Spotify, SoundCloud struggle to remove Kanye West – Business News
Rapper Kanye West dropped an antisemitic music that has amassed tens of millions of views on X as music streaming providers Spotify and SoundCloud struggle to remove the hate-filled observe.
West, who misplaced his profitable Yeezy-brand contract with Adidas after a sequence of vile antisemitic rants, glorifies Adolf Hitler in his new music, titled “Heil Hitler.”
It was first shared on X (previously Twitter), together with a companion observe known as “WW3,” on Thursday. As of Monday morning, a video for the music has amassed over 8.2 million views on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.
Ye, previously referred to as Kanye West, launched a music praising Hitler. Corbis by way of Getty Images
The clip of West, who has modified his identify to Ye, was extensively amplified by a community of customers and right-wing influencers, Some posts merged the music with archival footage of Hitler.
Meanwhile, a clip of controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate enjoying it in his car has garnered over 3 million views on X.
As of Monday morning, the music “Heil Hitler” amassed more than 8.2 million views.
Despite the music’s overt references to the Nazi chief and the Holocaust, Ye’s posts remained lively on X, which has scrapped its content material moderation insurance policies since Musk acquired the company in late 2022.
Ye’s X account is verified as an “organization,” doubtlessly granting it monetization privileges. It stays unclear whether or not West is cashing in on these posts.
The Post reached out to X, Spotify and SoundCloud for remark.
The observe’s attain highlights the fragmented and inconsistent state of content material moderation in right this moment’s digital panorama.
While platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud initially hosted variations of the music, each appeared to remove it following public backlash.
Still, customers discovered methods round these efforts — re-uploading cowl variations or embedding the music within podcasts.
West additionally launched a companion music known as “WW3” which was obtainable on Spotify. Spotify
NBC News recognized 27 alternate variations of the music on SoundCloud and famous that “WW3” stays obtainable on Spotify as of Monday — regardless of its equally inflammatory content material.
On Reddit, variations of each songs have been shared in subreddits devoted to Ye and different rappers.
A Reddit spokesperson advised NBC News the platform is actively eradicating uploads and associated posts, stating, “Hate and antisemitism have absolutely no place on Reddit. We have strict rules against hateful content… In line with our sitewide rules, we are removing the song and any celebration of its message.”
The Anti-Defamation League additionally intervened, launching a petition urging Spotify to remove the observe.
“Spotify has been mostly radio silent to outreach from ADL for the majority of 2025, so we felt it was important to activate our volunteer base,” mentioned Daniel Kelley, the ADL’s director of strategy and operations.
Platforms like Spotify have banned the music — just for it to crop up after being uploaded by customers. REUTERS
While Spotify didn’t reply, Kelley famous that the music appeared to have been taken down from the platform — although alternate uploads persist.
Platforms together with Meta, TikTok and YouTube — all of which have insurance policies prohibiting hate speech and the glorification of genocide — additionally noticed reuploads of the observe.
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“We removed the content and will continue to take down reuploads,” a YouTube spokesperson mentioned, including that Ye’s affiliated accounts should not eligible for monetization.
On Friday, Ye introduced that the music had discovered a new home on an obscure music app known as Scrybe, which promotes itself as a platform for indie artists.
The app now lists Ye’s music as “trending.”
Ye has made a number of antisemitic statements in recent times, main to a loss of sponsorships. Instagram/@piersmorgan
Scrybe didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Since 2022, Ye has made a sequence of antisemitic remarks — triggering international backlash and the loss of main business partnerships.
His controversies started with threatening to go “death con 3 on Jewish people” on social media, adopted by a sequence of interviews by which he praised Hitler and made conspiracy-laden claims about Jews controlling media and finance.
In 2023 and 2024, Ye continued posting antisemitic content material, together with memes and statements downplaying the Holocaust.
He was banned or restricted from a number of platforms however typically returned or discovered various venues to share his views.
