Kanye West is a talented artist who has released numerous albums and hit songs since he started his music career in the early to mid-2000s. West is known for his hip-hop lyrics and samples, especially in his 2007 album, “Graduation”. Him and his music were a pop culture staple during the 2000s and 2010s, which played a crucial role in his fame, popularity, and wealth. As of now, he is worth over $2.77 billion. However, his career suddenly took a dark turn during the mid to late 2010s.

In a 2018 SNL episode, West was featured in a performance special where he performed a few of his many popular songs, one of them being “Ghost Town”. After his performance of “Ghost Town”, West went on a rant for multiple minutes while wearing a MAGA hat, supporting the Republican politician Donald Trump. West discussed his political views and his overwhelming support for President Trump. This incident was later covered during a 50 Years of SNL special in which the other SNL guests on stage that day spoke out about how awkward it was to be there during West’s rant.

This incident was one of the many events that transformed Kanye West from being perceived as a respected artist to being perceived as a widely despised celebrity. But, this was only the beginning of his tragic downfall.

Throughout the early 2020s, West maintained his political mindset and clearly stated his views on social media and on public television. For example, he started to wear shirts that read “white lives matter”, and started to express his hate toward Jewish people. In late 2022, West conveyed his admiration for Adolf Hitler, an infamous fascist leader. West expressing his praise for Hitler and antisemitism put him under great scrutiny. On one occasion, at an Infowars interview, West wore a tight black mask over his head, defended Hitler’s actions, and proudly labeled himself as a Nazi. 

As a consequence of these statements, Adidas cut its long-time partnership with West for good, which tanked his net worth. After this pivotal moment, West began to accuse Adidas of “oppression” and being “disloyal”.

In 2023, West began to defend Sean “Diddy” Combs’ actions and stated that he was being “controlled by Jews”. Combs was charged and is yet to be convicted of sexual assault among a variety of other crimes. West’s expressions toward the Sean Combs situation got his Instagram account temporarily locked, which further provoked his behavior.

After his actions from in 2022 and 2023, West made a formal apology on Instagram, which was in Hebrew, the native language of the Jewish people. Many believe that this brief apology didn’t compensate for all the actions and statements he made before it. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of West’s downfall, for it got way worse.

In 2025, West advertised a shopping website he ran during Super Bowl LIX. This website had only one article of clothing, which happened to be a white shirt with nothing but a swastika (a symbol used by the Nazi party) on it. The website was promptly taken down because of its offensive content. Later in February, West went on numerous racist rants on Twitter, stating his love for Hitler and how he can “say whatever [he wants]”.

Another notable action made by West was his release of WW3, a single which features a KKK hood on the cover. The lyrics mentioned the Epstein Island situation and numerous other racist themes. Right before it was released, West showed off his black KKK apparel in an interview, which stirred up more trouble for him.

In a 2016 song titled “I love Kanye”, West stated: “I miss the old Kanye, straight from the ‘go Kanye, chop up the soul Kanye, set on his goals Kanye… I miss the sweet Kanye, chop up the beats Kanye, I gotta say, at that time I’d like to meet Kanye”. In contrast, he also stated: “I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye, the always rude Kanye, spaz in the news Kanye”. These views were stated nearly ten years ago, yet the community still uses his song as a way to show that he was once a good, respectful artist. Unfortunately, those days appear to be over.

To this day, West is continuously stirring up controversy with his actions, comments, and public behaviors. Because of these behaviors, he is despised by the majority of the globe and is being taken down from social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter. In conclusion, West’s statements have only harmed his career and his reputation. Yet, he is still sharing what he wants to with the world today.