NOTE: This article was written prior to recent developments regarding Kanye’s beliefs [11/8/22]. Opinions of many interviewees may have changed since then. Please consider this in your reading.

Recently, iconic singer Kanye West, has been causing some uprising across social media with some out of pocket statements and shocking interviews. The drama started when Kanye made a tweet in which he stated he was going to “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE..”. This statement, along with other controversial tweets, went viral across the internet, provoking many fans to begin canceling him. After posting this tweet, Twitter even locked Kanye’s account. Though Twitter is not the only company reacting to Kanye’s new rhetoric. On October 25th, Adidas and Balenciaga dropped their almost decade long partnerships with Kanye due to the new controversy. 

Senior, Jace Gracey, enjoys  Kanye’s music but, with Kanye’s new statements he now doesn’t know how to feel: “His music is great, and it’s just insane that he’s going off on jewish people randomly.” 

Like Gracey, many fans are disappointed in Kanye’s recent behavior on social media. 

“Kanye has gone very antisematic and changed his opinions very radically. It makes sense that if Kanye is antisemitic, corporation would not want to deal with someone that has that much voice. After all, there has been a world war on the issue.”, Gracey continues. 

In recent years, Kanye’s platform has grown astronomically, making him a very influential person. Though with companies letting go of Kanye because of his new opinions, this brings into question if it will cause his fans to as well. Kanye has a bit of a history of making headlines with his controversial statements, but how much closer can Kanye get to the line before completely passing it?

One SHS student that was interviewed is a huge Kanye fan. They shared that “Kanye has been pretty crazy for the past couple months, not just being antisemitic, but also with his kids and family situation. He’s been going through a lot. It’s easy to see why he has been so upset about everything in his life and it’s understandable especially the fact that he is bipolar and has a lot of mental health issues.” 

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s divorce and involvement with Pete Davidson is well known. The intense spotlight on the former couple’s separation has caused immense stress and pressure on Kanye as well as Kim. To make matters worse for Kanye, in 2016 before his divorce, Kanye was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Despite Kanye’s personal complications, the SHS student “doesn’t necessarily think it’s ok to be projecting his emotions onto other people but, at the same time it is understanding where he is coming from.“ 

They has been listening to Kanye for a long time: “Honestly, with Kanye’s actions I can’t necessarily support him in his endeavors, but I am still going to listen to his music and he’s still a musical genius. I just can’t support his actions.”  

Kanye’s statements are difficult for even his biggest fans to support. The SHS student thinks that “Kanye needs to take a little step back away from everybody and the press needs to leave him alone.” Unfortunately in today’s society, celebrities and public figures alike, are often dehumanized by the general population, and it is forgotten that they may be struggling with mental health issues just like average people. 

Health Academy Sophomore, Madison Wright, dove a bit deeper into the interviews with Kanyne in which she shared that Kanye “was attempting to excuse his statements of antisemitism by saying he doesnt like Jews because he’s a Christian. In reality this is really not ok. I am a Christian, and as a Christian you are called to love everyone and even people who practice the Jewish faith still believe in God.” 

Despite her interest in Kanye’s music, Wright stands firmly in her faith in response to Kanye’s statements about Jewish people: “I don’t know how you are going to own a school that teaches Christianity when you are not representing your faith. Kanye is a famous influencer and calling himself a Christian while portraying negative views is very alarming to many Christians.”

Kanye’s statements have made for great disappointment to many fans and even casual listeners. He is beginning to lose social media platform privileges and support from previously partnered companies. So will Kanye take charge of his mental health and redeem himself? Or will he spiral into deeper trouble with his statements? The world is waiting.