Kanye West's descent into Nazism back in 2022 remains the point of no return in Ye's career. Had it not been for this act of career suicide, Ye would be in a similar position to Jay-Z right now. An artist getting up there in age who is celebrated by all thanks to his legendary catalog and vast contributions to the culture.
Instead, Ye is a social pariah. While he has apologized for his Nazism, this hasn't been enough for the majority of his fans to get back on board with him. The OG Ye fans are largely gone and are never coming back. Meanwhile, the artist's current fanbase is comprised of white frat boys who watch Sneako streams in their mom's basement.
Artistically, Ye's Nazism has been on display in songs like "HH." However, there is at least one Billboard-topping hit from the 2020s that plays into Ye's worst political instincts. That song is, of course, "Carnival." This song features Ty Dolla $ign, Playboi Carti, and Rich The Kid. It also features loud chants from soccer ultras, as well as bars about Jewish schools, Diddy, R Kelly, and Bill Cosby.
It's been a long time since this song was embedded in the cultural zeitgeist. Over the weekend, debates around the song returned as Twitter user @serpentpose claimed "Carnival is actually the most fascist rap song of all time."
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Kanye West's Last Big Hit Sparks A Debate
This was certainly a head-turning take that is honestly quite hard to argue with. The tweet eventually went viral, with hundreds of music listeners weighing in to debate whether or not this assertion is actually true.
Some suggested that the real answer is "HH," although that is not a song that was nominated for a Grammy like "Carnival." Furthermore, the fascism in that song is explicit and almost inauthentic in a way, while "Carnival's" is based more on the aesthetics.
Twitter Reacts
"When Kanye explicitly talked about Nazism and Hitler, it was atrocious, sure, but it was also just like ragebait without any weight beyond its literal meaning. Carnival is aesthetically fascist," one user wrote. "The entire Vultures era is evil. Just an astonishing low for an artist to sink to and a complete abandonment of all principles. It's kinda like the anti Jesus is king where instead of virtue signaling he just promises to get worse," said another.
Needless to say, "Carnival" has not held up well over the years and this debate proves it.
Let us know what you think of this debate in the comments below.
