Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, has made evident his disdain for Pete Davidson, the new boyfriend of ex Kim Kardashian. Last week, he took their publicly one-sided feud to new heights with a disturbing music video that shows him killing the “Saturday Night Live” comedian.
Ye’s music video for ”Eazy,” released March 3, featured the rapper reflecting on his divorce and custody battle as he holds what appears to be a bloodied, disfigured head created to look like Davidson.
In an Instagram post defending the video on Monday (later deleted), Ye said artistic expression is therapeutic and “protected as freedom of speech.”
“Art inspires and simplifies the world,” the “Donda” rapper wrote. “Art is not a proxy for any ill or harm. Any suggestion otherwise about my art is false and mal intended.”
Kardashian and Davidson began dating shortly after she hosted “SNL” in October. Over the past month, Ye has been more active than usual on social media, sharing and then deleting posts about Kardashian, her family and Davidson.
“I’ve learned that using all caps makes people feel like I’m screaming at them,” he wrote in a since-deleted Instagram apology on Valentine’s Day, letting fans know he’s working on his communication.
Another scene in the video depicts a caricature claymation version of Davidson, drinking and smoking as he’s covered with a body bag and pulled out of frame. Another claymation person, seemingly Ye, is shown driving an ATV with Davidson tied up and strapped to the back. He drags the body on the ground before burying Davidson alive, sprinkling flower seeds on top of his head and driving away.
“God saved me from that crash / Just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s a - -,” West raps. A woman in the background asks, “Who?”
At the end, a title card reads: “Everyone lived happily ever after.” Except Davidson, Ye notes, calling him ”You Know Who.”
“JK he’s fine,” the video concluded.
The music video’s release came a day after a judge ruled Kardashian legally single after eight years of marriage to Ye. The two share four children, ages 2, 4, 6 and 8.
The video was met with backlash online, with social media commenters sharing concerns about Ye crossing a line between creative expression and harassment against Davidson and Kardashian.
This isn’t the first time Ye has drummed up controversy for recreating and using another celebrity’s body as a prop in the name of art: In 2016, his “Famous” music video featured fully nude likenesses of friends, major celebrities and political figures including Kardashian, Caitlyn Jenner, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Amber Rose, Ray J, Donald Trump, George Bush, Bill Cosby and Chris Brown.
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