Elon Musk says he’s spoken to Kanye West about his antisemitic tweet: ‘He took my concerns to heart’

Musk earlier celebrated West’s return to Twitter after nearly two years

Shweta Sharma
Tuesday 11 October 2022 12:58 EDT
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Kanye West says his life was 'threatened' after wearing White Lives Matter shirt

Elon Musk has revealed he has spoken to Kanye West, who remains embroiled in controversy for posting antisemitic messages.

The world’s richest man said in a tweet that he spoke to the rapper to express his concerns about his recent tweet and he believes West took his concerns to heart.

West, now called Ye after officially changing his name, was locked out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts after he accused rapper Diddy of being controlled by “Jewish people”, alluding to a long-standing antisemitic trope.

“Talked to ye today & expressed my concerns about his recent tweet, which I think he took to heart,” wrote the Tesla chief executive on Tuesday.

Mr Musk’s second tweet over the controversy came in reply to his earlier tweet welcoming the rapper-fashionista and his “friend” back to Twitter after nearly two years.

The tech mogul, who is now proceeding with his offer to purchase Twitter following a months-long legal battle, has said he will prioritise free speech on the platform and relax restrictions.

He had earlier criticised the decision to ban people like Donald Trump and has even supported the reinstatement of the one-time president on the platform.

However, it remains unclear how he will precisely run the network once the takeover is complete.

The Grammy award winning rapper had stirred up controversy for donning a “White lives matter” T-shirt during the Paris Fashion Week.

The slogan also appeared during his YZY fashion show, sparking anger from the Anti-Defamation League, which dubbed the phrase “hate speech” and attributed it to white supremacists.

Rapper P Diddy was among Ye’s peers who criticised him by posting a video on Instagram saying he did not support the shirt and urged people not to buy it.

“All lives matter - but that Black Lives Matter, don’t play with it. Don’t wear the shirt. Don’t buy the shirt. Don’t play with the shirt. It’s not a joke,” he said.

Ye then posted what appeared to be a screenshot of a text conversation with Diddy and suggested he was controlled by “Jewish people”.

“I didn’t like our convo. I’m selling these tees. Nobody can get in between me and my money,” Ye said.

Diddy asked him not to do that, to which West replied: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”

The message was widely seen as a reference to the antisemitic conspiracy theory that a secret cabal of Jews are aiming to take control of the world’s media, government and banks.

The estranged husband of Kim Kardashian was diagnosed with bipolar disorder some years ago. He has also spoken about his mental health challenges in interviews.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, John Legend and Lizzo have all slammed the rapper as he remains banned on Twitter and Instagram.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez, the congresswoman from New York, branded the rapper’s words “hateful” and “dangerous”.

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