28-6-2023 (LONDON) A new BBC documentary titled The Trouble with Kanye has brought forth fresh accusations of antisemitism against the rapper. The documentary, which is accompanied by a podcast and premiered on BBC Two, features Kanye West’s former business partner Alex Klein accusing him of making anti-Jewish remarks when they parted ways. Klein claims that West’s outburst stemmed from his prior antisemitic remarks. “Kanye was very angry, saying ‘I feel like I want to smack you’ and ‘you’re exactly like the other Jews,'” says Klein in the documentary.
West had previously faced backlash for his praise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, and has been blamed for an increase in antisemitic hate crimes in the U.S. As a result, he has been condemned and dropped by CAA, as well as removed from Twitter and other platforms.
In the documentary, presenter Mobeen Azhar visits the Cornerstone Christian Church in California, where West is known to visit. While there, Azhar meets a homeless man named Mark who claims that West had asked him to be his 2024 Presidential Election Campaign Manager. Mark also states that West regularly visits the church, where white nationalist Nick Fuentes holds political meetings. John Boyd, who ran West’s 2020 presidential campaign, is also featured in the documentary.
Klein had previously spoken to the LA Times about West’s behaviour, saying he “tried to call me racist when I gently told him that attacking a whole race of people wasn’t good for him or Stem,” referring to West’s Stem Player for his Donda 2 album. According to Klein, their falling out was due to West’s antisemitic remarks. “Do you really think Jews are working together to hold you back?” Klein asked West. “Yes, yes I do but it’s not even a statement that I need to take back because look at all the energy around me right now. Without that statement, I wouldn’t become president,” West replied.
