An LA hip-hop festival is facing a backlash for signing Kanye West to headline despite his well-documented anti-Semitic tirades.
Rolling Loud, the biggest rap music event in the world, platforms the controversial artist alongside Ty Dolla $ign on its main stage tonight.
The American Jewish Committee has blasted support for the 46-year-old rapper, who goes by the name ‘Ye’, at a time when anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise in America.
The group compared the protests surrounding the performance of the pro-Israeli musician Matisyahu to the platform of Kanye.
“The stark contrast in treatment between Matisyahu and Ye speaks volumes,” the AJC said. ‘If you are Jewish, your concerts will be cancelled. If you’re anti-Semitic, you’re going to headline major music festivals.’
LA hip-hop festival faces backlash for signing Kanye West as headliner despite his well-documented anti-Semitic tirades
Kanye West surprise guest appearance during Future’s set at Rolling Loud California at the LA Coliseum in San Bernadino in 2021
The American Jewish Committee has blasted support for the 46-year-old rapper, who goes by the name ‘Ye’, at a time when anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise in America
Rolling Loud did not immediately return a request for comment when contacted by DailyMail.com. Kanye last appeared at the festival during a surprise appearance in 2021.
Jewish-American singer Matisyahu had two solo shows canceled at the last minute in Tucson, Arizona and Santa Fe, New Mexico, he said, because of issues related to the Israel-Hamas war.
The vocally pro-Israel musician wrote on X at the time: ‘They are doing this because they are either anti-Semitic or have confused their empathy for the Palestinian people with hatred for someone like me who has empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians.’
Organizers said his shows were canceled due to security concerns.
West has a documented history of anti-Semitism and last year lost out on a number of partnership deals after going on an explosive anti-Semitic rant.
Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband vowed to go ‘death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE’ in a series of sick posts online in 2022.
When the talk show host claimed the comments were ‘as racist as anything you’ve been through’, the Gold Digger rapper replied ‘that’s why I said it. I fought fire with fire’.
In an interview with right-wing talk show host Alex Jones in early December, Kanye praised Hitler for his ‘redemptive qualities’.
He also maintained that ‘the Holocaust is not what happened’ and promoted the conspiracy theory that black people are the real Jews.
Bianca featured on the album cover for Vultures 1; seen in May 2023
Disgraced: Rapper Kanye West (pictured), who changed his name to Ye in 2021, came under fire for a series of anti-Semitic posts on social media in late 2022
Apple Music quickly pulled the Kanye West Vultures 1 album just five days after its debut
The lyrics sparked a furious backlash among some fans and were condemned by the American Jewish Committee, among others.
West’s shenanigans saw him lose out on lucrative contracts with The Gap, Adidas and Balenciaga and more.
He was also dropped by his management team at Creative Artists Agency.
His title track Vultures also contained the vile lyrics: ‘How am I anti-Semitic? I just got a Jewish b***h.’
The lyrics gave rise to a furious backlash among some fans and were condemned by the American Jewish Committee, among others.
“To fan the flames of anti-Semitism and promote such bile to his millions of followers, especially at this tumultuous and dangerous time for the Jewish community, is inexcusable,” spokesman Richard Hirschhaut told TMZ at the time.
He added that West’s choice is not surprising, however, given his previous anti-Semitic remarks.
But he said this scandal “seems particularly pathetic and sad.”
The Anti Defamation League also joined the criticism, saying of the broadcast: ‘At a time of rising anti-Semitism worldwide, it is sickening to see Kanye once again use his platform to spew anti-Semitism.’
Racism against Jews and Muslims has increased in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the number of anti-Semitic incidents has quadrupled.
The watchdog counted 312 anti-Semitic incidents between October 7 and 23, ranging from harassment to vandalism and physical assaults.
Meanwhile, college campuses and schools have seen a notable increase, according to the American Jewish Committee.
A record number of incidents were reported, with nearly 100 incidents occurring at US universities between October 7 and 30.
The rising number of incidents has prompted the White House to introduce a series of measures to tackle the ‘alarming’ increase in both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic attacks.