LOS ANGELES, Nov 15 — Kanye West frequently told employees that Jewish people were controlling the family of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, according to a new lawsuit filed in California on Thursday.

The musician and entrepreneur — now formally known as Ye — faces a litany of legal claims from former employees who accuse him of abusive and sometimes bizarre behaviour.

In the latest filing, Murphy Aficionado, who worked for Ye for nine months between 2022 and 2023, said life at his Yeezy brand and Donda Academy school was a “nightmare”.

“During Aficionado’s employment, Ye’s anti-Semitic tirades and conspiracies were a daily occurrence,” the suit says.

“Often, these outbursts involved how Jews controlled the Kardashians. Other times, Ye recounted how Jews were going after him and his money.”

Ye, 47, was married to socialite and businesswoman Kim Kardashian for eight years.

The couple, who have four children, divorced in 2022 in an increasingly acrimonious split, despite her earlier defending him and calling for understanding while he grappled with mental health issues.

Ye has garnered a string of headlines over recent years for anti-Semitic outbursts, including once saying he saw “good things about Hitler” and writing on social media that he was “going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”.

His pronouncements cost him a lucrative deal with Adidas.

Thursday’s lawsuit claims Ye had no compunction about flaunting his sexual relationships in front of staff.

“On one occasion, in between his racist lectures, Ye invited Aficionado to his hotel room to work,” the suit states.

“In the suite, Aficionado waited miserably and uncomfortably while he unwillingly listened to Ye having sex with his then-girlfriend Bianca Censori in the adjoining room.

“On another occasion, Ye subjected Aficionado to those same sexual proclivities, but this time with his masseuse — leaving Aficionado feeling violated and dehumanised.”

The suit seeks unspecified compensation for outstanding contractual payments, as well as emotional and psychological damage.

Attorney William Reed, who is representing Aficionado, said the lawsuit was an effort “to force Ye to learn that this conduct has no place in our society.”

The rapper’s “vitriol, hate, and anti-Semitism continues, as does his complete and utter disrespect for the women around him.”

There was no immediate response from Ye’s representatives to an AFP request for comment. — AFP