The question of whether we can still appreciate an artist’s work while acknowledging that the artist themself is controversial or problematic is one that doesn’t necessarily have a yes or no answer. Recently, Kanye West, whose legal name is Ye, has further committed himself to antisemitic rhetoric and remarks. Ye has long been known for promoting the stereotype that Jews seek power and financial control through the entertainment industry. In a recent tweet, he wrote: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” Antisemitic hate speech isn’t the only area in which Ye has been problematic. He has said various controversial statements about issues relating to the Black community, such as “slavery is a choice” and “white lives matter,” in addition to avidly wearing a MAGA hat. Given West’s perpetual violent and threatening comments, I’m interested in how my fellow peers understand this matter and whether it inhibits them from supporting or listening to his music.
I asked my friend Lucas Donat ’26 the following questions to grasp a better understanding of the ways other Wesleyan students are responding:
Q: Kanye West has been deemed highly problematic in the past in terms of his stance on Black oppression, slavery, and supporting Donald Trump. Why do you think all of a sudden people are having strong opinions about not listening to his music now?
A: Unfortunately, I think the reason people are paying more attention to Kanye West’s problematic views now is that he has doubled down on antisemitism, which is an issue primarily centered around white people, and Jews are predominantly white. In the past, his controversies have mainly surrounded issues of the Black community, which I think caused a lot of white people to tune him out, since they don’t feel impacted by those issues. So, because the issue Kanye is active on is antisemitism now, it feels directly antagonistic to a lot of white Jews in America. They can no longer turn a blind eye since it is an issue that impacts them directly.
Q: Some argue that Kanye’s music does not explicitly reference his political views, so people don’t have to stop listening to it. How do you respond to that?
A: Because the music industry is built to yield affluence, opportunity, and money, I don’t think it is valid for someone to use this point to justify listening to his music. Every stream that he receives keeps him in the social spotlight, which he can use to his advantage by having a platform to promote his opinions.
After talking to Donat, I was curious about hearing from the perspective of a Wesleyan student who still feels like it is acceptable to listen to Kanye’s music. I asked another friend, who is a consistent Kanye listener and member of the class of 2026, to respond to the following question:
Q: Given Kanye’s ongoing controversies and, for many, deeply unsettling public opinions, how do you feel about streaming his music?
A: I will continue to stream his music, and I know that supports his monetary success, but it’s minuscule compared to the brand deal that he has lost. Me and a hundred other people streaming his songs every once in a while are not going to make up for the fact that he has lost billions of dollars in deals, which he should. So, yes, I would say separating the art from the artist is possible for me since I am dissociating myself from his politics and only putting my interest into what he creates musically. I am choosing to ignore what he does outside of his music.
Others have been able to separate Kanye from his work by approaching his behavior as a product of his bipolar disorder. This has enabled people to purely focus on his music while understanding his belief system and erratic behavior as caused by an external force outside of his control. I looked for more information about how Wesleyan students understand Kanye’s mental health with respect to how it impacts the question of separating the art from the artist.
“I don’t think Kanye’s mental health can be used to justify his behavior, but it can be used to explain it,” my friend Dash Merrill ’26 said. “It also matters whether the artist is conscious and accountable for external forces, such as mental health, that explain their behavior, and whether or not they choose to do anything about reducing the influence of these external forces.”
Personally, while I have never been a consistent fan of Ye’s music, his recent problematic remarks made me think about the few songs of his that I enjoy. Part of the art-from-artist issue includes whether the artist explicitly references their offensive beliefs in their art. Since Ye’s music generally does not reference antisemitic tropes or actively racist rhetoric, it seems valid to listen to his music while not supporting his politics or perspectives. However, when you support an artist’s work, whether that’s by following them on Spotify or buying their concert tickets, you are monetarily supporting them. In this sense, you are promoting them by contributing to their social platform: a platform that they can use to further spread hate speech.
Clearly, whether or not you can separate the art from the artist with respect to Kanye West is a complex and personal issue for many people. As a Jew, when I hear his music or even hear someone mention his name, it’s hard not to think of his beliefs—beliefs that make me feel unsafe. At the same time, it shouldn’t take a celebrity from pop culture to raise awareness about the issues of racism and antisemitism. These are issues people face daily and should be addressed beyond the context of their relevance in separating the art from the artist.
Zara Skolnik can be reached at zzskolnik@wesleyan.edu.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article included the name of a source that has since been removed for anonymity purposes.