Rapper Kanye West – who now goes by the name Ye – has never had a problem being outspoken and expressing his opinions – right or wrong; but this time his words have landed him in a rather large spot of bother.
After his antisemitic remarks got his banned from Facebook and Twitter, West proclaimed that he would buy the conservative social media platform Parler.
Over the past several weeks, West displayed a shirt proclaiming “White Lives Matter”, has called the Covid vaccine “the mark of the beast” wrote via his Twitter account “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”, and has announced that slavery was a choice. He has neither shown any remorse for those comments nor has he made any apologies. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that White Lives Matter is a neo-Nazi group.
In the wake of West’s remarks a documentary about him has been shelved, an interview on YouTube has been removed, and the talent agency CAA has dropped him as one of their clients.
Speaking on their shelving of his documentary, MRC Studio executives said, “we cannot support any content that amplifies his platform.” The executives further noted that West has taken a 3,000 year old mantra – that Jews “are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain – and used it in one of his songs.
But the fallout has not ended there as the dominoes in West’s world continue to fall…
The French fashion house Balenciaga has severed all ties with West after the rapper posted some antisemitic rearks on Twitter. The parent company Kering released a statement saying, “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.”
The German sportswear company Adidas has decided to end its partnership with West after mounting pressure over West’s remarks. Adidas reported that the company will take a massive financial hit over the separation – some $250 million this year alone. They have also stopped making any payments to the rapper and have stopped production of its Yeezy line of merchandise.
In a statement the company said, “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
Adidas has a past…one they would much rather leave…in the past. Reportedly Adidas produced weapons and supplies to the Nazis during World War II and used slave labour to do it.
West himself cut all ties with the Gap and a split between West and the banking organization JP Morgan Chase was already in the works.
feature photo credit: Kanye West Lollapalooza Chile 2011 2.jpg