Rap icon Kanye West has reached a new level of controversy with a song that blatantly praises Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The song clearly violates German laws but has become a viral hit in the country nonetheless.
US-born rapper Kanye West (who goes simply by ‘Ye’ since 2021) has managed to hit the headlines once again, stirring up fresh controversy and accusations of rampant antisemitism with the lyrics of his latest track.
Ye’s new hit single, titled “WW3”, repeats the phrase “Heil Hitler” over and over again. It also mentions “rockin’ swastikas…” and reading two chapters of Mein Kampf (Hitler’s infamous autobiography) “before I go to sleep”.
Railing against the lyrics of the track, the Frankfurter Allgemeine wrote that Ye has “openly expressed his enthusiasm for National Socialism”.
The Jüdische Allgemeine, a weekly newspaper focused on Jewish life in Germany, added that Ye has been at the centre of several scandals for his antisemitic speech previously.
Starting at the end of 2022 he had said he admired Hitler and also denied the Holocaust, also a couple weeks ago he wrote on social media, “I am a Nazi”.
‘Banned’ content
Nazi symbols and speech are strictly prohibited in Germany. Using the phrase “Heil Hitler” would in most cases be deemed as an act of hate speech.
The public display of Nazi symbols or the use of Nazi slogans is a criminal offence in Germany, and can be punished with hefty fines or even imprisonment of up to three years.
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In one recent case, Björn Höcke, an Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician, was charged for using a known Nazi slogan at a political rally and was fined €13,000.
But though many of its tropes glorifying the Nazis are illegal under German law, enforcing a ban on Kanye’s track appears to be next to impossible.
Reportedly music streaming platforms like Spotify, Youtube and Soundcloud have tried to block the content due to its antisemitic nature. However, when The Local checked at time of publication the track was still found on Spotify on a device in Germany.
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Also, various clips of the song and its music video have been shared across social media sites, which moderate content to varying degrees and with varying levels of success.
Ye’s video cannot be directly seen on his X profile from Germany. The rapper had previously been blocked multiple times on X for antisemitic content, but since Elon Musk took over as CEO of the platform he has remained active there.
He also recently lost a contract with German company Adidas due to his antisemitic outbursts on social media.
Mixed reactions
Considering how explicit the lyrics to WW3 are, reactions to the song in online discourses are mixed.
As has been the case in many of the scandals Ye has been at the heart of, certain fans can’t be convinced that he means exactly what he has said.
“You judge the lyrics, but you should enjoy the vibe instead,” read one online comment reported by the Jüdische Allgemeine.
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Similarly, a report by t-online noted stark contention between fans with different views – with one fan commenting “Ye forever, protect us” and another writing “Wake up, Mister West!”
One thing is certain: Ye’s success seems to be directly linked to his ability to spark controversy. “WW3” has already gained millions of streams and moved to the top of “top 50” charts in several countries including Germany, Israel and the US.