Kanye West, the billionaire rapper and fashion icon, recently stirred the pot again with his choice of attire.
A photo surfaced on social media, showing West wearing a black tee featuring the logo of the black metal project Burzum and an image of its frontman, Kristian “Varg” Vikernes.
But why is this making headlines, and what’s the backstory behind it? Hold on to your seats, folks, because we’re about to unravel this controversial fashion statement.
On January 19, 2024, Kanye West was photographed wearing a black t-shirt featuring Burzum’s logo and its frontman, Kristian “Varg” Vikernes. Vikernes is known for church burning and murdering his bandmate. He served 21 years in prison, and there he founded a neo-Nazi group Heathen Front. West wearing a shirt with his name raised concerns due to his similar controversies like allegations of antisemitism and praising Hitler that led to him apologizing to the Jewish community.
Explained: Kanye West and Burzum’s Dark History
The 46-year-old billionaire rapper Kanye West recently caused a stir due to a recent photo circulating on social media.
In the picture, West can be seen wearing a black t-shirt adorned with the logo of the black metal project Burzum, featuring an image of its frontman, Kristian “Varg” Vikernes.
Notably, West is photographed alongside rapper JPEGMafia, known as Barrington DeVaughn Hendricks, who humorously captioned the Instagram photo with, “can’t talk right now. doing hot girl s–t.”
This fashion choice by West quickly caught the attention of online audiences because of the name Burzum.
In the early ’90s, Norway witnessed a wave of church burnings, and Kristian “Varg” Vikernes was eventually found guilty of several of these crimes.
His ties to the black metal band Mayhem, where he played bass, took a chilling turn in ’93 when he fatally stabbed the band’s guitarist, leading to his conviction for first-degree murder, church arson, and possession of explosives.
Despite his unsuccessful self-defense argument, Vikernes was sentenced to prison for 21 years, the maximum under Norwegian law.
During his time behind bars, Vikernes didn’t exactly turn over a new leaf.
He started the neo-Nazi organization Norwegian Heathen Front, sporting an SS insignia belt buckle and publishing articles in neo-Nazi magazines.
He even wrote books and released ambient albums while incarcerated. In 2009, he was released from prison but found himself back in trouble in 2013 when he was arrested on suspicion of planning acts of terrorism.
In 2014, Vikernes was convicted of inciting racial hatred, serving eight months of probation. He’s also faced accusations of racism towards black people, notably with a controversial YouTube video titled “We Are All Africans.”
Vikernes has since changed his legal name to Louis Cachet.
So, where does Kanye West fit into all of this?
Many have accused Kanye of deliberately promoting Vikernes and his questionable history, especially given his own troubled past.
In October 2022, West tweeted about going “death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE” and held a Yeezy fashion show featuring “White Lives Matter” T-shirts, resulting in the loss of several brand deals.
Furthermore, it was revealed that West openly praised Adolf Hitler and Nazis in meetings, with an ex-employee claiming to have overheard him saying, “Nazis are good at propaganda.”
As if that wasn’t enough, West’s controversial rant in a Las Vegas hotel room about Zionism and his subsequent apology on Christmas Day to the Jewish community where he said:
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.”
Now, as we wrap up this whirlwind tour of controversy, it’s essential to reflect on a few questions.
Does Kanye West’s fashion choice merely reflect his love for pushing boundaries, or is there a deeper meaning behind it?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Page Six
