Trigger Warning: This article mentions anti-Semitism and Nazi ideology.
Kanye West began his career in 1996 as a music producer, creating hits for renowned artists like Jay-Z. His debut 2004 album, The College Dropout, was an instant success. Through his storytelling, he challenged societal norms and pointed out its largest flaws. The variety of music over the years, societal commentary and incredible production led him to become one of the greatest music successes of the 2000s.
But hiding beneath the surface of his newfound success were West’s controversial opinions and hateful comments soon emerged.
The first major crack in his reputation appeared at the VMAs when West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video in 2009. Declaring that Beyoncé had “one of the best videos of all time,” West’s outburst stunned the audience. The incident quickly became a symbol of his crazy nature and was the first in a string of incidents that eroded his once-sterling reputation.
In 2016, after a lukewarm apology to Swift, the two appeared to have reconciled. However, he reignited the feud that same year with his song “Famous,” in which he claimed to have made Swift famous, accompanied by a controversial music video featuring figures of celebrities, including Swift. Kim Kardashian, West’s wife, uploaded an edited video three months after the video’s release showing that Swift had approved the lyrics, but in 2020, a leaked recording revealed that Kardashian had edited the video. By this time, however, West had caused so much other turmoil that the revelation barely made an impact in the media.
In the years since then, West’s behavior has become increasingly erratic. (Some attribute his behavior to his bipolar disorder for which he has refused long term-treatment).
When he gave an interview with TMZ in 2018, he claimed that 400 years of slavery “sounds like a choice” to him. His comments were met with widespread outrage, such as from will.i.am especially after he made up a quote from Harriet Tubman to defend his comment on slavery. Trying to further justify his claim, he insisted he wanted to free Black Americans from a “slavery mindset.”
As if these past incidents weren’t enough, West’s spiral reached its peak in 2022. In October of that year, he was spotted wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt next to Candace Owens, an extreme right-wing political commentator, igniting a firestorm of criticism, particularly because the news emerged after the murder of George Floyd, a watershed incident of police brutality against Black Americans. This was followed by a series of anti-Semitic rants from the West, as well as statements about his love for Hitler and the Nazis.
“I see good things about Hitler,” West told right-wing radio host, Alex Jones on his InfoWars talk show. “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler… [Nazis] did good things too… There’s a lot of things that I love about Hitler.”
The financial impact for West was dramatic. His on paper net worth plummeted from an estimated $1.5 billion to around $400 million in just a matter of weeks, as major brands like Balenciaga, CAA, GAP, and JP Morgan severed ties with him. His planned documentary was scrapped, and his reputation was left in pieces. West’s daily radio spins (the number of times a song is played on the radio in a day) declined 21.1%, from 325 in the eight days preceding his social account restrictions to 258 in the eight days following them, while his average daily radio audience fell 21.4%.
Adidas, one of West’s most significant business partners, was the primary reason he lost his billionaire status. The company released a statement saying West’s statements were “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.” Adidas continued to state that the Yeezy brand would not be continued. After severing ties with West, Adidas was left with around $1.2 million worth of Yeezy shoes planning to sell them in two batches. They are planning to give away more than $150 million to groups fighting antisemitism and other forms of hate.
Over the past couple of decades, West has won 24 Grammy Awards and has had five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Although he was once a visionary artist and one of the most influential figures, in the wise words of Taylor Swift’s song “Castle’s Crumbling,” he “built an empire in the golden age only to watch it crumble.”
West’s self-destruction is a reminder that no matter how large the talent and success it cannot shield you from the consequences of your actions, especially when those actions promote hate and division. His story shows how important it is to maintain empathy, accountability, and to be mindful of the impact your words and actions have on others because at this point, he’ll just have to keep name-dropping Swift in his music to get streams.
