Rapper and fashion designer, Kanye West has long been fascinated by Adolf Hitler and once wanted to name an album after the Nazi leader, a new report claims.
According to CNN, a business executive who worked for West, said the artist created a hostile work environment, due to his “obsession” with Hitler.
“He would praise Hitler by saying how incredible it was that he was able to accumulate so much power and would talk about all the great things he and the Nazi Party achieved for the German people,” the individual who refused to be named told CNN.
The executive said that West spoke openly about reading “Mein Kampf,” Hitler’s 1925 autobiographical manifesto and expressed his “admiration” for the Nazis and Hitler for their use of propaganda.
This individual stated that people in West’s inner circle were “fully aware” of his interest in Hitler.
Sources reportedly said that West had originally suggested the title “Hitler” for his 2018 album that was ventually released as “Ye.” They did not want to be named, citing concern for professional retribution.
The executive reportedly left his position and reached a settlement with Kanye and some of his companies over workplace complaints, including harassment,
The former executive asked not to be named due to a confidentiality agreement and fear of retribution by West. According to the agreement, West denied the executive’s allegations.
The revelation of West’s alleged history of admiring Hitler comes amid a wave of inflammatory actions by West that began earlier this month. He wore a “White Lives Matter” shirt during his Yeezy fashion show in Paris on Oct. 3 and dressed several Black models in clothing with the phrase, deemed a hate slogan by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). He then posted a private text conversation on Instagram between himself and Sean “Diddy” Combs in which he claimed Combs was “controlled by Jewish people.” He followed that with a tweet in which he said he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people,” resulting in Twitter locking his account.
West’s offensive rhetoric in the last few weeks has resulted in a professional fallout for the rapper and designer. On Tuesday October 24, Adidas ended its seven-year partnership with West, calling his recent actions “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous.”
In a statement, the sportswear maker said it “does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech” and said that West’s recent comments violated the company’s “values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
Balenciaga also cut ties with West, as well as GAP and his talent agency CAA..
