NEW YORK – Ye, the rapper and designer formerly known as Kanye West, took back the apology he made in 2023 for his past anti-Semitic statements, declared that he was a Nazi and professed his love for Adolf Hitler in an hours-long rant on social media.

“I’m never apologising for my Jewish comments,” he said in a post laced with vulgar language on the social platform X, as part of a barrage that began late on Feb 6 and lasted into the morning of Feb 7.

The taunting statements were in stark contrast to an apology he made in 2023 after he came under fire for making a series of anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi remarks, prompting businesses, including Adidas, to cut ties with him.

In his 2023 apology, which was written in Hebrew, Ye asked forgiveness and said it “was not my intention to offend or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused”.

Mr Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement early on Feb 7 that the organisation has condemned Ye’s “dangerous behavior” and called the rapper’s recent posts on X “a flagrant and unequivocal display of hate”.

“We know this game all too well,” Mr Greenblatt said. “Let’s call Ye’s hate-filled public rant for what it really is: a sad attempt for attention that uses Jews as a scapegoat.”

“But unfortunately, it does get attention because Kanye has a far-reaching platform on which to spread his anti-Semitism and hate. Words matter. And as we’ve seen too many times before, hateful rhetoric can prompt real-world consequences,” he added.

A representative for Ye did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ye’s other posts touched on a series of topics, including Mr Elon Musk, President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and the see-through dress his wife, Ms Bianca Censori, wore on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards on Feb 2.

“I have dominion over my wife,” he said.

Over the years, Ye mentioned several times a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. But in a podcast interview this week, he said he had been misdiagnosed, and that he has autism. NYTIMES

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