Kanye apologized to the Jewish community

In anticipation of what should be the definitive release date of Vultures, Kanye West has made his return to social media (Instagram and X). The rapper has always had an ambiguous and quirky approach to social platforms: this time, he used them to promote the merchandise of the upcoming album and his new footwear named YEEZY PODS. He also posted a selfie wearing a football jersey and, most importantly, to apologize – more than necessary – to the Jewish community. He did so through a brief press release, which reads: «I extend my most sincere apologies to the Jewish community... It was absolutely not my intention to hurt or disrespect you, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.», which quickly came under scrutiny as it was alleged to have been formulated by artificial intelligence.

In recent times, the Jewish community has been targeted several times by the artist. According to The Business of Fashion, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a defense group that documents antisemitism, has stated that Kanye West has been involved in as many as 59 antisemitic incidents in 2022. Among the many incidents that caused a stir, there were alleged accusations against Sean "Diddy" Combs: Kanye claimed that the artist was controlled by the Jewish people. There was also a tweet in which he shared a graphic representing a swastika inside a Star of David, leading to the suspension of the X account by Elon Musk. The release of Vultures is imminent – scheduled for January 12 – and Kanye is trying new communication strategies to increase the hype for the dual project with Ty Dolla $ign. However, the sharing of the press release seems almost senseless, especially when analyzing the bars of the verse in Vultures, the single preceding the eponymous album, which states «How can I be antisemitic? I just fucked a Jewish bitch.»