Do You Miss the Old Kanye? The Unraveling of an Icon

What happened? Earlier this month, Kanye West made headlines with his “White Lives Matter” shirt. West publicly blamed the resulting controversy on Jewish puppeteering, which he was censored for. Since then, West has spent most of his available airtime repeating anti-Semitic theories, claiming that Jewish people have conspired to destroy America, his life, and corrupt Christians.

Why it matters: The controversial fashion icon, music pioneer, and billionaire has been embraced by conservative speakers like Candace Owens and outlets like The Daily Wire for his rejection of the Black Lives Matter narrative. But he’s now publicly diving into extreme territory.

The New Kanye

Doubling down: West declared a “death con 3 on Jewish people” on Twitter. He later explained that he meant he wanted to “#MeToo” the Jewish people and expose their negative influence on society. West continued to use his airtime to talk about the Jewish people over the weekend in interviews on Drink Champs and with Chris Cuomo.

West's recent rhetoric mirrors centuries-old anti-Semitic tropes. He claims that:

• His issues are not with specific individuals but “the Jewish community as a whole.”

• His ex-wife's public sexual relations are due to “Zionist Jews.”

• It is Jewish nature to leech off of other people for financial gain.

• Jewish holidays are used to teach Jewish children “financial engineering.”

• Jewish people own and control everything, “like in The Lego Movie.”

• Jewish people are responsible for keeping black people down.

• Jews are to blame for Trump’s failings.

• He wants Jewish children “to look at they daddy” and ask  “why is Ye mad at us?”

• He’s not an anti-Semite because “Black people are all also Jew.”

Where’s this coming from? The rapper admitted to spending more time with Louis Farrakhan, the head of the Nation of Islam, who routinely compares Jews to termites that control the world. He’s responsible for anti-white and anti-Semitic sentiment among many black Hollywood stars.

From The Daily Wire: Owens seems to have benefitted from the controversy surrounding West. His presence at the premiere of her documentary garnered attention, and West agreed to purchase Parler, the conservative social media network, from Owens’s husband.

• Kanye and Candace’s hoax: Owens and West seem to have misled the public, making their audience think that West was debanked from J.P. Morgan for his anti-Semitic remarks. According to existing information, West had planned to part ways with the bank for months and the official letter they cited was from September.

Where does this go from here? It’s unclear whether Owens and The Daily Wire will walk back from their relationship with West following his anti-Semitic statements, especially considering that its famous co-founder Ben Shapiro is an Orthodox Jew.