The artist formerly known as Kanye West, who prefers to be called Ye, was photographed with Ice Cube after they had an awkward argument that included a series of anti-Semitic remarks.
On June 2, the two were seen outside Ice Cube’s home in Marina Del Rey, Calif., where the rappers appeared to be on good terms.
The fallout between Ye and Ice Cube, whose real name is O’Shea Jackson Sr., came after Ye’s appearance on Drink Champs following his anti-Semitic meltdown that got him kicked off Twitter and his business relationships, including his billion dollar partnership with Addidas, severed.
The Drink Champ episode with Ye, which has since been deleted, featured Ye claiming that Ice Cube “really influenced” him to “get on this anti-Semite vibe,” The New York Post reported.
Ice Cube, who still acts in a number of Hollywood prodctions and is the co-founder and commissioner of the Big3, a 3-on-3 basketball league for former NBA players that is growing in popularity, defensive tweeted that he does not know what Ye is talking about.
“I hate that my name was dragged into this Drunk Champs bulls–t,” Ice Cube tweeted last October. “I don’t know what Ye meant by his statements, you’re gonna have to ask him.”
I hate that my name was dragged into this Drunk Champs bullshit. I don’t know what Ye meant by his statements, you’re gonna have to ask him. I didn’t put the batteries in his back. Please leave my name out of all the antisemitic talk. I’m not antisemitic and never have been.
— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 18, 2022
The West Coast rapper further explained in a tweet that “I didn’t put the batteries in his back. Please leave my name out of all the antisemitic talk. I’m not antisemitic and never have been.”
Ice Cube has been accused of anti-Semitism on several occasions.
In 1991, he released a song called “No Vaseline” in which he made several disparaging remarks about former N.W.A. member Dr. Dre. Some of the lyrics in the song have been interpreted as anti-Semitic, including the line “Cause you let a Jew break up my crew”.
Ice Cube has denied that he is anti-Semitic and has said that the lyrics in “No Vaseline” were not intended to be offensive. However, some people believe that his words have contributed to a climate of antisemitism in hip-hop culture.
In 2019, Ice Cube was criticized for his association with Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan has a long history of anti-Semitic statements, and Ice Cube’s decision to meet with him was seen by some as a sign of tacit support for his views.
Ye, on the other hand, has made transparently insensitive and offensive remarks, once saying on Twitter that he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people” and that the Jewish people had “blackballed” him for opposing their alleged agenda, the NY Post reported.
