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Former associates of Ye aka Kanye West have shared that the rapper’s recent fascination with Adolf Hitler actually has been in affect for years.
According to reports, multiple people that have worked with Ye in addition to former friends of the controversial artist, have stated that his adoration of the Nazi dictator isn’t anything new. In fact, some claim that Ye has been discussing his admiration of Hitler going back about 20 years when he conducted early studio sessions after being signed to Roc-A-Fella Records in 2002.
One music industry “source” that was contacted stated that “it was a daily thing” at the time per Rolling Stone. According to them, Ye wouldn’t bring it up in general conversation but would opt to ambush collaborators and executives. “Going up to somebody like, ‘So what do you think about the Holocaust?’ the music source explained. The rapper would then press the person until they would somehow concede to his viewpoint of the “good” that Hitler had done.
Other sources stated that his behavior made for very tense and uncomfortable exchanges. Another longtime collaborator recalled pushing back against Ye’s persistent claims that Hitler had done some “good.” “I think my exact words were, ‘So what if Hitler did some good shit. So what?’” they said.
“I feel like he used those techniques to get to where he is, to be honest,” said the same source who worked with him in 2003. “He was just so fascinated by [Hitler] — someone that can have complete control over people and how he did it.” Another former associate recalls Ye bringing up that same claim in a business call in 2015, doggedly reiterating his opinion even after an attempt was made to dissuade him, calling it “without question the most disgusting thing I’ve heard in my lifetime.”
Ye’s two-month-long public tirade, which has contained numerous antisemitic attacks that have seen him suspended from Twitter and Instagram, has shocked many. His public adoration of Hitler even shocked those among the right-wing politicians in the country, with the Republicans of the House Judiciary Committee deleting an infamous tweet made on Oct. 6 that simply said: “Kanye. Elon. Trump.” His comments have also led to him losing multiple business partnerships including adidas and Gap.
