instagram should have removed his account for hate speech when he posted his antisemitic comments.”
Kanye West has not hidden his opinions during his career, making him untouchable. In 2009, the public knew that he stole the mic from Taylor Swift, in 2020, the public knew that he supported Donald Trump, a known racist and anti-semite. And everyone still supported him. This is why when Kanye wanted to go “death con 3 on Jewish people” it was not necessarily a surprise.
The media and the fans have accepted Kanye’s comments for 20 years and one can wonder if there is anything that could even Kanye to go “too far.” Regardless, Kanye’s abuse of power is only increasing and does not look like it will stop anytime soon. No matter what companies drop him, or what social media platforms ban him, Kanye continues to have some level of power and influence. Kanye once said, “They can’t stop me from rapping can they?”