Kanye West has sparked uproar once again after being pictured wearing a pointed black hood resembling those worn by the Ku Klux Klan.
The controversial rapper is planning to release a new album, Vultures, with Ty Dolla $ign, on Friday 15 December and has been teasing the project with a number of listening parties.
He was filmed wearing the garment while on stage in Miami this week, where he was joined by fellow musicians including Chris Brown, Kodak Black and Offset, as well as his children North, Saint and Chicago.
“Ahhh here we go... Kanye premieres a new look with a Black version of a KKK hood,” podcaster SOUND wrote, sharing a clip of the moment on X/Twitter.
West, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, wore the hood during a playback of his new song, “Vultures”, where he raps the vulgar lyric: “I ain’t antisemitic, I just f***ed a Jewish b****.”
The Independent has contacted West’s representatives for comment.
The 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”.
The artwork for Vultures features a painting by German landscape artist Caspar David Friedrich, whose work was championed by Hitler and the Nazis.
On social media, similarities have also been drawn between the font chosen for Vultures and its placement in the top left of the album cover, and album art by Norwegian black metal band Burzum.
Burzum’s notorioius frontman, Varg Vikernes, was convicted in 2014 of inciting racial hatred by publishing blog posts that attacked Jews and Muslims. He denied writing the posts.
Ty Dolla $ign and West’s album includes guest artists such as Nicki Minaj, Young Thug and Lil Baby, along with West’s 10-year-old daughter, North. Producer Timbaland also appeared to confirm his involvement after sharing the album’s tracklist to Instagram and captioning it: “One of my best body of work.”
West’s last major release was his 2021 album Donda, itself a controversial project that included an appearance by Marilyn Manson, just weeks after the rock musician was accused of sexual and physical abuse by multiple women.
Manson denied all of the allegations against him, insisting that his “intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners”.
The Vultures release was postponed from a “multi-stadium listening event” that was announced for 3 November 2023.
