Kanye West has sparked uproar once again after wearing a black Ku Klux Klan outfit during an interview released on Rumble by internet personality DJ Akademiks.
During the hour-long conversation, West, 47, made several controversial comments about other individuals in the music industry while wearing the black leather garment with the infamous pointed hood.
West had started the interview in a t-shirt designed by disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs and a necklace complete with a swastika medallion, which he had previously worn in a video with white supremacist Nick Fuentes.
The rapper claimed that he had the outfit custom-made along with an identical white one. When asked if he had worn the controversial attire in public, West claimed that he wanted to wear it “yesterday” but was worried that people would “put me in a hospital for my outfit”.
Condemnation of West for his latest stunt has been swift, with one person on X/Twitter writing: “This dude just needs to go away.”
A second said: “I would’ve ended the interview right there. An absolute clown.”
Quoting one of West’s songs, a third person added: “That's enough Mr West, please no more today.”
The Independent has contacted West’s representatives for comment.
In recent weeks, West has displayed an infatuation with the swastika and other Nazi imagery. In another now-deleted post, West claimed to be teasing a new artwork for his Sunday service choir that bore a striking resemblance to the logo of the SS.
Last month, the rapper appeared in a 60-second ad at the Super Bowl, in which he directed viewers to his website to sell T-shirts bearing a swastika. The shirts cost $20, though the sales website – yeezy.com – later stated that the store was “unavailable.”
Earlier this month, West shared an Instagram post of a person wearing a white Ku Klux Klan outfit, which he branded “outfit of the day”, The post was removed for violating community guidelines.
“WOW INSTAGRAM TOOK MY POST DOWN,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet, alongside a screenshot of his empty Instagram profile, as well as a screenshot of a message from Instagram informing him that the photo had been removed.
According to Instagram, posts that are deemed “credible threats of violence, hate speech and the targeting of private individuals” will be removed as “we do not allow attacks or abuse based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability or disease.”
The latest stunt from West comes after a string of controversies over his antisemitic statements.
In 2022, he made a series of remarks, including a tweet that said he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE … You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
In a later appearance on right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s show Infowars, he claimed he “likes Hitler” and insisted: “We’ve got to stop dissing the Nazis all the time.”
Sports and leisurewear brand Adidas cut ties with West after his comments, which wiped his billionaire status overnight.
In a statement at the time, Adidas branded the remarks “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous”, adding that they “violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness”.
Tina Knowles shares pointed message after Kanye West’s attacks on Jay-Z and Beyoncé
Playboi Carti slams Kanye after teasing collab with Kim Kardashian and daughter North
Diddy tells Kanye West to ‘be careful’ in alleged phone call from jail
Morgan Wallen’s camp speaks out after SNL walk-off and cryptic Instagram post
Linkin Park’s homecoming L.A. show hit with huge downgrades and ticket price drop
