one of Kanye West's biggest recent hits had something highly unusual about it it starts with a Chant by a group of Italian football Ultras and one particular group actually has writing credits on his recent album so what's going on what is the connection between Kanye West and Italian football [Music] fans at the end of February 2024 Kanye West topped the US Billboard charts with the song Carnival it was a return to the top of the charts for arguably one of the greatest rappers of all time after years of controversy that had seen Kanye now known as yay ostracized by the mainstream music industry it's a long list of transgressions that include upsetting Taylor Swift cozying up with Donald Trump and white nationalist activist and media personality Nick Fuentes and declaring I like Hitler during a podcast interview with far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones his anti-semitic comments in 2022 led to the termination of a highly lucrative merch deal with Adidas over his Yeezy trainers brand Forbes estimated that the loss of the Adidas deal alone cost Kanye as much as $1.5 billion and his music deals with Sony and Def Jam were allowed to lapse and so Kanye went out on his own returned to music and emerged with a new album at the start of 2024 called vultures 1 and Carnival one of the lead tracks begins with a group of men chanting the chants were a collaboration between Kanye and a group of Italian Ultras in particular the Ultras of Inter Milan Cura nor Milano 1969 9 or CN 69 as they sometimes style themselves in fact CN 69 were given writing credits for both Carnival and another song Stars the recently rebranded Ultra group are airs to one of Italy's oldest Ultra groups and also one of the most political expressing far-right and fascist views for decades alongside their fraternal allies the Ultras of Lazio although you can trace the birth of the ultra movement back to Uruguay and Argentina at the very start of the 20th century and to hauk split in 1950 in Europe what we understand as modern Ultra culture emerged from itty in the late 1960s AC Milan fosa Leon formed in 1968 he's often credited as the first official Ultra group inter also have a claim thanks to the legendary Argentine coach helenia Herrera who arrived in Sera a in 1960 Herrera was a Visionary such was his quest to eek out any kind of Advantage no matter how small that he eventually turned to the curver the Italian word for the stand behind the goal whether the cheest tickets can be found after a successful spell coaching in Spain experiencing La liga's rockus crowds Herrera wanted to harness the 12th man in the stadium so at his urging Ina's president Angelo morati invested in forming an organized supporters group called ileri The Musketeers who would travel to away games and lay the foundations for the Ultras that would come in 1969 in's fans formed their first Ultra group boys s a farri group who've dominated the sanzer hero Cur a Nord ever since Ultra culture flourished in Italy and spread to the rest of the world and in's Ultras built a reputation for the finest tfos loudest chance and best choreography it also cultivated a reputation for violence and extreme far-right politics in altras had a long-standing friendship with Latios based on their shared far-right world viw when the irid duil leader faito pelli an unabashed fascist was executed in a Rome Park in 2019 in Ultras honored him with a TFO on the cura Nord but then an assassination rocked the inter Cura 2 at the end of 2022 one of Ina's most notorious Ultra capos Victorio boochi known as the uncle was shot dead near his home in a professional hit news of his death saw in Ultras clear the curve a Nord during a game against Sor the violent scenes caused outrage the result was inter's Ultra subgroups dissolving and rebranding themselves under a single name kver n Milano 196 9 and shortly afterwards CN 69 were suddenly associating with one of the most famous people in the world Kanye West Nino Kelli another of Italy's most notorious Ultra cappos who once LED in's Vikings posted a video of him in a recording studio with hundreds of other ules in October 2023 Kanye had come to Italy with his wife Bianca sorri his son wanted to watch a Ser a game Richard Santoro one of Kanye's Italian advisers told the music website rockit.it that into were not playing the weekend he he was there so Kanye's family watched Genoa versus AC Milan instead Santoro said after the match Kanye was really impressed by The Passion of the Ultras with the choreography and the smoke bombs Kanye had been planning to perform at a comeback show at the 100,000 capacity RCF arena in reio Amilia near bolognia and wanted the Ultras there too he called me back sometime later he was still in Italy at stings Villa he said I really like the idea of the Ultras I'd like you to bring 2 and a half thousand fans on stage in the end the concert was cancelled but Kanye didn't forget the Ultras and wanted them to perform on his new record it turned out that two producers working on the record were inter fans with Connections in the ultra scene and so a call went in and within a few days c96 had gathered 200 Ultras they came to the recording studio on January the 27th 2024 and recorded five tracks two of which ended up on the record Carnival and stars a few weeks later Kanye saw the inter Ultras in action at the Sanz himself he turned up at the Champions League last 16 match against Atletico Madrid which into won 1 nil dressed all in black with black gloves and a black hood that completely covered his head after the match Kanye performed at a concert at Milan's Forum of assagio it had been announced that 500 Ultras would take to the stage with him and sing Carnival but the deal collapsed the day before and Kanye took to the stage without them wearing the same black hood that he' worn the sanzero if you like this video please consider subscribing to the channel the athletic is home to some of the world's best 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