Benzino has expressed concern for the advancement and prosperity of the Black community, but in doing so he delved into a trope that has historically served as the basis for widespread discrimination.
During a Drink Champs interview published on Saturday (February 17) that lasted nearly three hours, the Hip Hop veteran got progressively drunker and spoke on the subject of unity among people of his race. In doing so, he referenced a longstanding conspiracy that has energized antisemitism for centuries.
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“Let’s build each other,” he said. “Let me tell you about the Jews that Kanye [West] talked about. The Jews were the slaves and they came together and they bought within each other, and now look at them. Media, banking, entertainment — they run shit. We can run shit, but we killing each other. All you young n-ggas, stop killing each other.”
A little later, he added: “If we love us and did what the Jews did — see how the Jews control banking, media, entertainment; they’re in Beverly Hills, Miami — we could do the same thing, but the problem with us is we’re killing each other.”
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This idea that “Jews or Zionists form a powerful, secret, global cabal that manipulates governmental institutions, banks, the media, and other institutions for malevolent purposes” is an ancient falsehood, one that the Louis B. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law labels as a “marker” for antisemitism.
Watch the former co-owner of The Source reference the above stereotypes at the 2:37:02 and 2:53:34 marks below:
Kanye West expressed these same beliefs not too long ago, on the same platform.
During a Drink Champs interview in 2022, Ye talked about businessman and former government official Jared Kushner while trying to make a point about societal hierarchies.
“Jared Kushner is an example of how the Jewish people have their hand on every single business that controls the world,” he said. “Everybody knows that for fact. Like you ever seen The Lego Movie, where the guy realizes everything is the same company — that’s what’s happening.”
Prior to that, the Yeezy boss sat down with Tucker Carlson for an interview on Fox News. Whereas portions of the chat never aired, VICE’s Motherboard later obtained the footage.
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In it, the Chicago native said: “I prefer my kids knew Hanukkah and Kwanzaa — at least it will come with some financial engineering.”
Since then, he has gone back-and-forth on the matter, from apologizing to the Jewish community to doubling down on his past comments (of which there are many).
