Celebrity artist Kanye West has sparked controversy once again by proudly wearing a T-shirt bearing images of controversial Norwegian black metal band Burzum. The reveal comes shortly after the release of the cover art for Kanye’s collaborative album Vultures, which bears striking visual similarities to several Burzum album covers, including Hvis Liset Tar Oss.
Kanye West’s provocative choice of outfit has attracted attention, especially given the anti-Semitic comments he made last year. Controversy over the album cover has already been marked by concerns over Burzum’s aesthetics and visual similarity of the subjects, raising questions over Kanye’s intentions and the message behind the album.
Adding another layer to the saga, rapper JPEG Mafia recently shared a photo of himself with Kanye West, in which Kanye West is seen wearing a Burzum T-shirt. Photo caption from JPEGMafia, “I can not talk now. I do cute things”Adds a sense of carelessness to the situation.
The unexpected collaboration between JPEGMafia and Kanye West is surprising, given that JPEGMafia has previously criticized Kanye on social media and expressed displeasure at being overlooked in favor of artists with lesser offerings. Additionally, JPEGMafia openly criticized Burzum founder Varg Vikernes in their song I Can’t Fucking Wait Till Morrissey Dies.
Despite its controversial history, Kanye West’s adoption of Burzum imagery isn’t a complete surprise. Before the recent album cover controversy, Kanye had already sampled one of Burzum’s songs in a work. The rapper’s continued association with anti-Semitic sentiments led to a backlash and he was dropped from his sponsors.