02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
US rapper Kanye West's WW3 album crosses line? 'Hitler' track title sends global shockwaves
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Kanye West barred from going to Australia
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Controversial rapper Kanye West, who also goes by the name Ye, was recently stripped of an Australian visa after he released his single 'Heil Hitler,' a government minister said on Wednesday. Immigration Minister Tony Burk said Kanye West was denied entry to Australia over antisemitic song lyrics, a song promoting Nazism, reported Australian Broadcasting US rapper released the song that praised the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler across social media and music streaming platforms in May this year. Burke said Kanye West had a valid visa cancelled by officials in his department after releasing a song titled Heil Hitler The Grammy-winning hip-hop artist's new album, WW3, features the track 'Heil Hitler,' which includes problematic lyrics. The song reflects Kanye's recent attitude towards Nazis as the rapper calls himself a 'villain,' openly chanting, 'Heil Hitler' throughout the 'Heil Hitler,' West makes a series of debatable claims and disses Drake. In a recent X (formerly Twitter) post, the Runaway singer revealed that he is facing issues with performing his new song on stage. He shared: 'I'm being told there's an issue with me performing Hell Hitler. I am doing Heil Hitler at all my shows.'"He's made a lot of offensive comments that my officials looked at again once he released [that] song," he said."He's got family here … It wasn't a visa for the purpose of concerts. It was a lower-level [visa] and the officials still looked at the law and said if you're going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don't need that in Australia."The song comes a few months after Kanye West made a string of antisemitic posts on X, which included comments such as "I love Hitler" and "I'm a Nazi". Tony Burke said that while previous offensive comments made by West had not affected his visa status, officials 'looked at it again' after the song's release.'It was a lower level (visa) and the officials still looked at the law and said you're going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don't need that in Australia," he told national broadcaster ABC on Wednesday."We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry."Burke's comments came during a discussion about Israeli-American tech advocate Hillel Fuld, whose visa was reportedly canceled due to Islamophobic statements. The Minister clarified that his department 'never actually got' an application from Fuld but noted, 'If someone argued that antisemitism was rational, I would not let them come here on a speaking tour. And if someone has the same view of Islamophobia, I don't want them here when the purpose of the visa is to give public speeches.'Burke added that West had family in Australia and had been a longtime visitor prior to the visa cancellation. The singer married his wife Bianca Censori, an Australian architect, in December representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Australia's Migration Act sets security and character requirements for non-citizens to enter the largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne have seen a spate of antisemitic attacks since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023.
