Popular social media app bans Kanye West just minutes after he joins

Kanye West has an extremely complicated relationship with social media, as he has for many years.

West, a sensation of the early 2000s hip-hop boom, rose to fame with the release of his first album, “The College Dropout.” While he enjoyed years of music stardom after that, his controversial statements drew significant ire from both fans and critics, who levied strong accusations against him.

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West’s remarks about various marginalized groups resulted in his being banned from X, although he would ultimately be reinstated by Elon Musk. However, he deactivated the account in February without offering any explanation.

Late last week, West shocked many people when he unexpectedly joined a new social media platform. However, his time as a user would prove short-lived, as its moderators banned him within a few minutes of his joining.

Rapper Kanye West recently attempted to join a social media platform that quickly banned him.

Image source: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

Kanye West doesn’t have a future as a content creator, at least not on one platform

When most people think of social media, they likely often think of Facebook, Instagram, or X. While some may also think of YouTube, another platform that caters to a fairly niche market, despite its growing popularity, is Twitch. Owned by Amazon, this platform allows gamers to conduct live streams.

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West, now known in the world of pop culture as Ye, joined the ranks of Twitch on Friday, April 25, albeit briefly, under the name “Yeezy_Stream.” He wasted no time resorting to the same tactics that got him banned from other platforms, going on a tirade against Jewish and LGBTQ+ people, resulting in him being banned in only seven minutes.

During the stream, West is also reported to have stated that Elon Musk gave him “free passes” to post content that would be widely considered offensive and inappropriate for social media in many circles. In February, he issued a similar take on X, stating that he appreciated Musk allowing him to vent on the platform.

According to reports, after only seven minutes of West’s stream, Twitch replaced the video feed with a message stating “this channel is temporarily unavailable due to a violation of Twitch’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service.”

Seven minutes isn’t long for a live stream by Twitch’s standards, as the platform is home to users who sometimes broadcast for hours on end, and some produce 24/7 content. But in just a few minutes, West reportedly attracted roughly 3,000 followers as more than 1,000 tuned in to watch his stream. However, The Independent claims he had not reached 220 followers before the ban took effect.

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Some of the Twitch community’s biggest names don’t seem to support West’s decision to join the platform. Popular streamer Adin Ross, who according to Dexerto has wanted to interview West for a long time, expressed relief that he did not join the rapper’s broadcast, stating he likely would have been banned if he had.

Twitch is taking a different approach than its peers

Twitch has issued no statement regarding its actions toward West, and the rapper has not revealed if he plans on challenging its ruling. Given the swift action Twitch took toward him, it seems unlikely that an appeal would go in West’s favor.

Related: Elon Musk faces accusations from major tech rival

This behavior from West isn’t surprising, since following years of controversial statements and erratic behavior, he’s lost multiple partnerships with companies such as Adidas, Balenciaga, and Gap.

Now, Twitch has shown that it won’t extend to him the same freedom that Musk does at X. In an age in which companies like Meta have drawn criticism for ending fact-checking, this type of stance shows that some companies are still focused on content moderation.

Musk has not offered any commentary on Twitch’s decision to ban West, despite taking the opposite stance on his own platform. It remains unclear whether West will attempt to join other social media networks and use them to share content.