Kanye West Had Disturbing Idea to Rebrand Himself With a Hate Symbol, Nick Fuentes Claims

Kanye West allegedly once considered changing his moniker to a hate symbol, white supremacist Nick Fuentes has claimed.

In 2022, West -- who now goes by Ye -- shocked fans when he posted a now-deleted antisemitic tweet that said he was "going death con 3 [sic] On JEWISH PEOPLE."

Following his controversial statement claiming that being Black exempts him from being antisemitic, he experienced a major loss in fans and businesses due to his disturbing behavior.

In a recent revelation, Fuentes alleged that his former pal Ye once proposed a bold move of changing his name to the controversial emblem associated with Nazis, the swastika. Music Times could not independently verify this claim.

Speaking during a livestream on Rumble, a clip of which was reposted on X, Fuentes claimed, "[West] told me he wanted to change his name to a swastika. Not making this up. So, for anybody that says I made him a Nazi, that's not true."

"[West] called me up out of the blue one afternoon and he's like, 'So what if I changed my name to a swastika?' And he starts laughing and I start dying," the far-right political commentator added. "I'm like, 'That's the funniest thing I've ever heard.' He's like, 'Right, right.' He goes, 'Because then when they say my name, they'll have to put a swastika on the [chyron] on TV.'"

Fuentes claimed that West contemplated using the actual symbol rather than the word itself. The "All of the Lights" rapper allegedly explained that it would mean that every time the media mentioned him, they would have to include or use the hate symbol.

"I'm like, 'Wouldn't they just put the letters though?' He goes, 'No, no, no.' He goes, 'No, I'm not changing my name to the word,'" Fuentes recalled. "He corrected me. He said his name wouldn't be spelled 'S.W.A.' He said no, his name would be spelled swastika. It would be the symbol ... And he was serious. I was laughing my a*s off."

READ ALSO: Kanye West-Linked Lawsuit Against Adidas Thrown Out by Federal Judge

Fuentes went on to claim that he ultimately discouraged West from rebranding himself with the Nazi symbol.

"I was like, 'Well, why don't we think about that?' I'm like, 'That's kind of a big decision.' I'm like, 'Maybe we should hold off on that one,'" he claimed. "But that is no joke ... And that was one of the many ideas that he shelved."

The live streamer revealed that West saw the renaming as a form of "ironic reappropriation" of the symbol.

The "Donda" rapper found common ground with Fuentes, a known Holocaust denier, during a period marked by West's display of antisemitism in 2022.

Their alliance led to Fuentes joining him at a dinner meeting with former President Donald Trump in November of the same year.

Fuentes played a role in West's second bid for the presidency, which ultimately came to an unceremonious end in 2023.

READ MORE: Kanye West's Sunday Service Faces Consequences as Charity Status Revoked After Tax Troubles

Tags

Kanye West