After a slew of controversial statements made by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, major brands have cut ties with the 45-year-old rapper – the latest being Foot Locker.
A recent documentary centering on West has also been dumped by the studio as they “cannot support any content that amplifies his platform.”
With Adidas cutting ties after West said it would never happen – and West losing his billionaire status as a result – it seems the tide has turned on the rapper. Here’s what you need to know.
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Kanye West’s racist and anti-Semitic comments
The embattled West has been embroiled in controversy since his stint at Paris Fashion Week on October 2, wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt on his Yeezy runway, which many celebrities such as Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber denounced.
Following that, he also posted anti-Semetic remarks on Instagram and Twitter on October 9. He tweeted he was going to go “death con 3 on Jewish people”, a likely reference to DEFCON 3 – the US military’s alert system.
West was restricted both on Instagram and Twitter for his statements, and earned the ire of celebrities such as Bella Hadid, Jamie-Lee Curtis, David Schwimmer and more.
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MRC Studio shelves Kanye West’s biographical documentary
As a result of West’s anti-Semitic remarks – West half-apologised but also seemed to double down on them despite backlash in an interview with Piers Morgan on October 22 – studio MRC Entertainment released a statement on October 26 announcing they have dumped the distribution of the biographical documentary they made about West.
“After discussion with our filmmakers and distribution partners, we made the decision not to proceed with any distribution for our recently completed documentary about Kanye West. We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform,” the lengthy statement, released on Instagram, began.
“Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3000 years – the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain,” the statement continued.
“This song was performed acapella in the time of the Pharaohs, Babylon and Rome, went acoustic with The Spanish Inquisition and Russia’s Pale of Settlement, and Hitler took the song electric. Kanye has now helped mainstream it in the modern era.”
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The statement went on to explain how discrimination thrives off lies, as well as silence from those in a position of power.
“The silence from leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or antisemitism in general is dismaying but not surprising,” the statement read. “What is new and sad, is the fear Jews have about speaking out in their own defense.”
Foot Locker
Shoe giant Foot Locker announced on October 25 that it will no longer be stocking Yeezy products – a lucrative fashion collaboration between West and Adidas created in 2015, most known for its sneakers – due to West’s anti-Semitic comments.
A spokesperson for Foot Locker told CNN the brand will continue its partnership with Adidas, but halt immediately any sales of any of the products West was involved in creating.
”We will not be supporting any future Yeezy product drops, and we have instructed our retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson, however, did note that the company would remain ”a partner with Adidas and carry a wide assortment of their collections.”
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Adidas
Following his erratic behaviour, sporting brand Adidas first stated Ye’s deal with the company was “under review” before announcing the end of their arrangement on October 25.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said in a statement. “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.
“After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.
“This is expected to have a short-term negative impact of up to €250 million (approx. $390 million) on the company’s net income in 2022 given the high seasonality of the fourth quarter.
“Adidas is the sole owner of all design rights to existing products as well as previous and new colorways under the partnership.”
It’s a change of tone from the brand, which earlier in October released a statement highlighting the success of their collaboration rather than condemning the rapper’s comments.
“Adidas has always been about creativity, innovation and supporting athletes and artists to achieve their vision,” a statement from Adidas released on October 6 reads.
“The Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry’s history. We are proud of our team that has worked tirelessly throughout our collaboration with Ye and the iconic products that were born from it,” it continues.
“We also recognise that all successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values. After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review. We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period.”
West and Adidas’ partnership, which is valued at $US1.5 billion (approx. $2.3 billion), launched in 2015 and was set to expire in 2026.
West, however, was confident that Adidas wouldn’t drop him despite his anti-Semitic comments. In an October 15 episode of podcast Drink Champs, Ye said: “The thing about me and Adidas is I can literally say anti-Semitic shit and they can’t drop me. I can say anti-Semitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?”
The episode has since been deleted.
Balenciaga
French fashion house Balenciaga was the first brand to completely sever ties with West.
In a statement given by parent company Kering, the brand said: “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.”
Ye was a close collaborator of the brand, having together sold a fashion line at GAP, which dropped in February this year.
He was particularly close with Balenciaga’s artistic director, Demna Gvasalia, and also opened for Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week show, making headlines as he trudged through the mud in their designs.
Vogue
Neither Vogue nor editor-in-chief Anna Wintour intend to work with West again after his anti-Semitic rants and support of the “White Lives Matter” movement, the magazine told Page Six in a statement on October 21.
Wintour and West have a long relationship, with Wintour inviting West and ex-wife Kim Kardashian to her 2009 Met Gala and featuring them on a Vogue cover in 2014. Kardashian has also since spoken out about West’s behaviour.
She even had a hand in his recent bout of controversy, with West claiming that Wintour had sent her friend, Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, to film the reconciliation between himself and one of her editors, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who was the first to critique West’s use of the “White Lives Matter” slogan on his Paris Fashion Week runway.
Johnny Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez drops Kanye West as a client
On October 21, it was reported that West would be hiring the same lawyer Johnny Depp hired for his defamation case, Camille Vasquez. Four days later, it was reported that she had dropped him as a client over his anti-Semitic remarks.
Vasquez’s firm Brown Rudnick reportedly was still open to working with West if he retracted his statements, but the rapper refused to back down, telling the world via an impromptu press conference held outside daughter North West’s basketball game on October 21, “I want to talk about the Jewish comment, it’s actually proven the exact point that I made.”
“It’s going to take all of us to come together. We gotta get the truth before we can get the love, if not we are just loving the lies,” West said.
On the same day it was announced Vasquez had dropped West as a client, it was announced talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) had also dropped West as a client
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