Like medicines, Ye’s close friends have expiration dates too. You may think you have the rapper’s attention and friendship forever, but that is never the case. Kanye West tends to drop friends as quickly as he picks them. And this primarily concerns his moods or his political ideologies not aligning with the friend. Case in point, John Legend. The duo goes back to the early 2000s and has even featured in each other’s songs. But their friendship ended when Legend couldn’t get through to his friend and save him from Trumpism. If Legend couldn’t last that long, neither could Ryder Ripps. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-XcZegEogo

Ryder Ripps, a conceptual artist, worked for Kanye West from 2014 to 2018. Ye had spotted his talent and decided to hire him. The two would have hour-long conversations with each other almost weekly. They would engage on the most random topic ever. Ye would tell him about his new video game idea where he was ascending to heaven. Apart from sharing his lofty ideas, Ripps was also privy to his secret dislike for his contemporary, Drake. The rapper instantly made Ripps feel like he was one of his closest buddies. “I felt like I was his best friend,” Ripps told the New York Times.

Their initial meeting was unusual. Ripps recounted their first meeting when the College Dropout rapper showed him hardcore pornography on his laptop. Instead of interviewing him, he asked about his thoughts on the film onscreen. Using his wits, Ripps commented on the interplay between sex and art. Kim Kardashian’s ex didn’t stop at that. He further had a freestyle rap session for half an hour before asking him about Ripps’ ideas. 

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But Ye feeling him growing too close, soured on the friendship and it soon ended. Meanwhile, the artist called Ye out on his anti-Semitism in 2022.

Ripps slammed Kanye West for his anti-Semitic comments 

The 36-year-old criticized the rapper for his anti-Semitic sentiments along with other celebs. The father of North West had made some inappropriate claims about Jews in power and them having codes. 

Ripps, as a Jew himself, felt rather uncomfortable but brushed that aside, considering it not dangerous. However, as West’s erratic behavior peaked and former employees started calling him out, Ripps felt compelled to look at things differently.

Why do you think West ended their friendship?