Camilla Jessen
Banned from YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music, Kanye West’s latest song has gone viral on X.
Kanye West — now known as Ye — is once again at the center of controversy after releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler”, which has been widely condemned as anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi.
While the track has been removed from major platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Reddit, it has amassed nearly 10 million views on X, since its release on May 8 — the anniversary of the end of World War II.
The video was shared by West on his verified X account. It features African-American actors dressed in animal skins, chanting the song’s title.
It ends with an archival audio clip of Adolf Hitler, further fueling outrage.
Streaming Platforms Remove the Track
A YouTube spokesperson told NBC News and Digi24 that the platform had removed the video and would continue to take down any new uploads of the song.
Reddit followed suit, declaring that it would remove all postings of the track due to its hate speech policy.
“Hate and anti-Semitism have absolutely no place on Reddit,” a spokesperson said.
Both Spotify and Apple Music also removed the track shortly after its release, continuing a broader industry trend of distancing themselves from West’s recent content.
Viral on Elon Musk’s Platform
Despite being banned elsewhere, the video remained widely available on X, where it garnered millions of views in just days.
The platform, owned by Elon Musk, has come under scrutiny for its approach to content moderation, particularly regarding hate speech and extremist content.
As of now, X has not removed the video, and no statement has been issued by the platform regarding its decision to allow it to remain online.
A Pattern of Extremism
West has faced multiple bans and public backlash since 2022, when he began publicly praising Adolf Hitler and making repeated anti-Semitic statements.
That year, he was suspended from X for posting an image of a swastika inside a Star of David, which the platform deemed as incitement to violence. His account was later restored, but he has continued to post inflammatory content.
In February, his Yeezy fashion brand website was taken offline by Shopify after it featured white T-shirts printed with swastikas.
West also openly declared his support for rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently facing legal proceedings in a major sex trafficking and abuse case in New York.
West, who has said he suffers from bipolar disorder, has not commented publicly on the backlash to the song. Critics, however, argue that mental illness does not excuse hate speech, and many have called on Musk to intervene.