By Blake Hollingsworth | Staff Writer
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is one of the greatest rappers of all time, winning 24 Grammy Awards and selling roughly 160 million records. However, in recent years, the public has sadly witnessed Ye shift from a beloved artist passionate about activism and his family to a controversial figure known for erratic behavior and inflammatory remarks, both against Jewish and Black people. This, in turn, has led to several major brands cutting ties with him, including Adidas terminating his lucrative contract, according to People.
This, in large part, is due to his mental health’s gradual decline since his 2016 bipolar diagnosis, worsened by his refusal to take medication, which he claims would stifle his creativity. While this certainly does not excuse his vile and racist statements, society should use Ye’s descent into madness as a warning of the drastic impact mental illness can have on one’s behavior when left untreated as opposed to just labeling him a racist.
Ye has recently sparked controversy once again for spouting antisemitic remarks on his X account, including the statement, “I’m a Nazi … I love Hitler.” This comes shortly after selling swastika T-shirts on his online store, Yeezy. Consequently, Ye was sued and fired by his talent agency, 33 & West, and banned from running his store on the online platform Shopify, according to The Guardian.
In no way am I defending this hateful language, but I’m also not sold on the narrative that Ye, age 47, suddenly decided to begin unleashing all of his hidden, racist ideologies less than a decade ago. Research shows that such beliefs are typically taught from a young age; according to Dr. Karim Bettache, “racism is a cultural psychological issue, not merely an individual problem.”
Ye was raised by Donda West, an activist, in a “home adorned with African art, sculpture, statues and hundreds of books,” including a philosophy rooted in Black empowerment, according to West in her book, “Raising Kanye.” I do not believe this is the type of environment that would produce the disgusting behavior demonstrated by him today.
Rather, I think his bipolar manic episodes, which began as non-racist outbursts, such as his infamous 2009 VMA disruption, have gradually worsened over time, culminating in the behavior we see from him today. This is due to Ye’s inconsistent, and now nonexistent, medication to treat his illness.
In February, Ye claimed his bipolar diagnosis was wrong and that he actually has autism, leading him to fully abandon his medication, according to The Guardian. I question the validity of this claim, mainly because of who is stating it. Even if Ye was diagnosed with autism recently, his unpredictable behavior screams bipolar disorder.
According to Psychology Today, bipolar disorder causes euphoric mania often accompanied by “grandiosity, inflated self-esteem, hyperproductivity and a range of behaviors that reflect the feeling of being on top of the world.” Remind you of anyone? The article further explains this can lead to risky behavior that “often reflects nihilistic motivations or aggressive behaviors that are largely outside the person’s usual character.”
Ye himself admitted that manic episodes change his mindset, making him extremely paranoid and mistrusting. This could explain his newfound mistrust of Jewish people, fueled by conspiracy theories originating from extremists within the Black Hebrew Israelite movement.
“When you’re in this state, you’re hyper-paranoid about everything,” Ye said during an interview with comedian David Letterman. “Everyone — this is my experience, other people have different experiences — everyone now is an actor. Everything’s a conspiracy. You feel the government is putting chips in your head. You feel you’re being recorded … You have this moment [where] you feel everyone wants to kill you. You pretty much don’t trust anyone.”
Ye has also recently been accused of racial discrimination as CEO of Yeezy. An ex-employee of the company, Benjamin Deshon Provo, initiated a lawsuit against Ye in April 2024, claiming he treated white employees far more favorably than Black ones, according to an All Hip Hop article.
“Kanye and members of his management team subjected Provo and other Black employees to less favorable treatment than their white counterparts,” Provo’s lawyer claimed. “Specifically, Kanye frequently screamed at and berated Black employees, while in contrast, he never so much as raised his tone of voice toward white staff.”
This follows Ye’s trend of anti-Black rhetoric since his bipolar diagnosis. For example, in 2018, he stated that slavery was a choice and called racism a “dated concept.” Additionally, in 2022, he was seen wearing a shirt that read “White Lives Matter” on the back, a phrase that has been adopted by white supremacist groups, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
However, as difficult as it might be to believe, Ye used to display activism, using his platform to call out social injustices and advocate for marginalized communities. His most infamous moment of activism came during a live broadcast when he criticized the U.S. government’s Hurricane Katrina response, declaring, “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.”
Ye has also addressed racial injustice in his music, particularly in his album “Yeezus.” His song, “Black Skinhead” intensely criticizes the media’s portrayal of Black men, and “New Slaves” addresses modern forms of racial oppression, comparing them to historical slavery.
It’s hard to believe someone like Kanye, who was raised in the Christian faith and advocated for social justice, could become so hateful in his later years without mental illness playing a major role. While he must face consequences for his actions, society should also be concerned about the clear decline in his mental health, which coincides with his most controversial statements. Ye’s situation should also be used as a means of promoting mental health awareness and de-stigmatizing seeking help for mental illnesses, specifically bipolar disorder.
