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.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00We're watching some of the fallout, a couple of things happening here, including the fact
00:03that his relatively new talent agency, 33 and West, they dropped him.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're exploring the events that transformed Kanye West, a
00:1424-time Grammy winner, from a beloved and seemingly untouchable provocateur into a Hollywood
00:20pariah.
00:28While you may already be familiar with the career of one of the most famous and critically
00:32acclaimed musicians of all time, here's a brief recap for context.
00:37Born Kanye Amari West in Atlanta in 1977, he first gained recognition in music production
00:43after being contracted by Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records.
00:46Although West was praised for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, he initially
00:50struggled to be taken seriously as a rapper.
00:54Eventually, Roc-A-Fella released West's debut album, The College Dropout, which exceeded
00:58all expectations and launched his illustrious career.
01:07The album received widespread acclaim from critics and became a commercial success, establishing
01:12West as a transformative figure in hip-hop.
01:15Throughout his career, he has been credited with changing the genre multiple times through
01:19various stylistic shifts.
01:21Albums like Graduation, 808s and Heartbreak, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy are
01:26regarded as not only some of the finest in hip-hop, but also among the best in music
01:31history.
01:35However, his journey has been characterized by both groundbreaking innovation and significant
01:43controversy.
01:44You likely remember West's notorious outburst at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, which
02:07sparked one of pop culture's most infamous feuds with Taylor Swift.
02:12Interestingly, this was not his first public disruption.
02:15At the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, he interrupted Justice and Simeon during their acceptance
02:21speech for their song, We Are Your Friends, claiming that his Touch the Sky video deserved
02:26However, the backlash from his interruption of Swift's acceptance speech was much louder
02:50and more intense than in 2006, leading West to retreat from the spotlight temporarily.
02:56Although he returned to music with renewed strength, his unpredictable behavior continued
03:01to attract scrutiny.
03:02Over the years, West's struggles with mental health have become public knowledge, notably
03:07culminating in the abrupt end of his 2016 Saint Pablo tour after he was hospitalized
03:12for psychiatric observation in Los Angeles.
03:15This incident is widely seen as a pivotal moment in West's career.
03:33In December 2016, longtime fans of Kanye West were shocked to learn that the rapper had
03:39met with then-president-elect Donald Trump.
03:42Known for supporting left-wing causes and ideals earlier in his career, West stated,
03:47When I see people just even go at the president, it's like, why not try love?
04:04For one person to stand up against all odds and just hug somebody the way that Alice Johnson
04:14hugged her family when she got out of jail.
04:17This meeting marked a significant shift in West's political views, as he began to endorse
04:21and support controversial figures like Candace Owens in 2018.
04:26He expressed his commitment to his new stance by stating,
04:29Racism isn't a deal-breaker for me.
04:31If that was the case, I wouldn't live in America.
04:34In a later meeting with Trump, West wore a red Make America Great Again cap, which
04:38led to a controversial appearance on Saturday Night Live where he delivered a long, disjointed
04:43rant expressing his support for Trump.
04:54It's essential to recognize that there is nothing inherently wrong with being politically
04:58conservative.
05:00debate and discussion are crucial to a functioning democracy.
05:04However, when one's views begin to embrace extremist ideals, it may be time for serious
05:10self-reflection.
05:11This became evident in October 2022 when West announced via ex-formerly Twitter that he
05:17was going DEFCON 3 on Jewish people.
05:34His statement was a reaction to his Instagram account being locked, after he promoted an
05:38anti-Semitic conspiracy theory suggesting that Sean Diddy Combs was under Jewish control.
05:43The remainder of that month marked the decline of any public admiration West still had.
05:48He participated in several interviews, ranging from Tucker Carlson and Tim Pool to LeBron
05:53James, where he made bizarre inflammatory claims about a vash Jewish conspiracy.
05:59Amid the turmoil, West accepted a dinner invitation from Trump at the President's Mar-a-Lago
06:04Resort, where he dined with white nationalist podcaster Nick Fuentes.
06:09As a result of his remarks, several companies that had collaborated with Kanye West, such
06:13as Gap and Adidas, severed ties with him, significantly reducing his net worth.
06:18For the next few years, West would oscillate between apologizing for his anti-Semitic comments
06:24and doubling down on them.
06:26Despite this, he continued to release music, including the Vultures collaboration albums
06:31with Ty Dolla $ign.
06:33However, these projects received a lukewarm critical reception, a far cry from his earlier
06:38beloved work.
06:39Kanye has navigated countless controversies, but if his now-infamous 2025 rant on X is
06:51any indication, his long and complicated career may have finally reached a breaking point.
06:57In a series of rapid-fire posts on the platform, West declared himself a Nazi, praised Adolf
07:03Hitler, and defiantly asserted that he would never apologize for his remarks.
07:08joining the backlash, writing in an open letter to Kanye West,
07:21Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
07:25about our latest videos.
07:27You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
07:31If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
07:38The true nail in the coffin came with a Super Bowl commercial on February 9, funded by West,
07:43which directed viewers to its website, where they could purchase a t-shirt featuring a
07:47swastika.
07:48Shopify, the e-commerce giant hosting the Yeezy site, quickly disabled the website,
07:53stating,
07:54This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms,
07:59so we removed them from Shopify.
08:01Even former friend and Trump ally Elon Musk did not come to West's aid, temporarily
08:06shadowbanning his ex-account for posting what can only be described as adult content.
08:11As we've noted, it is entirely unpredictable what Kanye would choose to do next.
08:16While he has publicly struggled with his mental health issues, it is important to emphasize
08:20that his comments have been widely condemned and mental illness does not excuse hate speech.
08:25For an artist who has survived numerous career controversies and has often returned stronger,
08:30Kanye's latest hateful tirade may be the final straw, even for his most diehard fans.
08:42Are you shocked by Kanye's career downfall?
08:45Be sure to let us know in the comments down below.