Does Kanye West's new clothing line feature antisemitic symbols?
Japan - Rapper Kanye "Ye" West recently made a surprise return to social media over the weekend, only to end up stirring up more drama with his new fashion line.
On Sunday, West shared a post on X that simply said "GO TO," and included a link to his website where he is selling a new line of Yeezy merch.
The line includes several shirts, pants, and socks emblazoned with non-English text and what appear to be new logo designs.
One shirt has two backward Ns with a sigma in between them, which is believed to be written in Cyrillic script, which is the alphabet used in many Slavic languages.
Several of the shirts include the text "Великий Трубун," which, according to Google, translates from Russian to "Herald of the Tribune" in English.
Some of the merch includes two logos – one consisting of a Y and Z in a circle, and another that features an eagle with three rings below it.
The designs have left fans absolutely confused, with many asking for the meaning behind the designs in the comments section of the post.
The logo designs in particular have sparked debate among fans.
Some users believe that the YZ logo resembled the Nazi "wolfsangel" symbol while others speculate that the eagle with rings resembles the logo from the 1936 Olympics, which took place in Germany under Nazi rule.
"What does the symbol on the shorts and socks mean[?]" one user desperately asked in a Kanye subreddit. "My mom finna yell at me if it's some nazi s**t."
Kanye West can't escape his antisemitism
West has been attempting to repair his career after he nearly destroyed it by publicly making a string of antisemitic remarks. His behavior cost him several high-profile business deals, friendships, and his status as a billionaire.
He has since doubled down on his comments multiple times, but in a bizarre move, he issued an apology to the Jewish community back in December.
Nonetheless, many hailed West as a "genius" for his new cryptic merch and shared screenshots of themselves spending hundreds of dollars in the store.
His new merch drop comes after West celebrated Christmas with his wife Bianca Censori in Japan, where the rapper has reportedly been recording a new album, reportedly titled Bully.
Cover photo: Collage: Vivien Killilea / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & Yeezy