Kanye West explains a rift with Jay-Z due to a political lyric in a song

Kanye West is sharing more about his falling out with longtime friend and former collaborator Jay-Z.

Kanye West recently took to X, previously known as Twitter, to express how a lyric from Jay-Z in their song “Jail” had a profound impact on him.

Kanye West’s post comes weeks after he made unsettling comments about Jay-Z, his wife Beyoncé, and their children, Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir Carter.

West shared in a now-deleted post on X that a specific lyric in the song “Jail” where Jay-Z mentions his political stance hurt him deeply.

The line in question, “no red hat,” referring to West’s past support of the red “Make America Great Again” hat, struck a chord with him. West revealed that they even had a dispute about it, with Jay-Z insisting on keeping the line in the song.

Jay-Z rapped the following words on the record: “Told him, ‘Stop all of that red cap, we goin’ home’ / Not me with all of these sins, castin’ stones / This might be the return of The Throne (Throne) / Hova and Yeezus, like Moses and Jesus.”

Jay-Z’s lyric about West came after the latter became a vocal supporter of President Donald J. Trump during his first presidential run. He’s been photographed alongside the former reality star and even seen posing in his merchandise, which features the phrase “Make America Great Again” on a red ball cap.

In 2024, the father of four was seen at one of his rallies in Beverly Hills, California, with his partner, Bianca Censori.

According to a previous report from The Blast, West was conversing with presumed Trump supporters from inside his Tesla Cybertruck.

When asked whether he was supporting the “Apprentice” star during the 2024 election, in which he defeated the democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, West wasted no time answering.

“Yeah, of course, it’s Trump all day,” he said. “What you talking about? You know what it is.”

In April 2025, West, 47, laid into Frank Ocean for allegedly advising him not to speak in favor of Trump.

“Frank Ocean p-ssy -ss come over my house talking about Trump all day and how I shouldn’t support Trump,” he said. “N—a f-ck you know about politics and n—a I’m your motherf-cking senior, OG, y’all used to come on tour with me n—a.”

He continued, “None of these n—as as talented [as me]. I’m the greatest motherf-cking artist that ever existed. They can just be slightly better at one thing cause they do that one thing.”

Prior to opening up on X about his falling out with Jay-Z, West made a series of unsettling posts on his profile about his children, specifically the youngest, Rumi and Sir.

“WAIT HAS ANYONE EVER SEEN JAY Z AND BEYONCES YOUNGER KIDS(?)” he wrote. “THEYRE RETARDED NO LIKE LITERALLY AND THIS IS WHY ARTIFICIAL INSEMNATION IS SUCH A BLESSING HAVING RETARDED CHILDREN IS A CHOICE.”

Eventually, West deleted the posts, but he continued making reckless comments about Jay-Z, including that he believed the latter wanted to “k-ll” him.