Kanye West: The Man Who Made the Whole World Hate Him
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VOICE OVER: Rudolph Strong
From a groundbreaking hip-hop artist to a controversial figure, we dive into Kanye West's dramatic transformation. Explore the shocking events that led to his public downfall, antisemitic remarks, and the complete unraveling of his once-celebrated career. Our video chronicles his journey from a 24-time Grammy winner to a Hollywood pariah, examining key moments like his controversial political statements, antisemitic comments, and the massive professional consequences that followed. What do you think of Kanye? Share in the comments.
Kanye West: The Man Who Made the Whole World Hate Him
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re exploring the events that transformed Kanye West, a 24-time Grammy winner, from a beloved and seemingly untouchable provocateur into a Hollywood pariah.
While you may already be familiar with the career of one of the most famous and critically acclaimed musicians of all time, here’s a brief recap for context. Born Kanye Omari West in Atlanta in 1977, he first gained recognition in music production after being contracted by Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records. Although West was praised for his work on Jay-Z’s album “The Blueprint,” he initially struggled to be taken seriously as a rapper. Eventually, Roc-A-Fella released West’s debut album, “The College Dropout,” which exceeded all expectations and launched his illustrious career. The album received widespread acclaim from critics and became a commercial success, establishing West as a transformative figure in hip-hop. Throughout his career, he has been credited with changing the genre multiple times through various stylistic shifts. Albums like “Graduation,” “808s & Heartbreak,” and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” are regarded as not only some of the finest in hip-hop but also among the best in music history. However, his journey has been characterized by both groundbreaking innovation and significant controversy.
You likely remember West’s notorious outburst at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, which sparked one of pop culture’s most infamous feuds with Taylor Swift. Interestingly, this was not his first public disruption; at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, he interrupted Justice and Simian during their acceptance speech for their song “We Are Your Friends,” claiming that his “Touch the Sky” video deserved the award. However, the backlash from his interruption of Swift’s acceptance speech was much louder and more intense than in 2006, leading West to retreat from the spotlight temporarily. Although he returned to music with renewed strength, his unpredictable behavior continued to attract scrutiny. Over the years, West’s struggles with mental health have become public knowledge, notably culminating in the abrupt end of his 2016 Saint Pablo Tour after he was hospitalized for psychiatric observation in Los Angeles. This incident is widely seen as a pivotal moment in West’s career.
In December 2016, longtime fans of Kanye West were shocked to learn that the rapper had met with then-President-elect Donald Trump. Known for supporting left-wing causes and ideals earlier in his career, West stated, “I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues [...] I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.” This meeting marked a significant shift in West’s political views, as he began to endorse and support controversial figures like Candace Owens in 2018. He expressed his commitment to his new stance by stating, “Racism isn't the deal-breaker for me. If that was the case, I wouldn’t live in America.” In a later meeting with Trump, West wore a red Make America Great Again cap, which led to a controversial appearance on “Saturday Night Live” where he delivered a long, disjointed rant expressing his support for Trump.
It's essential to recognize that there is nothing inherently wrong with being politically conservative—ideological debate and discussion are crucial to a functioning democracy. However, when one’s views begin to embrace extremist ideals, it may be time for serious self-reflection. This became evident in October 2022 when West announced via X (formerly Twitter) that he was “going death con 3” on Jewish people. His statement was a reaction to his Instagram account being locked after he promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory suggesting that Sean “Diddy” Combs was under Jewish control. The remainder of that month marked the decline of any public admiration West still had. He participated in several interviews, ranging from Tucker Carlson and Tim Pool to LeBron James, where he made bizarre, inflammatory claims about a vast Jewish conspiracy. Amid the turmoil, West accepted a dinner invitation from Trump at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where he dined with white nationalist podcaster Nick Fuentes.
As a result of his remarks, several companies that had collaborated with Kanye West, such as Gap and Adidas, severed ties with him, significantly reducing his net worth. For the next few years, West would oscillate between apologizing for his antisemitic comments and doubling down on them. Despite this, he continued to release music, including the "Vultures" collaboration albums with Ty Dolla $ign; however, these projects received a lukewarm critical reception, a far cry from his earlier beloved work. Kanye has navigated countless controversies, but if his now-infamous 2025 rant on X is any indication, his long and complicated career may have finally reached a breaking point. In a series of rapid-fire posts on the platform, West declared himself a Nazi, praised Adolf Hitler, and defiantly asserted that he would “never [apologize]” for his remarks.
The true nail in the coffin came with a Super Bowl commercial on February 9th, funded by West, which directed viewers to his website, where they could purchase a T-shirt featuring a swastika. Shopify, the e-commerce giant hosting the Yeezy site, quickly disabled the website, stating, “This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms, so we removed them from Shopify.” Even former friend and Trump ally Elon Musk did not come to West’s aid, temporarily shadowbanning his X account for posting what can only be described as “adult” content.
As we've noted, it is entirely unpredictable what Kanye will choose to do next. While he has publicly struggled with mental health issues, it is important to emphasize that his comments have been widely condemned, and mental illness does not excuse hate speech. For an artist who has survived numerous career controversies and has often returned stronger, Kanye's latest hateful tirade may be the final straw, even for his most die-hard fans.
Are you shocked by Kanye’s career downfall? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re exploring the events that transformed Kanye West, a 24-time Grammy winner, from a beloved and seemingly untouchable provocateur into a Hollywood pariah.
While you may already be familiar with the career of one of the most famous and critically acclaimed musicians of all time, here’s a brief recap for context. Born Kanye Omari West in Atlanta in 1977, he first gained recognition in music production after being contracted by Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records. Although West was praised for his work on Jay-Z’s album “The Blueprint,” he initially struggled to be taken seriously as a rapper. Eventually, Roc-A-Fella released West’s debut album, “The College Dropout,” which exceeded all expectations and launched his illustrious career. The album received widespread acclaim from critics and became a commercial success, establishing West as a transformative figure in hip-hop. Throughout his career, he has been credited with changing the genre multiple times through various stylistic shifts. Albums like “Graduation,” “808s & Heartbreak,” and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” are regarded as not only some of the finest in hip-hop but also among the best in music history. However, his journey has been characterized by both groundbreaking innovation and significant controversy.
You likely remember West’s notorious outburst at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, which sparked one of pop culture’s most infamous feuds with Taylor Swift. Interestingly, this was not his first public disruption; at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, he interrupted Justice and Simian during their acceptance speech for their song “We Are Your Friends,” claiming that his “Touch the Sky” video deserved the award. However, the backlash from his interruption of Swift’s acceptance speech was much louder and more intense than in 2006, leading West to retreat from the spotlight temporarily. Although he returned to music with renewed strength, his unpredictable behavior continued to attract scrutiny. Over the years, West’s struggles with mental health have become public knowledge, notably culminating in the abrupt end of his 2016 Saint Pablo Tour after he was hospitalized for psychiatric observation in Los Angeles. This incident is widely seen as a pivotal moment in West’s career.
In December 2016, longtime fans of Kanye West were shocked to learn that the rapper had met with then-President-elect Donald Trump. Known for supporting left-wing causes and ideals earlier in his career, West stated, “I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues [...] I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.” This meeting marked a significant shift in West’s political views, as he began to endorse and support controversial figures like Candace Owens in 2018. He expressed his commitment to his new stance by stating, “Racism isn't the deal-breaker for me. If that was the case, I wouldn’t live in America.” In a later meeting with Trump, West wore a red Make America Great Again cap, which led to a controversial appearance on “Saturday Night Live” where he delivered a long, disjointed rant expressing his support for Trump.
It's essential to recognize that there is nothing inherently wrong with being politically conservative—ideological debate and discussion are crucial to a functioning democracy. However, when one’s views begin to embrace extremist ideals, it may be time for serious self-reflection. This became evident in October 2022 when West announced via X (formerly Twitter) that he was “going death con 3” on Jewish people. His statement was a reaction to his Instagram account being locked after he promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory suggesting that Sean “Diddy” Combs was under Jewish control. The remainder of that month marked the decline of any public admiration West still had. He participated in several interviews, ranging from Tucker Carlson and Tim Pool to LeBron James, where he made bizarre, inflammatory claims about a vast Jewish conspiracy. Amid the turmoil, West accepted a dinner invitation from Trump at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where he dined with white nationalist podcaster Nick Fuentes.
As a result of his remarks, several companies that had collaborated with Kanye West, such as Gap and Adidas, severed ties with him, significantly reducing his net worth. For the next few years, West would oscillate between apologizing for his antisemitic comments and doubling down on them. Despite this, he continued to release music, including the "Vultures" collaboration albums with Ty Dolla $ign; however, these projects received a lukewarm critical reception, a far cry from his earlier beloved work. Kanye has navigated countless controversies, but if his now-infamous 2025 rant on X is any indication, his long and complicated career may have finally reached a breaking point. In a series of rapid-fire posts on the platform, West declared himself a Nazi, praised Adolf Hitler, and defiantly asserted that he would “never [apologize]” for his remarks.
The true nail in the coffin came with a Super Bowl commercial on February 9th, funded by West, which directed viewers to his website, where they could purchase a T-shirt featuring a swastika. Shopify, the e-commerce giant hosting the Yeezy site, quickly disabled the website, stating, “This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms, so we removed them from Shopify.” Even former friend and Trump ally Elon Musk did not come to West’s aid, temporarily shadowbanning his X account for posting what can only be described as “adult” content.
As we've noted, it is entirely unpredictable what Kanye will choose to do next. While he has publicly struggled with mental health issues, it is important to emphasize that his comments have been widely condemned, and mental illness does not excuse hate speech. For an artist who has survived numerous career controversies and has often returned stronger, Kanye's latest hateful tirade may be the final straw, even for his most die-hard fans.
Are you shocked by Kanye’s career downfall? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
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