DJ Who Played Kanye’s ‘Heil Hitler’ Says Right-Wing Influencers Tricked Him Into Playing Song
Screenshot via YouTube.
A DJ who played Kanye West’s “Heil Hitler” song in viral video clips from a Florida nightclub earlier this month has apologized — but also says he was tricked into playing the highly controversial track by a group of right-wing influencers who requested it.
The lyrics to West’s song, which he released last year, include multiple repeats of “Heil Hitler” as well as the n-word, and end with an excerpt from an Adolf Hitler speech. It has been banned in Germany due to laws prohibiting dissemination of Nazi symbols and drew outrage around the world. Many streaming services took steps to remove it from their platforms or otherwise restrict it.
West, who currently goes by Ye, has recently distanced himself from the song. On Monday, he took out a full-page ad Monday in The Wall Street Journal apologizing “To Those I’ve Hurt,” including the “Black community” and “Jewish people.”
Earlier this month, a group of right-wing influencers, including Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate (who are facing criminal investigations in multiple countries, including being charged with rape and human trafficking), Nick Fuentes (an avowed white supremacist and Holocaust denier), Myron Gaines (posts antisemitic and misogynistic content), Sneako, Justin Waller, and Clavicular, posted video of themselves singing along to West’s song in a party bus on the way to Vendôme, a Miami Beach nightclub. Gaines is seen doing a Nazi salute during the song as well.
That video clip from the party bus caused outrage, and the backlash exploded when video began circulating from Vendôme of the group merrily dancing along to “Heil Hitler” again inside the club.
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner issued a statement condemning the “antisemitism displayed” at the nightclub, adding that “Miami Beach is a safe haven for everyone precisely because we do not tolerate hate or bias against any group.” Vendôme’s social media was flooded with furious comments, and the club soon issued its own statement apologizing for the “deeply offensive and unacceptable” video, promising it would conduct an internal review, and “take immediate action to hold the responsible parties accountable.”
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A few days later, the club put up a new post saying that it had completed its review and “taken decisive action” by firing three employees and “permanently bann[ing] the individuals involved in this incident.”
The DJ at Vendôme responsible for playing the track goes by “DJ Vybz,” according to a report by the Miami Herald, and he is now adding his own words of contrition to the controversy. His real name does not appear to be publicly known.
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“First and foremost, I want to be clear,” Vybz wrote. “I do not condone or support antisemitism, racism, hate speech, or any form of hatred. Anyone who knows me personally knows my character.”
“I sincerely apologize to anyone who has been offended by the playing of this song, especially to my family and friends in the Jewish community,” he continued.
According to Vybz, he has been a DJ in the Miami and Miami Beach area for “more than 14 years” and “never imagined I would find myself in a situation like this,” offering this explanation for why the song was played:
As a DJ, it is normal to receive song requests, especially during a bottle parade. In this instance, I received an Airdrop titled “HH”, with no indication of the song’s context. After playing the song it became clear that the lyrics were offensive. As soon as I realized the songs [sic] nature, I was stunned and shocked and immediately looked for another song to switch to.
He added that he took “full responsibility” for what happened, and “should have listened to the song or asked about its content before playing it.” He promised that in the future, “any and all requests will be screened and pre-approved before being played,” so this never happens again.
As the Herald noted, he did not specify who exactly sent him the “Heil Hitler” song file, and the DJ did not respond to requests for comment from the paper.
Adding to the controversy: two of Vendôme’s owners, Byram Zaied and Jonathan Mansour, appear to be partying with the right-wing influencers in video obtained by Page Six.
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