Kanye West
Kanye West, who has called himself Ye since 2018, is an American rapper, record producer and fashion designer. He first made his name producing for artists including JAY-ZJAY-ZJAY-Z (born Shawn Corey Carter) is an American rapper, record executive and entrepreneur. He released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996, served as president of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007, and in 2008 founded the entertainment company Roc Nation, which he chairs. He led the purchase of the streaming service Tidal and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. In October 2026 the NFL named him headliner of the February 2027 Super Bowl halftime show.Open the full entry and released his debut solo album, The College Dropout, in 2004. From 2022 his antisemitic remarks led Adidas to end their partnership and social platforms to suspend him; after releasing the song “Heil Hitler” in 2025 his Australian visa was cancelled, and following an apology letter in January 2026 he was barred from entering the United Kingdom that April.
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Key facts
June 8, 1977Born in Atlanta
Kanye West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents divorced when he was three, and he was raised mainly in Chicago by his mother, Donda West.[1]
2001–2004From producer to debut album
He made his name producing for Roc-A-Fella Records, especially on JAY-Z’s The Blueprint (2001), and released his debut solo album, The College Dropout, in 2004.[1]
2014–2022Marriage to Kim Kardashian
He married Kim Kardashian in Florence, Italy, on May 24, 2014; they have four children. Kardashian filed for divorce in February 2021, a judge declared them single in March 2022, and on November 29, 2022, they filed a settlement providing for joint custody.[2]
September 29, 2018Announcing the name Ye
He wrote on Twitter, “the being formally known as Kanye West. I am YE,” announcing that he would be known as Ye, a nickname he had used for years and the title of his June album.[3]
October 2022Antisemitic remarks and the end of the Adidas partnership
In October 2022 he posted on Twitter that he would go “death con 3” on Jewish people and was suspended from Twitter and Instagram. On October 25 Adidas ended the partnership and immediately stopped producing Yeezy products, calling his remarks “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous” and forecasting a hit of up to €250 million to that year’s net income.[4]
December 1–2, 2022Praise for Hitler and a second Twitter suspension
On December 1 he praised Hitler in an interview with Alex Jones; the next day Twitter suspended him again after he posted an image of a swastika merged with the Star of David, with Elon MuskElon MuskElon Musk is an entrepreneur who founded SpaceX and has long served as chief executive of Tesla; he also took part in creating PayPal, OpenAI, Neuralink, The Boring Company, and xAI. He acquired Twitter in 2022, and his businesses span spaceflight, electric vehicles, energy, artificial intelligence, and social media.Open the full entry saying he had violated the rule against incitement to violence.[5]
May–July 2025: “Heil Hitler” and a cancelled Australian visa
In May 2025 he released the single “Heil Hitler.” On July 2 Australia’s home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said officials had re-examined his comments after the song’s release and that he no longer held a valid Australian visa.[6]
January 2026Apology letter
In January 2026 he published a letter apologizing for his antisemitism.[7]
April 1–3, 2026Comeback shows at SoFi Stadium
On April 1 and 3 he played two sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium in California, the first being his first major U.S. performance in nearly five years; Lauryn Hill joined him on stage for the first time at the second show.[7]
April 7, 2026Barred from the United Kingdom
The British government refused his electronic travel authorization on the grounds that his presence would not be “conducive to the public good,” and London’s Wireless Festival, which he had been due to headline in July, was cancelled; Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he should never have been invited. Before the decision he had said he would welcome meeting members of Britain’s Jewish community.[8]
Sources
- Kanye West (opens in a new window)
- Kim Kardashian and Ye settle divorce, averting custody trial (opens in a new window)
- Hear Ye: Kanye West announces name change ahead of SNL (opens in a new window)
- Adidas ends partnership with Ye over antisemitic remarks (opens in a new window)
- Musk says Twitter has suspended rapper Ye over swastika post (opens in a new window)
- Australia cancels rapper Ye’s visa over ‘Heil Hitler’ release (opens in a new window)
- Ye attempts a comeback with sold-out LA-area concert, support from Lauryn Hill (opens in a new window)
- Major music festival canceled after rapper Ye blocked from entry into UK (opens in a new window)