Rapper Kanye West has released a new anti-Semitic song that quickly gained millions of views on X, as streaming platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud struggled to take down the hateful content.
Following a series of controversial remarks, which included losing his lucrative Yeezy partnership with Adidas, West has launched a song titled “Heil Hitler,” where he openly praises Adolf Hitler.
This song debuted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, alongside another track called “WW3.” By Monday morning, the song’s video had already racked up over 8.2 million views across social media platforms owned by Elon Musk.
The clips have been widely shared, especially by right-wing influencers, with some combining the songs with archival footage of Hitler.
In addition, a video featuring controversial influencer Andrew Tate playing the track in his car has amassed over 3 million views on X.
Despite the blatant references to Nazi leaders and Holocaust themes, West’s post remains active on X, as the platform has loosened its content moderation policies since Musk’s acquisition in late 2022.
West’s account is validated as an “organization,” which may allow it to monetize posts, though it’s unclear if he’s currently profiting from these uploads.
The reach of the track illustrates the chaotic and inconsistent nature of content moderation in the digital age.
Originally, both Spotify and SoundCloud hosted versions of the song but seemed to start removing it in light of public backlash. Nevertheless, users have found ways to re-upload the song and incorporate it into podcasts.
Reports indicate that multiple alternative versions of the songs are still circulating, with “WW3” remaining available on Spotify despite its inflammatory content.
Notably, Reddit has also seen versions of both songs uploaded in Subreddits focused on West and other artists. A Reddit spokesperson mentioned that the platform is actively working to eliminate hate-related content.
The Prevention League has responded by launching a petition, calling on Spotify to take down the track. They’ve noted that Spotify has usually engaged with the community when it comes to outreach on hate speech.
While Spotify didn’t comment directly, one representative mentioned that the song seems to have been removed, yet alternative uploads persist.
Other platforms such as Meta, TikTok, and YouTube all have policies against hate speech, but there have still been instances of re-uploads.
According to a YouTube spokesperson, they’re committed to regularly deleting content and re-uploads, while also clarifying that West’s associated accounts are not eligible for monetization.
Adding to the situation, West announced that the song had found a new platform on a lesser-known music app called Scrybe, which lists this controversial music as “trending.”
Scrybe has not commented on the matter.
Since 2022, West has made multiple anti-Semitic remarks that triggered widespread backlash and the termination of significant business deals.
The controversy started with threats made on social media and escalated through a series of interviews where he praised Hitler and made various conspiracy claims targeting Jewish people.
Continuing into 2023 and 2024, he has been persistent in posting anti-Semitic content, including memes that downplay the Holocaust. Despite being banned or restricted from several platforms, he often finds alternative means to express his views.
