The thought of Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, packing out stadiums again felt nearly unfathomable a year ago, following a fresh wave of controversies that seemed career-ending even by his standards.
But after doubling down on antisemitic rhetoric, declaring himself a Nazi, selling T-shirts emblazoned with swastikas and releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler,” the rapper-producer somehow found a path toward redemption in January after taking out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal addressed “to those I’ve hurt” to apologize for his past transgressions.
He blamed his past behavior on brain trauma from a car accident nearly 25 years ago, along with untreated bipolar I disorder, claiming these issues led him to say and do things “I deeply regret” and “lose touch with reality.” In what seemed like a somewhat sincere appeal, Ye expressed a desire to get back into the public’s good graces now that he has “newfound, much-needed clarity.”
“I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness,” he wrote in his remarks. “I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”
What that effort will look like from Ye, and how genuine it is, we have yet to actually see. But his words were seemingly enough to win back fans last week, as tens of thousands packed the rapper’s two sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, where Ye literally stood on top of the world for his first full U.S. concerts since 2021. The concerts reportedly amassed $33 million.
