Spotify declined a request by the International Legal Forum to remove a song from its application that the ILF argued spread antisemitic conspiracy theories and violated the audio media platform's guidelines on hate content.
In an email reviewed by The Jerusalem Post, Spotify said on Monday that it did not believe that Chris Webby's rap song Raw Thoughts VII met the threshold for removal under the platform's rules.
The song, which has garnered almost three million collective plays since being uploaded to Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music on March 4, the rap song details a shadowy cabal causing all the world's ills and engaging in child sacrifice, before ultimately revealing the culprit to be the Jewish people and Israel.
"Once Upon A Time In A Rewritten History, Thirteen Bloodlines Rose To Power, Wickedly, They Came From Ancient Lands With Depravity, And Vices Like Usury And Rape And Ritual, Sacrifices. They Worshipped Evil Gods But They, Kept The Secrets Hidden, As They Infiltrated And Hijacked Other Religions. They Conquered Other Countries, And They Printed All The Money, While They Plotted On The Plan For The Control Of Everybody," begins the song, not explicitly accusing Jews.
The song breaks into a ramble about deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and names several celebrities and politicians supposedly involved in a pedophilic sex ring. Halfway through the segment, the music of the Jewish folk song Hava Nagila is woven into the piece.
"Well, Gee, Who Could That Be? What A Mystery? Even With The Evidence There’s Not A Single Hint To See, And These Conspiracies Have Been Mistaken All Along, So, I Guess We’ll Never Know Just What Is Really Going On," said Webby, revealing the evil force. "But Before You Call It Antisemitism, Try To Listen And Think How I Said Those Families Infiltrated Religions. At The Head Of Every Snake Is A Servant Of Satanism. Sit, The Vatican Been Human Trafficking Since The Beginning But One Little Country Has Become Their Seat Of Power Where They Plot On Pandemics And Wars And Twin Towers. Babylonian Talmudism Has Been Their Recipe And They Been Sacrificing The F**king Children For Centuries, And They Don’t Give A Fu*k About Us, We’re Just Goy Cattle, Sub-human, Only Here To Be Destroyed, And Extorted And Abused And Ruled Over With Lies. But Don’t Forget Guys, They’re Our Greatest Allies."
Antisemitic tropes and calls for violence
ILF had argued to Spotify that the song contains multiple antisemitic tropes and calls for violence, including lyrics stating "It's time to load this chamber, And aim at the head of the monster now," and to burn US President Donald Trump "with the rest of 'em" if he is found to be complicit.
"Taken together, these elements form a cohesive and highly recognizable antisemitic narrative framework: that Jews constitute a secretive, malevolent collective exercising illegitimate control over global systems while engaging in morally depraved conduct," read the ILF letter to Spotify. "We note that Spotify’s policies prohibit content that promotes hate, incites violence, or targets individuals or groups based on protected characteristics, including religion and ethnicity. The above content appears to be in clear violation of those standards."
ILF said that it was disappointed by Spotify's decision, with ILF CEO Michal Cotler-Wunsh saying that the platform's "failure" to enforce its policies was dangerous, "not just for the Jewish community, but for all."
"Online antisemitism is not just harmless chatter relegated to dark corners of the internet - it spills onto campuses and into the streets, causing rising real-world harm," said Cotler-Wunsh. "The selective application of any rules in any spaces renders them useless and negates their ability to protect anyone.”
The song by Webby is the seventh in a series of songs that give the artist's thoughts about politics and society. Most did not touch upon the Jewish people, but in Raw Thoughts VI, Webby started to sing about the Jews, but was self-censored.