The release date coincided with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Following public outrage, major music streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify, and SoundCloud removed the track. However, dozens of AI-generated versions of the song remain accessible online. Reddit told NBC News that it would continue to remove the song and any content celebrating its message. On the other hand, social media sites like X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk, and Facebook, owned by Mark Zuckerberg, still allow the song to be shared.
Kanye West is one of the most financially successful rappers in history. In recent years, he has shown an open admiration for fascism, a disturbing development that has now reached a deeply troubling level.
The song and its music video resemble a high-budget outburst of anger. West opens with a spoken introduction, claiming that “these people took my kids from me, then they froze my bank account / I got so much anger in me, got no way to take it out.” He then declares, “So I became a Nazi, yeah, bitch, I’m the villain.” After this, the song repeatedly chants “Heil Hitler!” with occasional swear words. The video shows a group of Black men dressed in African tribal clothing mouthing the offensive chorus. The track closes with a clip of a 1935 speech by Hitler.
Unsurprisingly, far-right groups have embraced the song. It has been viewed at least 8 million times on X, often by curious listeners. Far-right internet personalities like Andrew Tate have posted videos of themselves playing the song, gaining further attention.
Former comedian and actor Russell Brand expressed support on Twitter. He called West “uncancellable,” saying West had reached a cultural peak that protected him from criticism. Brand also praised the song’s “catchy hook.”
One particularly shocking video showed Missouri Proud Boy member Michael Lasater and his girlfriend giving the Nazi salute while the song played. He captioned the video with a racial slur and called it “the song of the summer.” The video went viral, leading to Lasater being doxxed and creating a crowdfunding page to raise $88,000 for relocation. The number “88” is a code for “Heil Hitler.”
In a recent interview with podcaster Piers Morgan, West appeared incoherent but made clear that his actions were not random or foolish. Analysts say West combines selfishness and narcissism with dangerous political ideas. His views are influenced by the toxic environment of American politics, marked by inequality, government debt, and imperialism.
West’s song arrives as Donald Trump seeks to regain the U.S. presidency. Trump’s public gestures toward Nazi symbolism are more subtle, but he supports Netanyahu’s government amid its violent actions against Palestinians in Gaza. Trump has pushed authoritarian policies, including mass detentions in El Salvador and deportations in the U.S. He has cracked down on protests against Israel, claiming to fight “antisemitism,” yet has not condemned West’s hateful music.
Instead, Trump has called West “a really nice guy” with a “good heart.” The two have met at Trump’s Florida resort, along with Holocaust deniers such as Nick Fuentes.
On May 5, news broke that Trump met Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio at Mar-a-Lago. Tarrio reportedly told Trump that his presidential pardon saved his life. The Proud Boys are linked to racist and antisemitic acts, including Holocaust denial and calls for violence against Jews. These far-right groups have grown influential in the Republican Party, described by the World Socialist Web Site as “the political underworld in power.”
Few media outlets have noted the racial themes in West’s music video. The video clearly references the film Black Panther, which was praised for showing Black people in positions of power. However, critics argue that judging art mainly by race is politically reactionary and artistically shallow. This idea has roots in Nazi Aryan art theory.
Within a month of Black Panther’s release, the film attracted praise from white nationalists and neo-Nazis, alarmingly revealing the racial politics at play.
West’s latest release pushes racial politics toward its extreme conclusion, showing that racial nationalism serves as a gateway to far-right extremist ideas.
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