Ye insists his recent apology to the Black and Jewish communities is not a ploy to get back in good graces ahead of his album release.
On Tuesday (Jan. 27), Vanity Fair published a Q&A with Ye where he was asked to expound on the reason and timing of his apology after many people said it was a PR move. The artist formerly known as Kanye West countered that his music is still streaming extremely well, despite turning himself into a pariah with his comments over the last few years.
“This, for me, as evidenced by the letter, isn’t about reviving my commerciality,” Ye said. “This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit. I owe a huge apology once again for everything that I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular. All of it went too far.”
He added, “I look at wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn’t who I am. As a public figure, so many people follow and listen to my every word. It’s important that they realize and understand what side of history that I want to stand on. And that is one of love and positivity.”
On Monday (Jan. 26), Ye took out an ad in The Wall Street Journal titled “To Those I’ve Hurt,” where he apologized to the Black community and asked for forgiveness for his anti-Semitic actions over the years.
Ye’s apology comes the week his Bully album is scheduled to drop on Friday (Jan. 30).
