Rapper and producer Kanye West — who now goes simply by "Ye" — has been in a slow-moving, disquieting public meltdown for years. Still, he apparently mined new depths of depravity this month, as Ye has aligned himself with the far-right Christian nationalist movement, with actions like trolling Black Lives Matter activists with "White Lives Matter" T-shirts and spreading conspiracy theories about the death of George Floyd. This is delighting America's increasingly powerful fascist faction, blessing them both with his celebrity and his race, which can be used to confuse people over the role racism plays in right-wing politics.
Earlier this month, Ye did a sit-down interview to Tucker Carlson at Fox News, which was carefully edited to remove some of the star's most bizarre conspiracy theories and overt antisemitism. Vice News got hold of the full interview, however. Despite Carlson's suggestions that Ye is entirely is level-headed, the leaked footage shows him suggesting that "fake children" were "placed into my house to sexualize my kids" and invoking antisemitic conspiracy theories. Shortly after the heavily edited interview aired, Ye was barred from Twitter for writing he plans to go "death con 3" on "JEWISH PEOPLE." He is now in talks to buy Parler, a far-right Twitter competitor, presumably so he can write all the racist tweets he wants.
