By Brogan Frey
In recent weeks, rapper Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, has said and done a few controversial things that are now earning him lost partnerships and bannings on several social media platforms.
The most significant lost partnership is the partnership between Ye and sports brand Adidas. The German sportswear giant announced the termination of the partnership on Tuesday, October 25th. This was a very significant partnership, and its termination will lead to Adidas losing almost $250 million this year alone, and is said to earn Ye around $100 million annually, which would amount to about $20.83 million for the remainder of the year.
This is also significant because Adidas is probably the most important partner in Ye’s fashion empire.
In addition to his lost partnerships, Ye has also been banned from several social media platforms for his increasingly anti-semetic comments.
On Monday, October 24th, 2022, he was restricted on Instagram, 4 days after he had returned to the platform. Ye has made several disparaging comments about Jewish people, this one being about “Jewish business people.”
This photo was taken not long after Adidas cut ties with the rapper.
As of Monday, November 14th, the most recent post on Ye’s Instagram account is from October 30th.
The rapper’s account was restricted and content posted by him deleted, because Ye violated some of the social media service’s policies, according to a Meta spokesperson. Meta did not specify what post triggered its decision, or why it took action on West’s account, but says it places restrictions, like preventing a user from sending messages, commenting, or posting, on accounts that repeatedly break its rules.
Ye’s Twitter account was restricted for the same reason that he was restricted on Instagram. He posted several anti-semitic statements in the space of a few hours. On a now-deleted post on Twitter, West wrote, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death [sic] con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE. The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also. You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
In the same week that this tweet was posted, West was criticized for wearing a shirt that said ‘white lives matter’ on the back during Paris fashion week. The ‘white lives matter’ tag was used by many opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement that came to national attention after the death of George Floyd by a white police officer.
Also, in relation to this tweet is Ye’s known connection to the Republican Party, who he seems to align with on many issues.
Overall, besides his comments being deeply offensive and targeting a community that has faced much hurt in the past, Kanye West’s recent comments have cost him millions in brand deals, and a banning on several large social media platforms, including Instagram and Twitter.
For more information, please visit:
Plaid Line 