Ye Responds to Lyor Cohen’s Open Letter Denouncing Antisemitic Rhetoric: 'Suck My D*ck'

Ye recently told the world "I love Hitler," a statement he followed up by selling a swastika t-shirt.

February 13, 2025

Kanye West wearing sunglasses on the left and Lyor Cohen in glasses on the right, both in separate images.

Images via Getty/Matt Winkelmeyer/The Recording Academy & Getty/Ben Gabbe/Atlantic Records

The artist formerly known as Kanye West, he of “I love Hitler” and related declarations, has responded to music exec Lyor Cohen’s recent open letter urging him to remember that his platform could instead be used “to heal and inspire.”

But instead of directly addressing any of the points made in the Def Jam alum and 300 Entertainment co-founder's letter, Ye’s remarks, shared to (and quickly deleted from) Instagram, included mentions of the late Irv Gotti and a former rumored romantic partner of Cohen’s, Tory Burch.

“You and your whole industry have promoted and got paid off songs where Black people glorify killing each other,” Ye wrote before referencing the swastika shirt he recently sold via the YZY site, which has since been shut down. “But my t-shirt is the worst thing ever. All of y’all are like girls who don’t take accountability. It’s a double standard.”

Elsewhere, Ye made claims of threats and extortion attempts, ultimately arriving at his assessment that Cohen, who has also found himself embroiled in Ye-related headlines in the past, is “too broke to speak to me in the first place.” He closed the message with “Suuuuck Myyyy Diiiick,” attributing the sentiment, at least in part, to Gotti.

In the letter in question, per The Hollywood Reporter, Cohen, whose Def Jam years overlap with the development of The College Dropout, said he was “deeply disappointed and troubled” by Ye’s “use of Nazi symbols and antisemitic rhetoric.” Deeper into the letter, Cohen praised Ye’s talent while imagining how his platform might instead be used to “promote understanding” through art.

“Instead, you’ve chosen a path that sows discord and perpetuates harmful stereotypes,” Cohen said.

Back in 2018, a photo Ye and Cohen took together received hand gesture-related scrutiny that was ultimately debunked. In the photo, Ye, notably, was wearing a MAGA hat. A key moment from this period of Ye's career, i.e. his Yandhi-era SNL appearance (also in a MAGA hat), was recently discussed in a documentary commemorating the NBC show's 50th anniversary.

These days, Cohen serves as YouTube's global head of music, a position he's held since 2016.