Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, made an attempt to unveil his latest single, boldly titled "Heil Hitler," but faced an uphill battle as streaming platforms reportedly pulled the controversial track and imposed a ban on it across DSPs. West had been teasing fans with hints about this single for quite some time and finally uploaded it to SoundCloud on Thursday, May 8th. However, the song was swiftly taken down from the platform.
"Heil Hitler by Ye has been blacklisted by every digital streaming service," Ye lamented on X, highlighting the perceived double standard in content moderation. "While Randy Newman's 'Rednecks' remains accessible, they're actively suppressing our voices. They're literally keeping the underdogs down," he expressed his frustration.
The lyrics delve into Ye's custody battle for his four children with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, while also disclosing that his bank accounts have been frozen and referencing his use of nitrous oxide. He rhymes, "Despite all my wealth and fame, I still can't reclaim my kids / Despite all my wealth and fame, I still can't embrace my children."
Throughout the refrain, West repeats the song's titular phrase and asserts, "I've transformed into a Nazi, yet bitch, I'm the villain." The song concludes with a haunting horn section that incorporates an excerpt from one of Adolf Hitler's German speeches.
Billboard has reached out to Ye's representatives, as well as SoundCloud and Spotify for comments.
In recent weeks, Ye had been teasing snippets of the song during Sneako's livestreams while he was in the midst of crafting this track, which followed a series of antisemitic rants on X where he expressed admiration for Hitler.
It's been a rocky week for West, who abruptly walked out of a fiery interview with Piers Morgan on Tuesday, May 6th, mere minutes after it began. Morgan had incorrectly stated Ye's follower count on X, prompting the Chicago native to declare, "You're not gonna take inches off my dignity, bro." He continued, "I'm a gift, bro. Why do you media folks act like you haven't played my songs at your weddings, graduations, funerals, or when your child was born?"
He further elaborated, "Consider icons like John Lennon or Michael Jackson. This nuance is asinine. It exposes the hate you cultivate towards those who spread love. There's immense love embedded in my art. This is all you get for now. We can revisit this when you can count properly."
