Controversial US rapper, Kanye West, has been at the receiving end of heated backlash over his recent anti-semitic comments.
In a series of anti-semitic rants on social media, West had alleged that the Jews controlled Hollywood and vowed to “go Defcon 3” on the Jewish people, apparently referring to the military readiness condition and also debuted “White Lives Matter” t-shirts at his Yeezy Season 9 show during Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 3, 2022.
His actions sparked outrage and increased public pressure on the companies with whom the rapper has business dealings to sever ties with him.
Here are seven top firms that dumped Kanye West over his anti-semitic remarks;
*Adidas
The sportswear brand cut ties with the rapper on Tuesday after conducting a “thorough review” of his anti-semitic comments.
The company announced that it would immediately cease business with Ye.
“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,” according to a statement from the German company.
The announcement by the sportswear company took a huge blow to the rapper’s financial standing and stripped him of his billionaire status.
Adidas estimates ending this partnership will cost it 250 million euros ($248 million) in net income this year. His Yeezy line brought in an estimated $2 billion a year, which accounted for nearly 10 percent of the annual Adidas revenue.
*Balenciaga
On October 21, Balenciaga, the top fashion brand, also announced it had cut ties with the rapper over his remarks. He had worked with the French company to create a line for Gap.
“Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,”
*Gap
Ye made the move to separate from the clothing brand in September, according to the Associated Press.
In mid-september, Kanye repeatedly took a swipe at the retail company on Instagram while announcing his intention to terminate their contract.
But on Tuesday, Gap took the extra step of announcing that it was ending its Yeezy Gap line of products.
“Our former partner’s recent remarks and behavior further underscore why. We are taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap products from our stores,” according to a company statement.
*JP Morgan Chase Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank was one of the first companies to sever its ties with Kanye in early October. The major financial institution informed the rapper in a letter that they were ending their banking relationship with him.
Conservative activist, Candance Owens, who is a friend of Ye, shared an alleged letter from the financial institution on her Twitter account informing the Chicago rapper to take his money elsewhere.
Reports have suggested that JPMorgan Chase was dissolving their relationship with Ye due to his anti-Semitic remarks.
*Vogue
Fashion and lifestyle magazine, Vogue, reportedly severed their long and close relationship with Kanye on Oct. 21, 2022. Its Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour, have no intentions of working with Kanye again due to his anti-Semitic remarks and White Lives Matter agenda. According to Page 6ix.
Their announcement also comes after Kanye attacked one of their editors, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who criticized him for wearing a White Lives Matter t-shirt at his Paris fashion show.
*CAA
On October 24, the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), who started representing West’s tours in 201, ended its contract with the music mogul, citing a similar reason for its decision.
*Footlocker
The sneaker retailer announced that it would not stock Yeezy products going forward and asked employees to hold them in stores’ backrooms pending further instruction on October 21.
“Foot Locker, Inc. does not tolerate any form of antisemitism, or hateful and discriminatory behavior,” the company said in a statement. “While we remain a partner with Adidas and carry a wide assortment of their collections — 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.”
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