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Kanye West has a… creative… defense for allegedly texting “I am a Nazi” and “You ugly as f**k” to an Jewish staffer.
Attorney’s for the disgraced rapper says that his alleged outbursts are protected by his First Amendment right to free speech — because, they claim, West “is art.”
Back in February an unnamed former employee sued West for, among other things, sending a series of “belligerent, abusive, harassing, antisemitic, and otherwise offensive” text messages in June 2024.
Among other things, the texts allegedly said, “Shut the f**k up bitch,” “Hail Hitler,” and “You ugly as fuck.”
On another occasion, when the staffer, a “Hollywood publicist” according to court papers, suggested he publicly condemn Nazism amid controversy over the Nazi-inspired cover art for his Vultures Vol. 1. album, West allegedly wrote to her, “I am A NAZI.”
But in court papers seen by Page Six and filed on Wednesday, his lawyers claimed that the texts are art.
Their response to the Jane Doe suit calls the messages “works” and says that they “plainly reflect [West]’s artistic critique of censorship, identity, and beauty standards, and which were wholly consistent with his public artistry and presentation long before [the former staffer] explicitly sought employment.”
They seem to argue that West himself “is” art and thus has blanket protection under the First Amendment, even in his “private communications.”
“[West] is not merely a creator; he is art. Like [19th Century German composer] Richard Wagner’s concept of Gesamtkunstwerk—a ‘total work of art’ integrating music, drama, and stagecraft—[West’s] public and private personas form a continuous, provocative performance that challenges societal taboos surrounding race, religion, gender, power, politics, and censorship. Whether on stage, in the studio, online, or in private communications, [West] is constantly engaged in artistic expression protected by the First Amendment and California’s free speech guarantees.”
English (US)