NEVER IN STYLE

Kanye Wears Black KKK Hood at Album Listening Party

The rapper was joined onstage by Ty Dolla $ign, Chris Brown, Offset, and his daughter North West.

Kanye West held a listening party for Vultures, his upcoming collaborative album with Ty Dolla $ign, during Miami’s Art Basel on Monday night. And the Ye-centric event was as controversial as one would expect.

During the concert, which was dubbed the Vultures Rave, West played a few tracks that have been circulating on X (formerly known as Twitter) over the past week, including the Backstreet Boys-sampling “Everybody” and the previously leaked “New Body” featuring Nicki Minaj. West also hosted some of his collaborators on the album, including Offset, Kodak Black, Chris Brown, Freddie Gibbs, and even his and Kim Kardashian’s eldest daughter, North.

However, it was his incendiary fashion choices that seem to be getting all the attention online. At one point, the rapper came onstage wearing a black, masked hood with a striking resemblance to the Ku Klux Klan’s headwear. He also posed for a photo with rapper Playboi Carti wearing the startling outfit.

This isn’t the first time the “Gold Digger” performer has included KKK imagery in his work. The music video for his 2013 song “Black Skinhead”—stylized as “BLKK SKKKN HEAD” on YouTube—features illustrations of the same black hoods.

While his use of the infamous headpiece may have seemed subversive 10 years ago, West’s latest stunt is being perceived in a different light following his association with far-right conservatives over the past few years and, more recently, a string of antisemitic comments. Just before multiple brands and organizations cut ties with the musician over his anti-Jewish rants, West was spotted wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt during his YZY fashion show last year.

Despite the scandals that surround him, West’s new music is being greeted with excitement on the internet, with fans hotly anticipating the album’s many high-profile collaborations. West and Ty Dolla $ign’s project—billed under the superduo name ¥$—will be released independently, given the former artist’s termination from Def Jam Recordings. The album is set to drop on Friday.

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Kyndall Cunningham

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