Kanye West has made plenty of polarizing choices recently, yet he also appears to be focusing on personal growth. One of the changes he is making involves clearing out several of his newer releases from Spotify. Over the past week, the Chicago artist has taken down the Antisemitic tracks "WW3" and "HALLELUJAH," and he has now removed "COUSINS" as well.
Caught by yeunrlsd, anyone who checks his streaming page will see that these songs have disappeared. They are missing from Apple Music too, although the music video for "COUSINS" is still available.
This last song does not connect to his former public obsession with Nazism, but instead stems from a deeply disturbing memory from his childhood. First released in April of this year, the track featured Kanye West claiming that he once performed fellatio on a cousin.
The moment shocked listeners, sparked endless jokes, brought backlash, but also earned a bit of support. A$AP Ferg, for instance, responded with compassion. "When people start to act out you never know the root of the issue. Sending love brother you are a GOAT."
Some fans believe his recent meeting with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto might have influenced this round of removals.
After shifting his stance toward the Jewish community, Kanye chose to meet with the rabbi and acknowledge his actions. "I feel really blessed to be able to sit here with you today and just take accountability," he told Pinto during their conversation.
"I was dealing with some various issues of bipolar, so it would take the ideas I had and have me take them to an extreme where I would forget about the protection of the people around me or and myself."
Rabbi Pinto praised Ye for owning up to his mistakes. "A person is not defined by his mistakes, but by the way he chooses to correct them. This is the true strength of man: The ability to return, to learn, and to build bridges of love and peace."
All in all, it is encouraging to see Ye working to heal and move forward. He may not win everyone back, but these steps are certainly better than making no progress at all.
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