LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kanye West just can't seem to catch a break. New antisemitism allegations against the rapper have surfaced in a BBC program tracing the problematic musician's recent history. The rapper's former business partner Alex Klein has accused him of using anti-Jewish statements when the two parted ways. Klein made these accusations in a documentary, 'The Trouble with KanYe', which will air on BBC Tonight.
Kanye, who now calls himself 'Ye', had hired Klein to construct the Stem Player for his 'Donda 2' album. But the two fell out when Ye made antisemitic comments, according to Klein. Ye's outburst is detailed in the documentary.
Who is Alex Klein?
Alex Klein, a digital entrepreneur collaborated with the rapper on the 'Stem Player' that he used to distribute his 'Donda 2' album. But Klein chose to end their partnership after Ye's disturbing behavior, including openly applauding Hitler. As a result, he too became the target of an enraged, racist rant, as per reports.
'You're exactly like the other Jews'
Klein says in the documentary, "Kanye was very angry you know, he was saying 'I feel like I wanna smack you' and 'you're exactly like the other Jews' – almost relishing and reveling in how offensive he could be, using these phrases hoping to hurt me. I asked him and I said 'Do you really think Jews are working together to hold you back?' and he said 'Yes, yes I do but it's not even a statement that I need to take back because look at all the energy around me right now. Without that statement, I wouldn't become president."
Ye, who attempted to run for president in 2020 but was unsuccessful, is prepared to run for the position of "leader of the free world" once more in 2024. Klein's accusations are not new as he has spoken about it before.
Klein claims Ye 'tried to call me racist..'
In a previous interview with the LA Times, Klein stated that Ye "tried to call me racist when I gently told him that attacking a whole race of people wasn't good for him or Stem." Klein, who collaborated with the rapper from 2019 to 2022, claims that Ye's antisemitic public pronouncements are an intentional political ploy. He points out Ye's own words about his statement that he did believe Jews were holding him back. Ye had said, "Without that statement, I wouldn't become president."
He said, "He (Ye) thinks it's his manifest destiny, his god-chosen destiny to become president. He used these anti-Jewish statements as part of a political platform and he told me that he was attempting to do what Trump did in a more intense way," as reported by Guardian.
'I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me'
When Ye stunned the world by uttering antisemitic remarks in 2022, his career suffered a severe setback. The Yeezy creator was dropped by Adidas in October of that year and, at least temporarily, banned from many social media platforms due to his remarks made both online and in interviews and because of his controversial fashion choices. During an episode of podcast Drink Champs, Kanye stated: "I can say antisemitic things, and Adidas can't drop me. Now what? Now what?"
Ye's 'Donda' track on Stem Player attracts lawsuit
Back in 2022, Ye's duet with Andre 3000, 'Life of the Party', has already cost him a lawsuit. The record company Boogie Down Productions, which is home to well-known rappers like KRS-One, filed the lawsuit. According to legal docs acquired by TMZ, the corporation maintains ownership of the rights to BDP's diss track 'South Bronx' and contends that Ye was never granted permission to sample the song when he released the 'Donda' extra track on the Stem Player. The business asserts that Ye and his business partner Alex Klein profited around $2.2 million from the sale of 11K Stem Players on the first day of its release.
They deny ever granting authorization for the use of the sample, despite the fact that they assert Ye's team first sought to secure a license for it. According to the complaint, no deal was ever made, and Ye's side finally withdrew its offer to license it, as reported by MEAWW.
