The tragedy of Ye
A timeline of Kanye West’s downward spiral
Asudden silence fills the room as Kanye West (now formally referred to as Ye) looks into the camera with a cold stare and declares, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” By his side, a visibly surprised Mike Myers of Shrek fame looks at him in confusion. It was this adlibbed moment from NBC Universal’s “A Concert for Hurricane Relief,” a televised charity concert in 2005 for victims of Hurricane Katrina, that forever cemented Ye into the minds of many. It wouldn’t be too long before Ye would cause an even bigger uproar on live TV. In 2009, Taylor Swift became a global phenomenon with “You Belong With Me,” the third track off her second studio album Fearless. Its music video went on to win Best Female Video at 2009’s MTV Video Music Awards. But just as Swift was ready to thank everyone, Ye stormed onstage and took the microphone from her to declare, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!” The moment took the Internet by storm, turning it into one of the earliest Internet memes. While the duo seemed to make amends, with Swift presenting Ye with the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 2015, the two clashed again in 2016.
A track from Ye’s seventh studio album The Life of Pablo, “Famous,” had a lyric seemingly attacking Swift. A music video was later released featuring Ye in bed with nude wax figures of Taylor Swift, ex-wife Kim Kardashian, and other prominent figures. Swift’s fans and friends were quick to voice their anger, with Kardashian later stepping in to reveal Swift had given her consent by showing a video of her in a phone call with Ye.
In 2017, Ye sparked concern from fans after he revealed he was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder but opted to stop taking medication for the sake of his art. “I cannot be on meds and make watch the throne level or dark fantasy level music,” he shared through a tweet referencing his two most successful albums Watch the Throne and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Later in the year, Ye arguably caused the biggest divide in his following after his endorsement of former US President Donald Trump.
Donning the infamous Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat, Ye cemented an unusual partnership with the former president, referring to Trump as his “brother,” claiming they both shared “dragon energy.” Around this time, he also caught fire after claiming slavery was a “choice.”
Despite claiming he was finished with politics after receiving much backlash, Ye would later run for the presidency in the 2020 US elections.
Even after his failed run, he continued to find success through his partnership with Adidas via his Yeezy fashion line.
His foray into fashion launched him toward billionaire status after Forbes valued his deal as being worth $1.5 billion. He would also start his own school, Donda Academy, with a focus on Christianity, the arts, language, math, and science.
It all fell down in 2022 when Ye’s partnership was terminated after he tweeted anti-semitic statements. Big companies such as Vogue, Balenciaga, and GAP decided to cut ties with him as well. Shortly after, Donda Academy shut down abruptly. While the school seemingly remains operational today, two former staff members have filed a lawsuit against the school after claiming they were fired for complaining about health and safety violations. In December, Ye doubled down by calling himself a Nazi, professing his admiration for Adolf Hitler, and denying facts about the Holocaust during an interview for the alt-right conspiracy site Infowars.
We got 100 years here. We’re one race, the human race, one civilization. We’re a blip in the existence of the universe and we’re constantly trying to pull each other down. I feel I can make a difference while I’m here. —Ye (formerly Kanye West)
Although he would later recant his anti-semitic remarks in March 2023, after sharing on Instagram that Jonah Hill’s 21 Jump Street made him like Jewish people again, the damage had already been done. Through his own careless actions and harmful remarks, Ye’s legacy will likely be remembered as a tragedy.