Ice Cube has asked Kanye West to leave his name out of “all the antisemitic talk” after the fellow rapper mentioned him in a recent podcast episode.
West caused mass controversy after a recent appearance on the Drink Champs podcast, in which he made a number of remarks about subjects including George Floyd’s death and his feelings towards Trevor Noah and Pete Davidson.
Speaking of his antisemitic comments, West said that Ice Cube “really set me up for this”.
“[He] really influenced me to get on this antisemite vibe,” West claimed during the podcast episode, which has since been taken down.
On Tuesday (18 October), Ice Cube said he didn’t know “what Ye meant” with regard to his remarks and urged those with such questions to direct their inquiries toward the rapper.
“I hate that my name was dragged into this Drunk Champs bulls***,” he wrote on Twitter. “I don’t know what Ye meant by his statements, you’re going to have to ask him.
“I didn’t put the batteries in his back. Please leave my name out of this antisemitic talk. I’m not antisemitic and never have been.”
Earlier this week, West also claimed that he “doesn’t believe” in the term antisemitism.
On Monday (17 October), during an interview with News Nation’s Chris Cuomo, West addressed his plan to purchase right-wing social media network Parler.
When Cuomo asked West whether the antisemitic comments that he made violated Parler’s community guidelines, the Donda rapper responded: “I don’t like the term ‘antisemitic’.
“It’s been a term that’s allowed people, specifically in my industry, to get away with murder – sometimes literally – and get away with robbing and doing bad [to] people.”
He was later reprimanded by Cuomo for repeating antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Furthermore, during the Drink Champs podcast, West sparked new controversy by claiming that George Floyd died from the drug fentanyl and that a police officer’s knee “wasn’t even on his neck like that”.
The mother of Floyd’s daughter is now suing West for $250m over his claim.
