The name Kanye West would have been at the top of a list of people I didn’t plan to write about this year, if I had time to keep track of things like that. But here we are. West, or “Ye” as he’s come to be known, is a rapper and producer behind songs such as “Stronger,” “Gold Digger” and “Heartless.” The Chicago native has won multiple Grammy Awards and is credited with reshaping the sound and scope of contemporary hip-hop. But that’s the old Kanye. 

The new Kanye is, at best, a provocateur and a contrarian. He has embraced extreme elements of the conservative movement, been accused of harassment by an employee, and posted hate-filled rants on social media directed at women, Jewish people and his ex-wife. As you might have surmised, his behavior hasn’t done any favors for Black people. 

Well, guess what? He says he’s sorry about that. The rapper took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal, of all places, and attempted to repair the damage his behavior has done and offer a reason for his troubling antics. 

Twenty-five years ago, I was in a car accident that broke my jaw and caused injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain. … It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023. That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis. 

He continues: 

I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. To the Black community — which held me down through all of the highs and lows and the darkest of times … I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us. 

I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.

There are those who will question the sincerity of a man who wants to communicate with Black people and uses an ad in The Wall Street Journal to do it. The Black Press may not have offered him patience and understanding, but most probably would’ve provided some ad space for the right price. 

Those moved by his words might want to know one more thing: His new album, “Bully,” drops Friday.