Kanye West continued to stoke controversy on Super Bowl Sunday, taking aim at his longtime rival Taylor Swift while doubling down on his anti-Semitic rhetoric, before deactivating his Twitter account. In a series of tweets, West, 47, insisted that he was in a “good space” mentally, despite the backlash his comments received. He described the controversial outbursts as “cathartic,” claiming that venting publicly on social media had provided him with a sense of peace.
Regarding Swift, West tweeted, “IF ITS ABOUT THE CULTURE… WHY ARE WE LETTING TAYLOR SWIFT BE SEEN ON TV SINGING A SONG ABOUT TAKING A BLACK MAN DOWN AND ACCUSING OF THINGS THAT CAN TAKE A BLACK MAN DOWN FOR LIFE.” He seemed to be referencing Swift’s appearance at last week’s Grammys, where she danced to Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us, a track that targeted Drake.
West also took aim at Kendrick Lamar, the Super Bowl halftime headliner, saying, “KENDRICK IS BEING USED BY THESE WHITE PEOPLE AND JEWS AND SO AM I.” The comments were widely condemned as both racist and anti-Semitic, with users across social media calling out his ignorance, sexism, and misogyny. Celebrities and fans alike expressed their outrage, highlighting how West’s remarks continued to fuel divisiveness and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
After the barrage of controversial posts, West ultimately deactivated his Twitter account, leaving many questioning whether his latest tirade would further erode his already tarnished reputation.
Kanye West’s latest mention of Taylor Swift comes amid nearly 15 years of tension between the two, a feud that was ignited at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. During the infamous incident at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, West interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video for You Belong With Me. As Swift began her speech, West stormed the stage, grabbing the microphone and declaring, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish. But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all-time! One of the best videos of all-time.”
While the two seemed to make amends in the years that followed, the relationship soured again with the 2016 release of West’s song Famous. In the track, West claimed that Swift had given him permission to refer to her as a “b****” in the lyrics, which referenced the VMAs incident. Swift denied this, leading to a public feud after West and his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, released a phone call between Swift and West discussing the song’s content.
The controversy reached new heights when Kardashian took to Twitter, seemingly mocking Swift by alluding to her as a “snake” on National Snake Day. In the now-infamous tweet, Kardashian wrote, “Wait it’s legit National Snake Day?!?!? They have holidays for everybody, I mean everything these days!” This public spat fueled an even more intense back-and-forth between Swift and the West-Kardashian camp, further solidifying their longstanding animosity.
While there were brief moments of apparent reconciliation, this latest round of public insults between West and Swift only reignites the longstanding feud, showcasing just how deep the animosity runs.#newsafro_
