Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, began tweeting again on Sunday and immediately sparked controversy — and a “like” from the platform’s owner and CEO Elon Musk — by tweeting “shalom” alongside a Smiley face.
Ye’s Twitter and Instagram accounts were blocked last month after he violated their policies by posting anti-Semitic content. Twitter pulled a post from the artist that said he “died with 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” among other alarming comments. A few days earlier, he had donned a T-shirt emblazoned with the divisive phrase “White Lives Matter.” The episode prompted several companies to cut ties with Ye, including his talent agency, Adidas, Gap, Balenciaga and Foot Locker.
Ye’s Twitter account was later restored, but he has been inactive on the platform since early November, when he said he had been on a 30-day “verbal hiatus.”
Following Musk’s move to reinstate several suspended Twitter accounts on Sunday, Ye he posted on Twitter for the first time in weeks, writing: “Test to see if my Twitter is unblocked.” In response to that tweet, Musk wrote: “Don’t kill what you hate. Save what you love.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Apparently the company has canceled its communications department.
A few hours later, Ye followed up with a second tweet that read “Shalom,” the Hebrew word for peace used by the Jewish people as a parting greeting and farewell.
While the rapper garnered immediate backlash for shedding light on the recent controversies, his tweet received support from the platform’s CEO, who liked it within minutes of posting it.
Ye has repeatedly doubled down on his anti-Semitic rhetoric in the weeks since his “Death Con 3” tweet and has refused to issue a sincere apology.
Several people who have worked with him over the past decade have also come forward to claim that behind the scenes, the rapper has been making anti-Semitic statements for years.
According to NBC News, a former employee received a settlement from Ye after he claimed he praised Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in business meetings. Another business executive who worked for Ye and also received a settlement told CNN that the artist had an “obsession” with the Nazi leader. You have denied the allegations by both employees.
Musk, who completed his $44 billion takeover of Twitter last month, on Saturday unblocked former President Donald Trump’s account, which was banned after he incited a January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol.
Musk previously said he would not allow any suspended users to return to the site until the company established procedures to do so, including forming a “content moderation committee.” However, he reinstated Trump’s account after posting a “yes” or “no” poll.
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