Kanye West denies apology for antisemitism is to boost new album sales

"Kanye West faced mix public reactions to the full-page letter he published in The Wall Street Journal Monday, in which he apologized for years of antisemitic statements and attributed his troubling, erratic behavior to untreated bipolar disorder and to a 2002 car accident that caused a brain injury and long-unnoticed mental health damage. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite, wrote West, the controversial rapper and producer who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021. I love Jewish people."

"In a follow-up interview with Vanity Fair, West also addressed some but not all of people's concerns about the timing and intentions of his apology, insisting his letter, which was published as a full-page ad, was not a PR move or about reviving my commerciality, ahead of the release of his new album, Bully. This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit,"

"They also pointed out that he previously issued a brief apology in December 2023 to deny being antisemitic and to apologize for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions, including professing a love for Adolf Hitler. That apology came a month before his Vultures 1 album was released in early 2024. Then, a year later, West took back that apology, declared himself a Nazi, again pledged his love for Hitler and began selling T-shirts decorated with swastikas, the New York Times reported."

Kanye West apologized for years of antisemitic statements and attributed erratic behavior to untreated bipolar disorder and a 2002 car accident that caused a brain injury and long-unnoticed mental health damage. He denied being a Nazi and stated love for Jewish people. He insisted the apology was not a PR move or intended to revive commerciality ahead of a new album and described remorse as heavy on his heart. Observers noted the timing given the upcoming album and recalled a December 2023 apology that was later retracted, subsequent Nazi declarations, swastika merchandise, and claims that a 2022 antisemitic post was caused by drinking. Jewish leaders expressed wariness.

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