Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, posted a formal apology to “the Jewish community” to his Instagram account on Tuesday. Written in Hebrew, the post has replaced all of Ye’s previous content on the platform.
In the statement, Ye expressed remorse for “any ‘unintended outburst’ caused by my words or actions,” which many interpreted as referring to the artist’s frequent tirades about Jews and their alleged control of industries including entertainment, education, and medicine – rants that effectively ended his career last year as corporate partners raced to distance themselves from him.
“It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” Ye wrote, adding that he was “committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future.”
“Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity,” he concluded.
The rapper, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, made headlines when he wore what appeared to be a black KKK hood at a listening party for for his forthcoming album earlier this month. Released under the moniker ¥$, ‘Vultures’ is a collaboration with artist Ty Dolla Sign. A line from the title track references the anti-Semitism accusations dogging the rapper and also came under fire.
Ye was repeatedly locked out of Instagram and other social media platforms starting last year over comments perceived as anti-Semitic, including one in which he announced he was going “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” which was interpreted as a threat despite presumably referencing the defensive US “defcon” military readiness scale.
While Ye declared in March that watching Jewish actor Jonah Hill’s performance in the film ‘21 Jump Street’ had “made [him] like Jewish people again,” he was filmed earlier this month once again ranting about “Jewish ni**as,” Zionists, and Rothschilds at a Las Vegas hotel following a listening event for his new album.
The rapper’s apparent fascination with Hitler, which first came to public attention during his viral appearance on Alex Jones’ ‘Infowars’ show last year, resurfaced during his diatribe, as he shouted, “Jesus Christ, Hitler, Ye – sponsor that!” in an apparent jab at his erstwhile corporate collaborators, including Balenciaga, Gap, and Louis Vuitton, whom he mentioned by name.
Ye claimed to have lost $2 billion in a single day as collaborators rushed to drop him after his comments about Jews. Despite initially bragging that he could “say antisemitic s*** and Adidas cannot drop me,” the brand did so after “reviewing” the deal, acknowledging that it stood to lose $1.3 billion in profits for 2023.