Ye Sparks Outrage Again, "Cousins" Cover Art Was Hung in Hitler's Bedroom

And just when you thought Ye'd backed himself into a Louis Vuitton-tented corner of his tone-deafness, he goes and delves even deeper into the annals of Nazi history. The rapper's controversial new single 'Cousins' is already making headlines due to its questionable lyrical subject. Still, some opponents have found another element to take offense to: the eyebrow-raising artwork. But it's no ordinary provocative image but a painting that once hung in Adolf Hitler's private bedroom.

The cover artwork for 'Cousins' is Leda mit dem Schwan (English: Leda with the Swan) by German artist Paul Mathias Padua. This is no mystical museum piece. In his second bedroom at his Bavarian hideaway, the Berghof, Hitler stashed this particular painting, a work of the Greek myth of Zeus seducing a woman named Leda, disguised as a swan. It was bought personally by Hitler, in keeping with his predilections for mythological and classical images that celebrated the Nazi ideal of what they referred to as Aryan beauty.

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For anyone following Ye's recent index of developments, this isn't coming out of nowhere. The artist, now known as Ye, has issued one unapologetic note of praise after another for the Nazi dictator. From proclaiming "I love Hitler" publicly to tweeting "I'm a Nazi" on social media in 2025, Ye has never attempted to conceal his cultish admiration. This dates back to his infamous 2022 appearance on Alex Jones' show, where he said infamously that "every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler."

Former confederates have also recounted troubling stories, such as Ye's consumption of Mein Kampf and his contemplation of naming an album after Hitler. So when Ye picks this Nazi-era decor as album art, it's not just for shock value but part of an unfortunate, larger truth.

Yet the timing and implementation seem deliberately inflammatory. Already, 'Cousins' was ringing alarm bells for its lyrical content that descends to some pretty dark, taboo pits that flirt with incestuous themes. When you combine that with visuals that prove to have literal ties to Hitler's bedroom wall, what Ye appears to be after doesn't feel like provocation so much as provocation without borders. To others, it's art treading uncomfortable limits; to others, it's nothing more than glorifying evil while hiding behind the shield of creativity. Either way, Ye's Cousins is again in the headlines, and it's getting difficult to call this a series of accidents.