Dear Kanye: An Open Letter to Hip-Hop’s Most Anti-Semitic Rapper
By: Noah Weinberg
Dear Kanye,
I used to love you, man. Your music, ideas, and blunt authenticity changed how I view and think about this world. From The College Dropout all the way to Donda, I was an unconditional stan of your music. I thought you had the best discography in all of hip-hop, and frankly, it wasn’t even close. Throughout years of needlessly controversial statements, your timeless music served as the motivating factor for my unwavering support. You’re the rapper who once delivered Graduation to my eager ears, so why wouldn’t I look to stand by you?
For years I would stand firm and defend whatever brash and unnecessarily provocative statement you would concoct. Storming the VMA’s stage to declare that Beyonce had a better music video than Taylor Swift… I mean, we’re all entitled to our opinions, right? Running for the US presidency in 2020… We all have lofty dreams and aspirations; at least Kanye tried to achieve his. Saying that 400 years of slavery “sounds like a choice.” I mean, that’s a horribly insulting, factually incorrect statement that I wholeheartedly disagree with. But you were commenting on the experience of a group you identify with, and I do not, so I chose to let it go and keep listening to your phenomenal discography.
Kanye, you’re an artistic genius and an icon who’s accomplished more in your 45 years than I’d achieve in 4 lifetimes. But as a Jew and, more importantly, a human being, I have to draw a line in the sand. It is unacceptable to target an entire religion. It is unacceptable to target any group of people based on their faith. It’s one thing to say, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” because you are specifically criticizing an individual in the public domain, but you can’t just tweet, “I’m going death con 3 on Jewish people,” without expecting extreme consequences. As if it needs to be said, creating My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is no excuse for any kind of prejudice.
Believe it or not, Kanye, I am uniquely positioned to write this letter. I went to Jewish school for the first 12 years of my education, and I’ve been a superfan of yours for as long as I can remember. Those two facts aren’t supposed to contradict, yet here we are. As you maintain your hurtful, antisemitic rhetoric for weeks now, I can’t help but feel immense shame in ever supporting you. It felt like a sharp blade pierced my soul when you proclaimed on Fox News, “I prefer my kids knew Hanukkah than Kwanzaa… at least it will come with some financial engineering." It’s a statement that’s deeply disparaging, preserves negative stereotypes, and is historically wrong and intellectually dishonest.
You once said in 2013, “If you’re a Kanye West fan, you’re not a fan of me, you’re a fan of yourself.” I’m here to point out that this is simply not the case anymore. If you’re still a fan of Kanye West, you’re now a fan of antisemitism and anti-semitic behavior. That same type of openly anti-semitic behavior led to a religious genocide of over 6 million Jews less than 100 years ago.
I’m sorry, Kanye, but did anybody ask for your opinions on Jewish people? Was anyone dying to know what Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband thought about Jewish people? My best guess is probably not. I used to idolize you for being one of the first rappers to speak out against homophobia in hip-hop, but hate speech directed at an entire faith is a thousand steps over the line. So now, I think it’s time to just stay in your fucking lane. You don’t need to speak on the plights of different groups of people. You don’t need to suggest that Puff Daddy is controlled by the Jews. We just want bars and beats, not aggression and anti-semitism.
In my humble opinion, I don’t see a way back for you, Kanye. As you continue to destroy your legacy with one reckless statement after another, I can’t envision a reality where you’re accepted back into my good graces. In a few days, you’ve lost the coveted billionaire status you wouldn’t stop pompously bragging about. Adidas, Balenciaga, Vogue, CAA, and Gap all terminated their relationships with you, and you know what? Maybe it’s time to terminate my relationship with you, Kanye. Maybe it’s time to let you go. Maybe it’s time to tuck my fandom of you away in a pocket of my brain where only imaginary friends or dreams of being an astronaut still reside. I only have two words of encouragement for you: good luck. Good luck with whatever your next controversy, fiasco, or tumultuous album rollout ends up being… cause guess what? I won’t be paying attention anymore.
