The Chainsmokers are the latest artists to publicly condemn Ye — formerly Kanye West — for making antisemitic comments. The EDM duo have pulled the track bearing his name from streaming services.
“Kanye,” the single, was released in 2014 following their breakout hit “#Selfie.” At the time, Kanye was making waves with his critically acclaimed sixth studio album, Yeezus.
Now, The Chainsmokers’ feelings toward the rapper have changed in the wake of the antisemitic remarks he made on Twitter and in a since-deleted Drink Champs interview.
“Who would have guessed in 2014 that #selfie would have aged better than our song ‘Kanye,'” the EDM duo tweeted on Tuesday.
They then took to their Instagram Story to explain why they decided to shelf their 2014 song. “8 years ago we made a song saying we want to be like Kanye. Back then this guy inspired us in so many ways with his music and vision. Even more. recently he sampled our [2015 song ‘New York City’] which was so cool but a lot has changed even since then,” they expressed.
The duo continued, “This is just not the same guy we loved and were inspired by which really saddens us. So we are removing our song off streaming sites because it no [longer] represents the views we once shared.”
“I hope he gets his s*** together and stops with this hate rhetoric and bullying before it’s too late,” they closed, adding, “But we will not stand for this kind of behavior.”
The singers now join a growing number of celebrities that have openly condemned Ye, including his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Legend and Reese Witherspoon.
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