The rapper formerly known as Kanye West surfaced on Twitter on Sunday with a “test” to see if his account was working after a series of outrageous anti-Semitic statements had gotten him suspended from the platform and compelled many businesses to ditch him.
“Testing Testing,” tweeted the artist who now goes by just Ye. “Seeing if my Twitter is unblocked.”
The post came a day after new Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated former President Donald Trump on the platform, the latest in a series of controversial decisions.
Ye followed his “test” tweet up with a one-word post stating “Shalom : )” — a Hebrew greeting that some netizens took as a further provocation.
“‘Shalom’ is used by Arabs and Jews around the world to welcome one another,” commented one user. “Kanye West uses the word to mock and disparage.”
West was suspended from the platform last month for violating its policies. He tweeted on Oct. 8 that he was going “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” adding, “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic [sic] because black people are actually Jew also. You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
The outrageous statement was almost immediately removed, with the account restrictions eased a few days later.
On Nov. 3, Ye tweeted to his 32 million followers that he was taking a “30-day cleanse, a verbal fast. No alcohol, no adult films, no intercourse,” adding, “But my Twitter still lit.”
Ye appeared to remain locked out of Instagram, which also suspended him over his initial anti-Semitic rants, as of Sunday night.
The hateful comments led him to lose deals with Adidas, among other big international brands.
Musk’s handling of Twitter — including massive firings — has led businesses to suspend advertising on the platform and prompted widespread speculation about whether it will last for much longer.
Ye’s Sunday night message kept people guessing about his own next moves.
“Shalom also means ‘good-bye,’ ” noted Brooklyn-based journalist Jacob Kornbluh.
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