Kanye west

Saturday

Rod Liddle

Don’t blame Kanye for his abject idiocy

Grade: C– Kanye? No, I can’t, quite. I will always quietly overlook the idiotic political sensibilities of the conformist millennial legions who comprise our pop charts – the keffiyeh-clad Hamas wannabes, the BLM halfwits, the greenies, the men-can-be-women wankpuffins – in order to let their music be judged on its own merits, free from boomer political disdain. But songs such as “Heil Hitler” and all those swastikas? Well, they are just a stretch too far for me. The man is an abject moron. Some will say, so what? There have been loads of abject morons down the years in pop. Why draw a line in the sand for Kanye West? Good question. And it turns out it’s not his fault.

kanye west
John Mac Ghlionn

Is Kanye West more powerful than Donald Trump?

There are powerful men, and then there is Kanye West. Or Ye, as he now calls himself. While the world spends its energy analyzing the muscle of nation-states, few seem willing to grapple with a far more disturbing, modern form of power: cultural invincibility. In that particular department, Kanye West is in a class of his own.How, I ask, are we to define power in the 21st century? Is it the ability of world leaders like Donald Trump to impose tariffs, pass legislation, launch missiles, control borders? Or the ability to say the unspeakable, do the unacceptable, and still survive – but thrive? If the latter, then it’s time we admit something uncomfortable: Kanye West may be the most untouchable man on the planet.Let me be very clear. This is not a celebration; it’s a diagnosis.

Tuesday

Alexander Larman

Is Kanye West the David Bowie of his age? 

Kanye "Ye" West has been barred from appearing at London’s Wireless Festival by dint of having his temporary visa withdrawn. The move has generally been met with approval, save by those disappointed fans of his music whose pre-ordered tickets will now be refunded. “Kanye West should never have been invited to headline Wireless," said Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism." Fair enough, many might say. Last year Ye released a single entitled "HH" (Heil Hitler) and declared himself a Nazi on social media. Ye has now made a series of groveling public apologies.

kanye west

Thursday

Brendan O’Neill

Why the keffiyeh classes have forgiven Kanye West

And there you have it. Britain is a country where a musician who says "Heil Hitler" gets to headline festivals while a musician who plays with a Jew from Israel gets canceled. Threaten to go "death con 3 on Jewish people" and you’ll be grand. Jam with a Jewish person and you’re toast. Selling T-shirts adorned with the swastika? No problem. Doing a duet with someone from the Jewish state? Don’t even think about it. In the eyes of the keffiyeh-smothered windbags of the cultural elite, praising the Nazi monster who exterminated millions of Jews is a more forgivable moral error than hanging out with a Jew from Israel That was my first thought upon reading that Kanye West will headline all three nights of the Wireless festival in London's Finsbury Park in July.

kanye west

Thursday

Maia Roston

Kanye West’s anti-Semitism apology isn’t enough

When one of the 21st century's most acclaimed music artists takes out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal to apologize for his anti-Semitic behavior, deny that he is a Nazi and ask for understanding as he works on himself, what do we owe him? Mercy, punishment, or neither? In his letter, titled "To Those I’ve Hurt," Kanye West, now legally known as "Ye," writes that he is "not a Nazi or an anti-Semite" and that he "loves Jewish people." He attributes his anti-Semitic remarks, offensive use of Nazi symbolism and erratic conduct to an undiagnosed frontal-lobe injury from a 2002 car accident and to bipolar type-1 disorder that went largely untreated until recently.

kanye

Wednesday

Alexander Larman

You can’t get rid of Kanye West

Amid the hullaballoo that surrounded Charlie Kirk’s memorial service last weekend, seemingly virtually every figure associated in any way with the MAGA movement appeared – yes, even Elon Musk, who was filmed shaking hands with President Trump in one of the more unexpected rapprochements of the year. But one man who many might have expected to be present was nowhere to be seen. The rapper, producer and professional controversialist Kanye “Ye” West, who might have added a certain grim luster to the predominantly Christian music played at the memorial, was absent, and so the potential for the carefully choreographed event being thrown into chaos was avoided. It might sound unlikely that West would ever have been invited, but a new documentary about him, In Whose Name?

Tuesday

Joel Kotkin

Why we need to talk about black anti-Semitism

At the Glastonbury musical festival in England this weekend Bobby Vylan – a British-born rapper of African heritage – led the crowd in a chant of "Death, death, to the IDF". It was a potent reminder of a dispiriting trend: the growing hostility among those of African heritage in the United States towards Israel and even to Judaism itself. One notable development seen during the bitter battle over Gaza and the recent strike on Iran has been broad embrace by African-American celebrities of anti-Israel and sometimes openly anti-Semitic memes. These include such figures as the influencer Candace Owens, Kanye West, also known as Ye, and, to a less heinous extent, the New York Times' Afro-centrist columnist Charles Blow. These figures, as well as the usual anti-Semites like Rev.

Anti-Semitism

Wednesday

Alexander Larman

Kanye West and Arcade Fire: a tale of two cancellations

At first glance, Kanye “Ye” West and the Arcade Fire’s lead singer Win Butler might seem to have little in common. Ye has built his increasingly deranged career on provocation and confrontation, and that has now reached its nadir in his latest single, “Heil Hitler,” in which he declares that “All my niggas Nazis, nigga Heil Hitler.” After listing the various perceived wrongs that have been done to him, Ye states, all too accurately, “So I became a Nazi, yeah bitch, I’m the villain.” Inevitably, it ends with the song sampling a Hitler speech, in which the Führer cried that, “Whether you think my work is right... if yes, then stand up for me as I stood up for you.” The song has attracted outrage, upset and genuine confusion as to Ye’s mental state.

win butler arcade fire kanye west

Friday

Cockburn

Bill de Blasio has a girlfriend and you don’t

Love is in the air at Casa Cockburn this Friday — it’s Valentine’s Day and politicos are pairing off. The most shocking? The revelation in the New York Post that divorced former mayor Bill de Blasio is dating Nomiki Konst, a Democratic activist and former host of HillTV’s Rising.  “Nomi and I have started a really lovely relationship, just in time for Valentine’s Day. We’ve known each other for a long time and are very kindred souls ❤️,” the mayor texted the Post. “We’re going to cuddle up and watch romantic movies and drink Greek wine, in honor of Nomi’s heritage.” Cute. Forty-one-year-old Konst previously interviewed de Blasio and his then-wife Chirlane McCray in 2018.

de Blasio

Monday

Ross Anderson

The 2025 Grammys made up for past mistakes

We’re well into awards season, ladies and gentlemen, and though the Oscars always garner the most attention, and the Emmys cover the streaming entertainment Americans actually watch, the Grammys have always been among the most controversial awards shows.   The National Recording Academy hasn’t always been up to speed on what musicians are the most influential and deserving. With the Grammys, it seems the mood isn’t excitement about who will win, but anticipatory annoyance at who will be snubbed.   This year’s show was a little different though. Rising stars got the stage, for performances and trophies, and the biggest awards were apologies for the previously snubbed.  And so we get the Best Album of the Year, handed to Beyoncé for her country record, Cowboy Carter.

grammys

Friday

Cockburn

The inexorable rise of the GOP swimwear models

In there like swimwear For any readers seeking evidence that, despite the election, we are in the heart of silly season, look no further than this week’s non-troversy concerning Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna and her swimwear.In midweek, TikTok users apparently discovered a 2016 video of APL wearing a “Make America Great Again” one-piece swimsuit. The chatter migrated to X, when a troll posted the clip with the caption, “Anna Paulina Luna should be working at my local Hooters, NOT in Congress!” https://twitter.com/thephillipholz/status/1823697402416476491 This prompted a defiant response from the Florida congresswoman. “I have a confession to make since the TikTok Democrats are onto me: I wear bikinis to the beach and mineral sunscreen...

swimsuit

Tuesday

Cockburn

Kanye West’s wife goes nude while ex speaks at RNC

Yeezy porn may have been put on ice, but Kanye West is still intent on bringing debauchery to the world. West’s wife Bianca Censori, whom the rapper often styles in, well, nothing, was spotted in one of her most scandalous outfits yet, evoking outrage for the couple’s X-rated stunts.   On Monday, the Australian architect and model was on her way to the Melrose Tanning Company in Los Angeles in nothing but underwear and a completely see-through top. With the amount of sun Censori must get from her frequent displays of public nudity, Cockburn is surprised she has to go to a tanning salon at all. Censori did, however, have the decency to at least cover her hair with a hat.

bianca censori kanye west

Thursday

Cockburn

Why is ‘Yeezy porn’ in the works?

It's always too good to be true for the moral majority. After dedicating his life to Christ with the release of his gospel album in 2019, Kanye West is seemingly putting his conversion to Christianity on hold while he starts his own porn studio.  West confirmed his latest venture on Wednesday with a video on X, although his account his since been deactivated. “Yeezy porn is cumming,” the video read with a voiceover telling viewers to visit Yeezy.com. No information is yet on the website, but TMZ is speculating the studio could be launched as early as this summer.

kanye west yeezy porn

Friday

Cockburn

Candace Owens out at the Daily Wire

Candace Owens’s watch at the Daily Wire has ended. The news came in the form of an X post from Wire CEO and Lady Ballers star Jeremy Boreing this morning: “Daily Wire and Candace Owens have ended their relationship.”  “The rumors are true — I am finally free,” Owens tweeted shortly after, along with a plug for her Locals page, a link to a site where you can donate her money and a pledge of more to come.  The separation comes shortly after Owens said she’d “stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man,” making her exit a big win for trans rights. As they say en France, quand on vient pour la reine, il ne faut pas la manquer.

candace owens

Monday

Cockburn

How the Trump-Kardashian team-up came to an end

Kim Kardashian was once cozy with the Trump White House. Together, the former president and the celebrity entrepreneur spearheaded criminal justice reform, providing the Kardashian with the political experience she desired and giving Trump one of the PR stunts he lives for. But the snuggling ended when Trump found out that Kim wasn’t all in with Team Trump, as she expressed her support for Joe Biden, hitting Trump where it hurts him most — loyalty. Jonathan Karl takes us behind the scenes of this spat in his new book Tired of Winning. According to the ABC News personality, when Kim called Trump for help with a clemency case, Trump hung up on her. According to an excerpt obtained by Axios, at the end of the Trump presidency, Kim attempted to get Trump to commute more sentences.

donald trump kim kardashian

Monday

Cockburn

Bianca Censori: Kanye West’s new handler

Cockburn would usually think twice about celebrating a man that’s under his wife’s thumb. But after seeing reports that Kanye West's new wife Bianca Censori “runs the show,” Cockburn can’t help but think that arrangement is probably for the best. The forty-five-year-old disgraced rapper shocked fans last month when he married the Yeezy architectural designer Censori, in a top-secret ceremony just two months after finalizing his divorce from Kim Kardashian. A source told the Sun, "Bianca runs the show. She has been around Ye for about three years, things got serious really fast in mid-November. "Bianca handles Ye's daily logistics from Yeezy clothing management to construction of the new Yeezy headquarters/ Donda Academy.

kanye west wife bianca censori handler

Wednesday

Cockburn

Azealia Banks loves Ron DeSantis

Azealia Banks is taking a break from digging up her dead cat and returning to music after signing with major label Parlophone. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Banks spilled the beans on her very public breakdowns, Kanye West and, weirdly enough, Ron DeSantis. (Naturally, she used rather colorful language in doing so: Cockburn urges the faint-hearted to skip over the following quotes.) Banks, the New York rapper and singer who first gained popularity eleven years ago with her hit "212," claimed that she felt safer after her move from Los Angeles to Florida. She said that people “mind their fuckin’ business” and claimed that the media lies about the Republican haven. Part of that, she said, is down to the governor, Ron DeSantis. “He’s focused on the basic shit.

azealia banks

Friday

Cockburn

Nick Adams doesn’t write his own tweets

Nick Adams doesn’t write his own tweets Heartbreaking news from the social media world: a spy tells Cockburn that Nick Adams, the Trump surrogate, author and self-proclaimed “Alpha Male,” hires a communications firm to write most of his tweets. He may not, therefore, be the author behind classics such as "Joe Biden has never been to a Hooters." Adams's entire “Alpha Male” persona is a highly effective troll job that has led his account to reach massive engagement levels. Adams recently made headlines for getting into a Twitter war with former professional golfer Paige Spiranac after he said slow female golfers should only be allowed to play par-three courses. Cockburn wonders what "alpha male" would intentionally alienate Spirinac and what she calls her “fantastic milkers.

nick adams

Tuesday

Jesse Singal

Speaking truth to antisemitism

It’s impossible to sugarcoat what Ye, The Artist Formerly Known as Kanye West, said that got him in hot water late in 2022. You can’t announce you are going to “go death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE” and then act surprised when your conduct sparks a firestorm. After getting kicked off Twitter (though Elon Musk would later reinstate him), Ye was subsequently suspended from Instagram for posting an image of a message he sent to Russell Simmons in which he said, “I gotta get the Jewish business people to make the contracts fair.” Given the magnitude of Ye’s superstardom and his history of erratic behavior, this would have been a globe-spanning media event in any case.

Jews

Friday

Cockburn

Which far-right pundit is a ‘twink Ernst Röhm?’

Yeezy come, Yeezy go Kanye West has been permanently suspended from Twitter just one month after his account being locked. Elon Musk tweeted that Ye had “violated our rule against incitement to violence", after he posted a series of erratic tweets — including a symbol combining a swastika and a Jewish star. Now a London tattoo parlor is offering free removals for anyone with a Yeezy tattoo. They’ve nicknamed the campaign “Yeezy come, Yeezy go.” https://twitter.com/mattxiv/status/1598509785225347074?s=46&t=jeqhEGKEQaVSEdSE9A5F4Q Blind item: which far-right pundit is a ‘twink Ernst Röhm?’ Which virulently anti-homosexual far-right figure, who's recently been making headlines, doth protest too much?

Ernst Röhm