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Kanye West: Why He Thinks He Can’t Be Canceled

Author Autumn Hawkins
PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 23: Ye attends the Kenzo Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 23, 2022 in Paris, France.

Kanye says that he doesn’t believe he can be canceled and within the same breath, stood by his antisemitic remarks. In a conversation with TMZ, Ye said he believes that he survived his “cancelation” as his album Vultures has done well on music platforms and has taken the No. 1 spot. He also credited that his outspokenness has been a character trait that has kept his day-one fans in support of him.

When it came to talk about his antisemitism, which caused the rapper to lose relationships with several companies such as Balenciaga and Adidas, he fully clamped down and stood by his messages.

“They got the right to their opinion. I got the right to my opinion. You understand what I’m saying?,” he told TMZ reporters at LAX on Monday (Feb. 12).

Last year, it seemed as though Ye had a change of heart and issued an apology to the Jewish community for the hateful messages he had said.

“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions,” the apology reads in English from Hebrew. “It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.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.”

While the apology had mixed reactions, he still has not proven to be learning from his past. In “King,” the outro on Vultures which was released Friday night (Feb. 9), he references his antisemitism and how it doesn’t affect his image.

“Crazy, bipolar, antisemite/ And I’m still the king,” he raps.

Kanye Suggests He’s Blacklisted

Despite saying that he couldn’t be canceled, he said insinuated he was blacklisted from renting out venues for a potential tour.

“We just sold out the United Center in seven minutes and I just wanted to express to everybody out there to see if anybody can help with this,” West says in the video referencing his Vultures listening party in his home city of Chicago. “It’s the only arena I had access to in the past year. And when I call, people say there’s no availables for me and you know why that is. If there’s anybody out there that can help with this, please do.”

West also wrote on Instagram in a since-deleted post: “I have not been allowed to perform in a year feels like the Elvis Presley movie.”

Kanye West: 15 Songs You (Might) Have Not Known He Produced

  • 1. Foxy Brown, "My Life" (1999)

    Ye produced Foxy Brown’s “My Life” which was released in 1999. The song was featured as part of the soundtrack in the 2003 hit film “Cradle 2 The Grave” starring the late DMX, Jet Li, Gabrielle Union, Anthony Anderson, and Paige Hurd.

  • 2. Lil' Kim, "Don't Mess with Me" (2000)

    Lil’ Kim’s “Don’t Mess with Me” was released in 2000 from the rapper’s second studio album The Notorious K.I.M. Ye is also credited as a co-writer along with Kimberly Denise Jones (Lil’ Kim), Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie, Geoff Gill and Cliff Wade.

  • 3. Mos Def feat. Faith Evans, "Brown Sugar (Fine)" (2002)

    “Brown Sugar (Fine)” is from the soundtrack of the film Brown Sugar. Mos Def plays Chris “Cavi” Vichon, a cab driver and underground rapper, and he performs the song in the film and tags Faith Evans’ angelic vocals later on the soundtrack. The song contains a sample of Norman Connor’s “Invitation” (1979).

  • 4. Monica, "Knock Knock" (2003)

    Monica released “Knock Knock” in 2003 on her fourth studio album ‘Before The Storm.’ The record peaked at No.75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 24 on Billboard’s R&B chart.”Knock Knock” samples The Masqueraders’ 1976 song “It’s a Terrible Thing to Waste Your Love.”

  • 5. Common – "Go!" (2005)

    “Go!” is the third single from Common’s 2005 album Be. Ye provides background vocals alongside John Mayer. Be was nominated for “Best Rap Album” at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

  • 6. Alicia Keys, "You Don't Know My Name" (2003)

    “You Don’t Know My Name” is the lead single of Alicia’s second studio album The Diary Of Alicia Keys , which was released in 2003. The song won a Grammy for “Best R&B Song” at the 47th Annual Grammys where the singer also picked up “Best R&B Album,” for The Diary Of Alicia Keys , “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” for “If Ain’t Got You,” and “Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocals” for “My Boo” featuring Usher.

  • 7. Twista, "Overnight Celebrity" (2004)

    “Overnight Celebrity” is the second single from Twista’s 2004 album Kamikaze. The song has uncredited vocals by West and violin by Miri Ben-Ari. The track samples Lenny Williams’ 1978 song “Cause I Love You.” The song received a nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.

  • 8. Mariah Carey, "Stay The Night" (2005)

    “Stay The Night” is from Mariah Carey’s The Emancipation of Mimi, the singer’s 10th studio album, which was released in 2005.

  • 9. Alicia Keys, "Unbreakable" (2005)

    Alicia Keys and Ye teamed up again on the singer’s “Unbreakable” which was released in 2005. The track was originally supposed to be a part of the R&B icon’s second studio album The Diary Of Alicia Keys but it ultimately did not make the cut.
    “The song was always one of my favorites, but I did not think it would fit well into my second album,” the singer said per Genius. The record draws from Eddie Kendrick’s 1977 “Intimate Friends.” “Unbreakable” was nominated for “Best R&B Song” and “Best Female Vocal R&B Vocal Performance” at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

  • 10. Lil Wayne, "Did It Before" (2007)

    “Did It Before” is from Lil Wayne’s The Drought Is Over 2: The Carter 3 Sessions. The Drought Is Over 2: The Carter 3 Sessions is an unofficial compilation of Lil Wayne songs that was released in 2007.

  • 11. Drake, "Show Me A Good Time" (2010)

    “Show Me A Good Time” is from Drake’s 2010 album Thank Me Later. Not only did Ye produce this song but he also has a co-writing credit along with Drake, No I.D., and Jeff Bhasker. Ye also produced Drizzy’s “Find Your Love” which is also on the album. Thank Me Later was nominated for “Best Rap Album” at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.

  • 12. Justin Bieber, "Runaway Love" Remix (2011)

    The original “Runaway Love” is found on Justin Bieber’s 2010 album My World 2.0. Bieber and Ye’s collab came after Kanye tweeted his admiration of the song. He then added Wu-Tang’s Raekwon onto the project for the remix. The remix samples the beat from Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 hit “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F— Wit.”

  • 13. Beyoncé, "Party" ft. André 3000 (2011)

    “Party” is from Beyoncé’s fourth studio album 4 and includes a guest appearance from André 3000. Ye also contributes background vocals to the track along with Consequence.

  • 14. John Legend, "Let's Get Lifted" (2011)

    “Let’s Get Lifted” is from John Legend’s debut studio album Get Lifted. Ye who was Legend’s manager at the time, executive produced this album including “Let’s Get Lifted.” Get Lifted won “Best R&B Album”, and earned Legend another two awards, for “Best New Artist” and “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” for his single “Ordinary People” at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

  • 15. Lil Nas X ft. Jack Harlow, "Industry Baby" (2021)

    “Industry Baby” appears on Lil Nas X’s debut album Montero which was released in 2021. The song features a guest appearance from rapper Jack Harlow. The song debuted at No. 2 in August of 2021 then went to No.1 on the chart on the week of October 23, 2021. The track became Lil Nas X’s third No. 1 song and Harlow’s first. The song received a nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

Autumn Hawkins is the National Hip-Hop and R&B writer for Beasley Media, currently residing in New Jersey. Prior to working at Beasley Media, she was in broadcast news as an entertainment producer. When she's not impatiently waiting for Beyoncé to drop new music, she is reading, shopping, or planning a vacation.

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