At the end of 2022, Kanye West, the rapper who now goes by Ye, appeared to be persona non grata in the entertainment industry. After months of anti-Semitic abuse on social media and in improper interviews, he was excluded from a lucrative business partnership with Adidas and fired from his longtime record label.
But on Sunday, he hosted a swank album release party at the prestigious Art Basel art fair in Miami ahead of the record's upcoming debut on Friday. Titled Vultures, the album was written in collaboration with longtime collaborator Ty Dolla Sign and the tracklist features a who's who of respected names in the rap industry – from artists like Lil Baby and Nicki Minaj to producers like Timbaland worked with Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake.
On the album's eponymous lead single, released last month, West raps, “How am I anti-Semitic? I just fucked a Jewish bitch/I just fucked Scooter's bitch,” in reference to Jewish music mogul Scooter Braun.
“At a time of rising anti-Semitism around the world, it is disgusting to see Kanye once again using his platform to incite hatred of Jews,” the Anti-Defamation League responded. Kanye West during the Cincinnati Bengals game against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium (Credit: MARK J. REBILAS-USA TODAY SPORTS)
West's latest album
Although the single didn't reach any Billboard charts, West's album appears to be reaching a large audience on most major streaming platforms – despite spending months in the spotlight for anti-Semitic comments. In October 2022, he threatened “Death Con 3” against Jews, a term that was widely interpreted as an expression of violence. He tweeted images of swastikas, sparred with Jewish figures and praised Hitler in an extensive interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. He boasted that he could “say anti-Semitic nonsense” while doing business with Adidas, and several reports appeared about his long-standing fascination with Nazism.
West, who has also worked as a fashion designer in recent years, made headlines at Sunday's event for his fashion choice: a black pointed hood that resembled part of the Ku Klux Klan's uniform. He previously used the Black Hood imagery in the music video for his 2013 song “Black Skinhead.”
Art Basel did not respond to a request for comment on the event as of press time. Last week, a group of artists began bringing large reproductions of milk cartons bearing the names of Israeli hostages to locations across Miami, including Art Basel sites. Advertising
Others featured on the “Vultures” album, according to the track list leaked online, include Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper who is one of the most popular artists in the world; Nicki Minaj, who has sold over 100 million records; Grammy winner Lil Baby; Grammy nominee Freddie Gibbs; influential rapper Young Thug (who is currently on trial for a possible gang conspiracy); and West's 10-year-old daughter, North West.
Also featured is Kodak Black, a rapper who reportedly became interested in Judaism while in prison in 2019 and donated $1,000 to an Orthodox synagogue.
Not all of West's plans came to fruition, including a larger album release show originally planned at a 100,000-seat stadium in Italy. And while West and Ty Dolla Sign say their album will be released on Friday, it's unclear which record label will release it. Billboard reported in October that West was still buying the album.