New York, NY, January 27, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is deeply troubled by lyrics in a new song released online by rapper B.o.B that invokes the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory of Jewish control of the U.S. government and promotes a notorious Holocaust denier by name.
The song, titled “Flatline,” includes conspiratorial lyrics such as, “but before you try to curve it, do your research on David Irving; Stalin was way worse than Hitler, That’s why the POTUS gotta wear a Kippa.”
David Irving is a notorious Holocaust denier whose work has questioned the existence of the Nazi gas chambers extent of Hitler’s atrocities during World War II. “Kippa” is a reference to a Jewish skullcap, or yarmulke, which is known as a “kippah” in Hebrew.
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO, issued the following statement:
While it is unclear whether these lyrics are meant to be taken seriously, it is nonetheless troubling that B.o.B seems to have given new life to the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory of Jewish control of the U.S. government while handing a free publicity gift to the notorious Holocaust denier, David Irving. His lyrics are irresponsible and could potentially promote anti-Semitic beliefs, especially in those people who might already be infected by such notions.
It appears as if this song has been recently removed from the Internet. If so, that is a positive first step to acknowledging a mistake here, but it is not nearly enough. We hope that B.o.B will find a way to communicate clearly to his fans that Holocaust denial is unacceptable and that he will apologize for invoking the age-old conspiracy theory about Jewish control of the government.