Kanye West has addressed the backlash in response to a new music video in which a figurine of the rapper kidnaps, buries and decapitates a model of the comedian Pete Davidson.
Davidson, a Saturday Night Live cast member, is currently dating West’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian West, who was legally declared single last week despite West’s high-profile attempts to prevent their split being formalised and to bring their family “back together”. She is pursuing divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
In the claymation video for Eazy, from West’s new album, Donda 2, the West character assaults Davidson and the clip ends with title cards that read: “Everyone lived happily ever after, except Skete you know who – JK he’s fine.” The track also includes the lyrics: “God saved me from that crash / Just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s ass.”
Apparently in response to the backlash, West, now legally known as Ye, posted an image of a burning church on Instagram with the caption:
Art is therapy just like this view
art is protected as freedom of speech
art inspires and simplifies the world
Art is not a proxy for any ill or harm
Any suggestion otherwise about my art is false and mal intended
Eazy is not the only new West song to reference the comedian. In City of Gods, he suggests that Davidson should “thank” him for letting him “have” Kardashian. In the song Security, he warns Davidson: “Never stand between a man and his kids / Y’all ain’t got enough security for this.”
The rapper has also ostracised former friends for maintaining relationships with Davidson, offered his SNL colleague Michael Che “double” his earnings from the show to avoid working with him, shared memes that pit himself and Davidson on opposing sides of a Marvel-style “civil war” and impugned Davidson’s conduct in prior relationships.
In late February, Kardashian West asked to fast-track the couple’s divorce in accordance with a prenuptial agreement, telling the court that West had disrespected her wish to keep their split private and that he had shared “misinformation regarding our private family matters and co-parenting on social media which has created emotional distress”.
Her request referenced since-deleted social media posts by West including one in which he targeted Davidson, instructing his fans to “look at this dickhead”.
West responded via a lawyer. He said the social media posts were not attached to her court declaration, called her allegations “double hearsay” and questioned the validity of their prenuptial agreement.
Kardashian filed for divorce in early 2021 after nearly seven years of marriage.
