American rapper Kanye West has issued a public apology to Black and Jewish communities over a series of past offensive remarks and actions, days before the release of his new album, titled ‘Bully’.
West made the apology on Monday through a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal, publishing a lengthy letter titled “To Those I’ve Hurt.” The statement marks his most extensive public expression of remorse since a string of controversies that saw him widely condemned and dropped by major corporate partners.
The apology comes ahead of Bully, scheduled for release on January 30, following his 2024 album VULTURES 1.
In the letter, the 48-year-old artist linked aspects of his past behaviour to injuries sustained in a car accident, which he said later contributed to an undiagnosed neurological condition.
“At the time, the focus was on the visible damage—the fracture, the swelling, and the immediate physical trauma,” West wrote. “The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed.”
He said comprehensive neurological examinations were not conducted and that a frontal-lobe injury was not identified until 2023, a lapse he claims worsened his mental health and ultimately led to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder type-1.
West described struggling to accept the diagnosis and the effects of manic episodes.
“When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting,” he wrote. “The scariest thing about this disorder is how persuasive it is when it tells you: You don’t need help.”
He acknowledged the harm caused by his actions, admitting that he alienated people closest to him and engaged in behaviour he deeply regrets.
“Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst,” he said.
Addressing his antisemitic conduct directly, West referenced his past use of Nazi imagery, including the sale of clothing bearing a swastika.
“In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find,” he wrote.
He added that episodes linked to his condition led to “poor judgment and reckless behavior,” some of which he said he cannot fully recall.
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change,” West wrote. “It does not excuse what I did though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love jewish people”.
