Kanye West, now known legally as “Ye,” is no stranger to controversy. 

From his infamous interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2008 VMAs, to his internet rants after his highly publicized divorce from Kim Kardashian, Ye seems to always be in the news, and not just because of his music.

Ye is widely seen as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time, creating six platinum albums, selling 21 million copies and amassing over 100 million total digital downloads. 

He has also had an immense influence on the genre of hip-hop and rap itself, reinventing both himself, and the industry standard, multiple times. Ye was one of the first major hip-hop artists to bring religion into rap, with his chart topping track “Jesus Walks” winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song in 2004.

In his 2008 album “808s and Heartbreak,” released after the death of his mother and a breakup with his fiance of six years, Ye turned to a more melodic and sullen sound. Diving deep into themes of loss, heartache and the pains that come from fame, the album is seen as beginning the new wave of emo rap and expanded use of autotune that we see used often today.

His influence extends from changing hip-hop to changing the lives of other artists. Famous names such as Drake, Chance the Rapper and Travis Scott, all credit Ye with being one of their principal mentors.

So why is it that when we see Ye on the news, it’s only negative? 

This past year has seemed to be one Ye scandal after another, from his very public feud with former SNL actor Pete Davidson during Ye’s split from Kim Kardashian, to his current ongoing feuds with basically everyone, it has been a very bleak year to be a Ye fan.

As the year has gone on, his antics have seemed to only increase in severity, seen recently at his appearance at the end of the Paris Fashion Week, where he delivered a six-minute speech about how people “can’t manage me,” in true Ye style. The real scandal however, came from what he wore during the event: a hoodie with the words “White Lives Matter” emblazoned on the back. 

The phrase is categorized as a “hate slogan” by the Anti-Defamation League, and is commonly used by hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations.

So why was Ye wearing a shirt that said that?

In his own words, he wore the shirt because he “thought the idea of me wearing it was funny.” Ye hasn’t been afraid to flirt with the right – seen clearly from his relationship with former President Donald Trump – but these events mark a more extreme version of his actions.

Ye’s actions of the past few weeks have come to a head this weekend, as he was banned from Instagram following a series of anti-Semetic posts.

So where do we go from here as Ye fans?

Despite everything that has happened this past year, we still cannot deny Ye’s vast influence on music and his immense talent. But even then, are his actions having an impact on his legacy as a musician? Where he used to sing about racism and the struggles of the average person, he now posts hate speech, and further alienates his fanbase.

Whenever I’m asked who my favorite artist is, and I say Ye, I have to immediately say afterwards how I don’t support him as a person, and only listen to the music.

This sort of “separating the art from the artist” can only go so far however, since at a certain point Ye will have crossed the point of no return, and once he does, both him and his musical legacy will be forever changed.

The only question that remains, is how long until Ye crosses that line.