Enjoying Comeback From Antisemitism Scandal, Kanye West Endorses Trump as His New Album Tops the Charts, Including in Israel

The artist Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has endorsed President Trump for the 2024 election amid the launch of his new “Vultures 1” album, which so far has gone successfully despite the brouhaha over antisemitic comments going back to October 2022.“It’s Trump all day,” Mr. West said in a video circulated online on Tuesday that showed him at an airport. The video’s date is unknown.The star’s enthusiastic endorsement of the Republican frontrunner comes amid a comeback in the eyes of many of his contemporaries and fans. Mr. West, who also goes by the monikers Yeezy and Yandhi, has seen a dramatic turn in his fortunes in recent weeks. Only a few weeks ago, the artist was dealing with the loss of hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars worth of sponsorship deals, along with public ostracism, due to bizarre, antisemitic behavior. The artist appeared to be “canceled.” Yet with the launch of a new album, pared with a tepid apology on Instagram for some of his past behavior, Mr. West has prominently reentered the cultural mainstream. After a series of delays, Mr. West released “Vultures 1” on Saturday. Featuring a who’s-who of collaborators, including Travis Scott, Chris Brown, and Ty Dolla $ign, the album’s songs quickly became some of the most streamed globally. Among the 72 countries in which it was released is Israel. The album’s feature, “Vultures 1,” is the most streamed song on Apple Music in the Jewish state as of Tuesday. The artist himself crowed about this stamp of approval at a recent listening party event. Mr. West’s album and release was preceded by an apology on his Instagram for his past comments about Jews. Writing in Hebrew, he stated, “It was not my intention to offend or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” and added that he was “committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future.” When asked about his opinion on Israel in the same interview about Mr. Trump, the star, who was previously outspoken against the Jewish state, refused to comment. “It’s love for everybody. But don’t pull me into that conversation,” the Grammy-winning artist said. “I got 14 kids dying every week in my city of Chicago, so talk to me about that.”

Enjoying Comeback From Antisemitism Scandal, Kanye West Endorses Trump as His New Album Tops the Charts, Including in Israel

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