Audio By Carbonatix
Controversial rapper Kanye West repeatedly yelled at Black employees and praised Adolf Hitler as an “innovator” according to a new lawsuit filed in California on Tuesday.
The creative brains behind the Yeezy designer brand, whose music and fashion ventures have made him fabulously wealthy, has repeatedly courted controversy in recent years with racist or antisemitic language and some odd historical revisionism.
Now a former employee is claiming the author of the hit “Stronger” told schoolchildren he was being persecuted by Jewish people.
Trevor Phillips, who like West is Black and worked for two of West’s ventures for nearly a year, claims in a Los Angeles lawsuit that he suffered severe discrimination, harassment and retaliation from West, who is also known as Ye.
Phillips said West would never “berate a white person, but on countless occasions he saw and/or personally experienced Kanye frenziedly yell at Black people.”
Phillips was hired in November 2022 by Yeezy, the rapper’s clothing brand, and immediately began working at the Donda Academy, a school West founded outside Los Angeles.
“Phillips, on several occasions, witnessed Kanye preach to his staff obscenities such as ‘the Jews are out to get me’ and ‘the Jews are stealing all my money’,” the suit says.
Clothing giants GAP and Adidas parted ways with West after previous antisemitic remarks.
The suit also claims that West praised Hitler, calling the Nazi leader “great” at a dinner at an upmarket restaurant in Los Angeles.
“Hitler was an innovator. He invented so many things. He’s the reason we have cars,” the suit alleges West to have said.
A number of people are credited with the development of the car, including Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, but the Austrian-born dictator was not one of them.
In the suit Phillips also alleges that the rapper once told two children at the Donda Academy to shave their heads and threatened to lock them in cages.
“Kanye also told the employees… that no staff could be fat -– otherwise he would fire them.”
Phillips, who stopped working for West’s ventures in August 2023, is seeking $35,000 in compensation.
His lawyer, Carney R. Shegerian, said the suit was aimed at righting the wrongs his client had suffered and sending a broader message.
“We hope… that the famous artist Mr West will understand that his messages, which we allege preach discrimination, anti-Semitism and love for Hitler, have no place in the world.”
West, who split from celebrity entrepreneur Kim Kardashian in 2022 after a decade together, apologized to Jewish people on social media last year over previous antisemitic outbursts.
The rapper has spoken openly about his struggles with mental health, and Kardashian has called for understanding as he works through issues.
Latest Stories
-
WAFCON 2026: Debutants Malawi stun defending Champions Nigeria 3-2 in Group C opener
11 minutes -
Gaala EP JHS Alumni unveils 30th anniversary theme and celebration dates
1 hour -
Ecobank Group builds momentum in first half of 2026 as PBT increases to US$423 million
1 hour -
Ibrahim Mahama supports second phase evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa
1 hour -
Sissala East Assembly disburses GH¢280k to empower 45 persons with disabilities
1 hour -
Telecel Ghana launches M’ahitti Promo; 3 new millionaires to emerge
1 hour -
Gov’t hands over 2,000 more laptops to UG for One Million Coders Programme
1 hour -
Telecel DigiTech Academy showcases innovation; 500 learners graduate in 4th cohort
2 hours -
Sam George calls on corporate Ghana to back One Million Coders Programme
2 hours -
Government to issue position paper on constitutional review recommendations – Veep
2 hours -
2026 Commonwealth Games: Azamati places seventh in 100m final, Eseme sets Games record for gold
2 hours -
Adwoa Safo rejects brother’s reconciliation claim, says Kufuor meeting was about church leadership
2 hours -
Northern Police arrest two over 170 parcels of suspected Indian hemp at Katariga
2 hours -
Ghana risks turmoil if Supreme Court reinterprets presidential term limits — Nana B
3 hours -
NDC and Mahama remain committed to constitutional two-term limit – Inusah Fuseini
3 hours