The famous American singer Kanye West, who has been embroiled in controversy for his anti-Semitism and praise for the Nazis, released a song praising dictator Adolf Hitler, igniting further controversy.
According to NBC and The Telegraph on the 11th (local time), West released a single titled "Hail Hitler" on the 8th, which is the victory anniversary of World War II in Europe. Hail Hitler means 'long live Hitler' in German.
The lyrics of the song contain a chorus where West chants "Hail Hitler." Additionally, the latter part of the track samples a speech made by Hitler in 1936.
Currently, major streaming platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and SoundCloud have blocked the song. However, the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has not removed the music video and continues to make it available.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization in the United States, criticized West as making "clear hate speech." Fans who support West argue that it is a challenge to taboos, but several media outlets, including the British cultural magazine The Spectator, disagree with this perspective.
Since the 2020s, West has been embroiled in controversy for his explicit anti-Semitism and advocacy of Nazism. He has worn clothing featuring the Confederate flag, a symbol of racism, and appeared on far-right YouTube channels making remarks defending the Nazis. In February of this year, he posted on X that "Slavery was a choice," and has continued extreme behavior by retracting previous transfers of apology.