Kanye West exploded in rage over the violent crime occurring in his hometown after he was asked for his opinion on the Israel-Hamas war.
The rapper, 46, was stopped by reporters and questioned about his ‘thoughts on the Palestinians’ as he and his wife Bianca Censori arrived at LAX airport in Los Angeles on Monday.
Dismissing the conversation, the entertainer, who appeared to be sporting a new gold grill, said he ‘doesn’t have enough information’ about the war in Gaza and instead revealed his anger over the crime that is plaguing Chicago.
‘It’s love for everybody but don’t pull me into that conversation,’ he said of the war. ‘I’ve got fourteen kids dying every week in my city. So talk to me about that!’
The remark comes as Kanye revealed that he is not backing down from his alleged anti-Semitic rhetoric despite having been ‘two months away’ from declaring bankruptcy after losing $2billion in one day when Adidas terminated its partnership over his outbursts.
‘It’s love for everybody but don’t pull me into that conversation,’ Kanye said of the Israel-Hamas war when confronted by reporters on Monday. ‘I’ve got fourteen kids dying every week in my city. So talk to me about that!’ The rapper is pictured addressing the media at LAX airport
Kanye was previously branded a ‘disgusting human being’ by some fans after he wore a KKK-style hood in Miami, Florida in December last year
Fans were also outraged over his decision to promote White Lives Matter T-shirts at his Paris Fashion Week show in 2022
Journalists confronted Kanye, noting how the public has called him ‘crazy’ and ‘misinformed’, on Monday ahead of his travels with Bianca. It is unclear where the pair were headed, but had attended the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Sunday.
One reporter asked him for ‘your thoughts on the Palestinians?’
‘I’m straight up with you. I’m from the south side of Chicago, born in Atlanta,’ the musician and fashion designer replied. ‘I don’t have enough information on that.’
He argued that youths are ‘dying every week in my city’ and said to ‘talk to me about that’ instead – before walking away from the press and heading towards the security check point.
The rapper has been vocal for years about his concerns over crime in Chicago, which has skyrocketed over the last decade. The city in 2021 recorded its highest number of homicides since 1999, according to police department data.
Last year, Chicago saw a double digit decline in homicides for the second year in row, recording a nearly 13 per cent decrease when compared to 2022. Non-fatal shootings also saw a 16 per cent decline from 2022 to 2023.
The city has recorded an 18 per cent decline in overall crime this year, according to data through February 11, 2024.
Murder, robbery and burglary in the city have declined by 30 per cent, 8 per cent, and 23 per cent, respectively, but aggravated battery has risen by 4 per cent.
Kanye told reporters he was concerned with the crime in Chicago, where children are ‘dying every week’. Chicago police are pictured on January 26, 2024 investigating the scene where two high school students were shot and killed just blocks from Millennium Park
Crime in Chicago has skyrocketed over the last decade and the city in 2021 recorded its highest number of homicides since 1999, according to police department data. Police are pictured at in the 300 block of E. 79th Street on January 9, 2024 where a convenience store worker was shot dead during an attempted robbery
The city has recorded an 18 per cent decline in overall crime this year, according to data through February 11, 2024. Pictured: Police investigate after an officer and a suspect were both shot following an attempted smash-and-grab burglary at a high-end store in the Gold Coast on January 8 this year
The questions about Palestine appeared to be in direct response to Kanye’s controversial remarks and alleged displays of anti-Semiticism and racism.
Kanye lost his billionaire status in 2022 when a number of brands ended his lucrative contracts over his anti-Semitic outbursts and were outraged over his decision to promote White Lives Matter T-shirts at his Paris Fashion Week show.
Speaking to TMZ on Sunday, he revealed that he was facing bankruptcy and decided to pour ‘everything I had’ into the $7million Super Bowl for his fashion brand and his new album, Vultures.
‘I’m just be honest with y’all. I was two months from going bankrupt, and I put everything I had into it [the album and the Super Bowl advert],’ he told the news outlet.
Kanye said as his wealth began to plummet, he moved to Italy with his wife and that the pair ‘survived through the cancellation’ and are now ‘back number one’.
He then revealed that Yeezy had made $19.3million from the Super Bowl advert and Vultures was number one in 100 countries.
When asked if he felt the controversy ‘helped’ him, Kanye replied: ‘It wasn’t about the controversy. It was about being able to say how you felt out loud.
‘If I didn’t have the various skill sets of music and clothing and the fanbase, they would have been able to destroy me. But because we had all those skill sets, somehow I’m here inside of this universe able to fight.’
He was also asked if he regretted his anti-Semitic comments, to which he responded: ‘hey got the right to their opinion – I got the right to my opinion.’
The rapper, 46, lost his billionaire status in 2022 when a number of brands ended his lucrative contracts over his anti-Semitic outbursts (pictured with Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden)
West’s Yeezy deal with Adidas was the crowning jewel of his fortune, with sales climbing to $1.7billion in 2020 – earning him $191 million in royalties
But German sporting goods behemoth Adidas terminated its partnership with Kanye amid controversial behavior from the American rapper and designer in 2022
Kanye apologized in December his various anti-Semitic outbursts, which even saw him expressing support for Adolf Hitler, and resulted in him losing a string of lucrative endorsement deals and being dropped by his talent agency.
He issued his apology in Hebrew on his newly-reactivated Instagram page in the early hours of December 26.
‘I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,’ the apology read in part.
‘I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding More in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.’
Last week, comedian Bill Maher claimed that he recorded an episode of his podcast interviewing Kanye but will never release it because he doesn’t want to expose young people to his ‘anti-Semitic’ views.
Kanye this month was also accused of going into yet another anti-Semitic tirade during an event in Las Vegas, on top of being accused of using similar language in his latest track, Vultures.
He told a crowd in which he claimed ‘all the rich f***s’ in the room have their kids in ‘Zionist schools’ and that daughter North, 10, had destroyed couches in her house so she could join him on tour.
The outlandish rapper was in attendance at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as Kansas City Chiefs triumphed over San Francisco 49ers to claim their third title in five years
Kanye apologized in December for his various anti-Semitic outbursts, which even saw him expressing support for Adolf Hitler, and resulted in him losing a string of lucrative endorsement deals and being dropped by his talent agency. His apology, which was written in Hebrew and shared on his newly-reactivated Instagram page, is pictured above
Just days before that unhinged rant, Kanye was branded a ‘disgusting human being’ by some fans after he wore a KKK-style hood in Miami.
His new album Vultures also features the ‘offensive’ lyrics: ‘How am I anti-Semitic? I just f***ed a Jewish b****.’
In 2022, West made anti-Semitic comments in interviews and social media, including an October Twitter post in which he said he would soon go ‘death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,’ an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON.
He had previously suggested that slavery was a choice and called the COVID-19 vaccine the ‘mark of the beast,’ among other comments.
In 2020, his then-wife Kim Kardashian, 43, said that the rapper has bipolar disorder, a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings.