The controversial rapper and businessman says people are more important to him
Kanye West has responded to having several of his major partnerships dropped in recent weeks in
the wake of his anti-Semitic comments.
The rapper and entrepreneur has seen fashion deals with Adidas and Balenciaga terminated – as
well as partnerships with the talent agency Creative Arts Agency (CAA) and Hollywood production
company and financiers, MRC – pulled in response to his behaviour.
Today (October 27) on what appears to be his recently reinstated Instagram account, Ye has reacted to the fall-out by saying that “the money is not who I am”.
“Ari Emanuel. I lost 2 billion dollars in one day. And I’m still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I am,” West wrote.
Ye’s message comes days after Emanuel, who is the CEO of media company Endeavor, urged in a Financial Times article for companies to stop doing business with the rapper.
West also posted a meme that reads, “Ye has reportedly cut ties with Kanye West”, which is a nod to the numerous corporate partnerships he’s lost in recent days.
It follows TJ Maxx and Foot Locker becoming the latest companies to cut ties with West – and Skechers refusing to engage him in potentially establishing them. The brands are taking a stance against the rapper’s comments, which have been heavily criticised as anti-Semitic.
In a statement shared with CNN, a representative for TJ Maxx said the retailer “do[es] not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind”. They confirmed that the company would cease stocking Yeezy branded products in all of its worldwide markets (spanning over 4,500 stores), continuing: “We have instructed our buying teams not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally.”
Foot Locker similarly made it clear that West’s recent conduct was to blame for his Yeezy Gap products being pulled from shelves. Also speaking to CNN, a representative said: “Our former partner’s recent remarks and behavior further underscore why we are taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores.”
Additionally, Ye’s Donda Academy has reportedly closed with immediate effect.
Earlier this week Adidas ended its partnership with West over his anti-Semitic comments. As a result, the rapper’s net worth dropped from $2billion to $400million.
Many artists, celebrities, politicians and organisations have publicly condemned West over his recent remarks including Jack Antonoff, John Legend and David Schwimmer.
West has repeatedly denied that his comments about Jewish people are racist. While he has refused to accept that the term “anti-Semitism” exists because he claims it’s “not factual”, he has since offered something of an “apology” to those whom he’s offended with his comments.
The rapper’s current ream of controversies stemmed from a stunt earlier this month at Paris Fashion Week, where West wore a shirt emblazoned with the white nationalist dogwhistle “White Lives Matter”.
West was heavily criticised for the tone-deaf move, leading him to double, triple and quadruple down on his viewpoint.
In the process – publicly responding to a call-out from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs – West made an anti-Semitic comment on Instagram, after which he was booted from the platform. His Twitter account was also locked.
However, both of his accounts on the platforms appear to have been reinstated.
