In early July 2024, a photograph spread on social media allegedly showing Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, in an anti-Nazi shirt. "A young Kanye West in 94 wear a shirt written say no to Nazis," one Reddit post captioned the image. "He has the memory of a goldfish," one comment under the post read.
The singer faced widespread outrage and condemnation for antisemitic remarks in 2022, resulting in severe personal and professional repercussions, including the loss of major business partnerships and social media suspensions. In 2024, social media users shared the photo allegedly depicting Kanye in an anti-Nazi T-shirt to suggest a radical shift in his views. The image prompted many to say they "missed the old Kanye."
"Who would have ever imagined this would turn out to be an 'embarrassing past' photo for him," one Reddit user wrote. The image also spread on social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.
But no credible sources have confirmed the existence of such a photograph from Kanye's youth. Because we have examined the available evidence but could not arrive at a true or false determination, meaning the evidence was inconclusive, we have rated this claim as unproven.
The authenticity of the photo, including details such as when it was captured, by whom, and the identity of the individual shown, remains unknown. Google and TinEye reverse-image search results showed the photograph was spread online at least since September 2017.
(www.tineye.com)
TinEye indicated the photo was first shared on Tumblr on Sept. 4, 2017; however, we found that it was shared the same day on Reddit by an account that no longer existed, at the time of this writing. Moreover, while most posts claimed the photograph was taken in 1994, some stated it dated back to 1993.
A Google search for "say no to nazis new america" showed numerous websites sold such T-shirts with the image.
(Google search results)
One Redbubble marketplace description for such an item informed it was, "A replication of a shirt design Kanye West once wore in high school." The shirts with the design were also promoted on social media:
The photograph was also indirectly mentioned in the book "A Psychoanalytic Biography of Ye: The Legacy of Unconditional Love" by Robert K. Beshara, which we accessed via Google Books (page xxi):
How did Ye go from wearing a "Say no to Nazis new America" t- shirt in 1994 to a "White Lives Matter" long-sleeved shirt in 2022? How can one explain this face-heel turn, to use a phrase from professional wrestling? In other words, why was Ye susceptible to fascism given his radical roots?
However, Beshara did not provide the source of this information. We have reached out to him to ask for the evidence supporting his claim.
On Feb. 7, 2025, Ye shared the image in question on his X account, writing, "I used to be woke too." It was unclear whether those words were an acknowledgment of the image's legitimacy or an endorsement of its creation if it was fake. The post was part of a series of antisemitic statements in which Ye praised Hitler and declared himself a Nazi.
We will update this article if/when new information comes to light on the topic.
It's not the first time we looked at a Ye-related rumor. For instance, in March 2021, we investigated whether he was the richest Black man in American history, thanks to sneaker and apparel deals made with Adidas and Gap.