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Following years of increasingly controversial scandals, Kanye West finally appears to be facing the consequences of his actions to a level like never before as Adidas officially cut ties on their $1.5 billion partnership with the rapper – ending a lengthy list of big name brands to have severed all links to the scandal-ridden rapper.
After shocking the world with a series of outbursts on social media in which he made anti-Semitic comments as well as derisive remarks against other celebrities, the 45-year-old musician – who first revealed his bipolar disorder diagnosis in 2018 – has also seen his lucrative business partnerships with the likes of Gap and Balenciaga ended over the past week.
The rapper – who was hospitalized for a psychiatric emergency in 2016 – has been no stranger to scandal throughout his career, which has been marred by infamous public feuds with the likes of singer Taylor Swift, rapper Drake and even his estranged wife Kim Kardashian and her family, whom he repeatedly attacked on social media.
Meanwhile, the musician has lost the support of many fans over the years for his troubling comments – including claiming that ‘slavery is a choice’, and insisting that George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose and was not murdered by Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin.
West’s most recent race-related controversies kicked off October 3 when he and and conservative commentator Candace Owens donned tops that read White Lives Matter during a Paris Fashion Week showcase for his Yeezy line.
The rapper then sparked global outrage after he tweeted on October 8: ‘I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death 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.’
Ye has split from multiple corporate partnerships in recent weeks including Adidas, Balenciaga and GAP, which is set to have a knock on effect on his $ 2 billion fortune
It comes after recent race-related controversies which began when he and and conservative commentator Candace Owens donned tops that read White Lives Matter during a Paris Fashion Week showcase for his Yeezy line
The rapper then shocked the world with a series of outbursts on social media in which he made anti-Semitic comments
The rapper was asked by Piers Morgan Wednesday if he regretted the tweet and he said: ‘No – absolutely not, absolutely not … I fought fire with fire – I’m not here to get hosed down – that’s a different type of freedom fighter.’
He later clarified: ‘I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt,’ he said. ‘I feel like I cause hurt and confusion, and I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through and that I use my platform where you say, “Hurt people hurt people,” and I was hurt.’
West’s name made further headlines over the weekend after a group took to the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles saluting Adolf Hitler with banners that read, ‘Kanye is right about the Jews’ and ‘Honk if you know.’
Now the musician is facing backlash like never-before after being dropped by top talent agency CAA and Johnny Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez.
Elsewhere, fashion bible Vogue has decided not to work with him in the future as more and more influential figures and businesses chose to distance themselves from the fashion designer.
As fans now begin to boycott his music and throw away items from his business that they own, FEMAIL lays bare how the star’s anti-Semitism scandal might be the one controversy he is unable to bounce back from.
DailyMail.com has contacted Kanye West’s representatives for comment.
Adidas finally cuts ties on its $1.5 billion deal with the rapper: West’s deal with Adidas was the crowning jewel of his fortune, earning him $191 million in royalties in 2020 alone
West inked his lucrative deal with the brand Adidas in 2015 and it was meant to continue until 2026 (pictured in 2019)
Fans have begun to throw out items from West’s business that they own amid the ongoing backlash
Adidas has finally made the move to terminate its partnership with Kanye West amid backlash over the rapper and designer’s controversial behavior, becoming the last major brand to sever ties with him in the wake of his anti-Semitism scandal.
The German sporting goods behemoth announced the move today in a statement released online, with the sportswear maker having put its partnership with Ye under review earlier this month ‘after repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation.’
West’s deal with Adidas was the crowning jewel of his fortune, with sales climbing to $1.7 billion in 2020 – earning him $191 million in royalties that year alone.
Forbes estimates that the Yeezy business with Adidas is worth $1.5 billion, and the company confirmed that it was likely going to lose up to $250 million of its net income in 2022 as a result of the split.
‘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,’ the company’s statement read.
‘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.’
The Yeezy brand makes nearly $2 billion a year for Adidas, 10 per cent of its total revenue, according to Morningstar analyst David Swartz.
Ending his $970 million Gap X Balenciaga deal: Rapper went on a public rant against the brands and demanded to end their contract, before both publicly cut ties with him
West notified Gap that he is terminating their partnership in September after a series of public rants against the clothing company (pictured in September 2022)
The confirmation of West’s Gap collection deal in June 2020 was a monumental moment for the rapper, who used to work in at one of its stores in Chicago as a teenager.
The collaboration was estimated at around $970 million when the deal was announced, and it was originally expected to last for ten years.
West’s first release for the brand in 2021 immediately sold out – and the rapper later claimed that Gap had sold $14 million worth of hoodies at $80 per item.
However, the rapper terminated his work with the retailer in September 2022 after the brand refused to place him on the Gap corporate board.
The artist’s lawyers sent a letter to the company to notify executives of the termination, according to The Wall Street Journal. The letter alleged that Gap breached its agreement by not releasing apparel as planned, or opening stores.
Although Gap’s partnership with West had already been terminated, the brand took additional steps to sever its ties with the rapper on Tuesday, announcing in a statement that it would immediately remove all Yeezy products from its stores, while the YeezyGap.com website was shut down with immediate effect.
In its statement, which was shared with DailyMail.com, a brand spokesperson said: ‘In September, Gap announced ending its Yeezy Gap partnership. Our former partner’s recent remarks and behavior further underscore why. We are taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores and we have shut down yeezygap.com.
‘Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values. On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hate and discrimination.’
Gap was also part of a deal between Yeezy and Balenciaga, with estimates claiming the additional collaboration would bring in $1 billion in projected sales.
A rep for Balenciaga’s parent company Kering told Women’s Wear Daily Friday, the company ‘has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.’
Meanwhile, West’s ex wife Kim Kardashian, 42, still models for the French brand. Indeed, the former couple have both been working closely with the brand since their split.
West made his surprise modelling debut at Paris Fashion Week as he opened Balenciaga’s SS23 show, walking down a muddy catwalk.
Demna, creative director of the luxury fashion brand, explained that the mud is ‘a metaphor for digging for truth and being down to earth’.
The Georgian fashion designer explained: ‘Individualism in fashion is downgraded to pseudo trends dictated by a post in stories of some celebrity of the moment… fashion in its best-case scenario should not need a story to be sold to someone… let us let everyone be anyone.’
How his $90 million music empire could go up in flames: West’s streams and sales are set to take a hit as fans choose to boycott his music
The award-winning artist has over 50million monthly listeners on Spotify, however the number is expected to drop as more and more music fans announce their plans to boycott his music and call for him to be removed from the platform
Taking to social media sites such as Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, many has been sharing images of themselves muting the star’s music on streaming services in response to his recent behavior
West has sold over 140 million albums worldwide, and documents seen by Forbes show that his own recorded music and publishing rights is worth at least $90million.
At present, the award-winning artist has over 50million monthly listeners on Spotify however the number is expected to drop as more and more music fans announce their plans to boycott his music.
Taking to social media sites such as Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, many has been sharing images of themselves muting the star’s music on streaming services in response to his recent behavior.
One furious fan tweeted: ‘Let me remove every Kanye song off my Spotify. F**k him’.
‘Welp time to remove Kanye’s music from my Spotify playlists,’ another commented.
One fan stated: ‘I feel like I’m mourning because I love kanye’s music. infact I was basically obsessed. But enough is enough! I can’t sell my integrity for good music.
‘Thank you @Spotify for the ability to remove an artist from ever being played.’
What is left of the rapper’s fortune? As Kanye is dropped by agency CAA – and his new lawyer Camille Vasquez – what will happen to his personal businesses and brands?
Fashion mainstay Vogue magazine have publicly distanced themselves from the rapper/fashion designer, after he has enjoyed years of friendship with Editor in Chief Anna Wintour (pictured in 2015 alongside his ex-wife Kim Kardashian)
West has recently revealed plans on opening his own Donda school campuses, named after his late mother, where it will house schools, farms, dorms and house shopping, with products sold there from the Yeezy brand
The continued fallout is set to have a further effect on West’s fortune and remaining business ventures.
On Monday, West was dropped by the talent agency CAA, which he initially signed with six years ago. The move means that it will be even harder for the rapper to try and procure new deals amid the ongoing backlash now he now longer has the CAA team attempting to negotiate collaborations on his behalf.
It also comes after Johnny Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez chose to no longer work with the star, while fashion mainstay Vogue magazine have publicly distanced themselves from the rapper/fashion designer.
A spokesperson for Vogue told Page Six Friday that the magazine and its editor-in-chief Anna Wintour have no plans on working with West in the future.
An insider said Wintour ‘has had enough’ of West’s behavior, and ‘has made it very clear inside Vogue that Kanye is no longer part of the inner circle.’
Meanwhile, a documentary about West made by the studio MRC will be shelved in the wake of the scandal, the AP reported, as execs Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu and Scott Tenley said in a Monday memo, ‘We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform.’
They added: ‘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.
‘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.’
Elsewhere, the mother of George Floyd’s daughter has launched a $250 million legal bid against Kanye West after his controversial comments about his death.
West claimed that Floyd, who was murdered by Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin in May 2020, died after taking fentanyl and the police officers knee ‘wasn’t even on his neck like that’.
Now Floyd’s family have issued a cease-and desist letter to West, 45, for the comments he made on the Drink Champs podcast, which has since been deleted.
It is unknown what West’s next endeavor is, and unclear what brands will work with the rapper, although he did vocalize plans on going solo and opening his own stores, without a company ‘standing in between me and the audience.’
‘It’s time for me to go it alone. It’s fine. I made the companies money. The companies made me money. We created ideas that will change apparel forever. Like the round jacket, the foam runner, the slides that have changed the shoe industry. Now it’s time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience,’ he told Bloomberg.
The ex files: West claims to have five per cent stake in Kim Kardashian’s $3.2 billion SKIMS brand, which is worth up to $160 million
West has claimed he has a five per cent stake in estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS range – which would be worth $160 million
West, who split from Kim Kardashian in 2020, remains a partner in shapewear line Skims. As of October 7, West claimed he had a five per cent stake in Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS range – which would be worth $160 million after the company was most recently valued at $3.2 billion.
However, the rapper also blasted his ex over her ‘overly sexualized’ SKIMS campaigns when chatting to conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson.
‘Kim is a Christian, but she has people who want her to go to Interview magazine and put her a** out while she’s a 40-something-year-old multi-billionaire with four Black children and this is how fashion … how they want to present her,’ he said.
West, who shares four children with Kim – daughters North, nine, and Chicago, four, and sons Saint, six, and Psalm, three – was also critical of the marketing.
‘I had a lot of issues with the imagery of SKIMS,’ he said. ‘I felt like there’s a lot of imagery that was overly sexualized and things I wouldn’t want to see my wife and definitely not my daughters doing in the future in order to sell product. But it reaches another level when it’s like, “OK, well this is what my wife is doing. This is what she is doing for our children.”‘
Sources close to the company say that West has had no involvement in the company since launch and all operations of the brand are run by Kim Kardashian, Jens Grede and Emma Grede.
DailyMail.com has contacted Kim Kardashian’s representatives for comment.
Donda school and Yeezy projects: West plans to expand his ‘$15,000 a year’ prep school and sells items from his brand on campus
West opened up a private Christian prep school in Simi Valley, California titled the Donda Academy (pictured in 2019)
Donda enrolment is believed to cost $15,000 per year, but a statement on its website claims ‘everyone is welcome to apply regardless of financial situation
According to its website Donda currently offers core classes in Mathematics, English Language, Arts and Science alongside regular Christian worship and two obligatory ‘enrichment classes’
Kanye has recently revealed plans on opening his own Donda campuses where it will house schools, farms, dorms and house shopping, with products sold there from the Yeezy brand. A large selling point for the school is its choir program, which looked to be tied into West’s exclusive Sunday Service gatherings.
In August, the rapper opened the doors of his mysterious new Christian Preparatory school in Simi Valley, California. The musician aims to create a ‘new generation of leaders’ through classes that includes athletic discipline Parkour at Donda Academy, named after his late mother.
The school opened to 100 young students in August, with photos circulating on social media appearing to show them in loose-fitting uniforms apparently designed by his Yeezy brand.
Donda enrolment is believed to cost $15,000 per year, but a statement on its website claims ‘everyone is welcome to apply regardless of financial situation.’ To that end, as many as half of the students currently receiving tuition at the facility are believed to be the recipients of financial assistance or school scholarships.
The school caters to children aged five to 18 and allots 12 students per class, but has not yet received accreditation, according to Rolling Stone, and was seeking to hire teachers ahead of the school year.
Information from two sources indicated that families of those enrolled in the school are mandated to sign nondisclosure agreements. A school consultant told the outlet that only parents are asked to sign the NDAs, describing them as an ‘informal agreement.’
According to the California Department of Education, the school has a basketball team named the Donda Doves.
Documents obtained by TMZ indicate the Grammy winner is looking to cash in on merchandise with the Donda brand. The artist’s company, Mascotte Holdings, has filed for several new trademarks that would lock up the rights to put the Donda Sports name on apparel such as shirts, jackets, hats, shoes and other clothes.
He also wants to brand bags of all varieties, as well as hip bags, luggage, wallets, umbrellas and blankets. Additionally, there are papers that indicate plans to expand Dove Sports, named after the school’s mascot.
Meanwhile, a Jewish educational consultant for the school, Dr Tamar Andrews, 57, has quit because of West’s anti-Semitic outbursts
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter the president of Temple Isaiah of LA, where Andrews is a director, said: ‘Dr. Andrews immediately resigned from Donda Academy following Ye West’s tweet.
‘Her last day was October 11, 2022 as she felt she could no longer support the organization.’
Netflix documentary: The streaming service paid upwards of $30 million to acquire Jeen-Yuhs, though it is unclear if West received any payment for its creation
The Jeen-Yuhs documentary debuted on Netflix in February and is set to remain on the platform ‘because West was not a creator or promoter on the project’
It has been confirmed that the Kanye West documentary Jeen-Yuhs will remain streaming on Netflix amid the rapper’s ongoing controversy.
A rep for the streaming service told TMZ Monday that the company is not removing the doc because West was not a creator or promoter on the project, but rather the subject.
The rep noted that Netflix doesn’t have a history of removing content of producers or performers who later find themselves mired in controversy.
In April 2021, Billboard.com reported that Netflix has spent upwards of $30 million to acquire the feature put together by West’s friends and collaborators Clarence ‘Coodie’ Simmons and Chike Ozah.
A source told Billboard that the Life Of Pablo artist gave the duo his blessing for the project which the pair will produce in conjunction with TIME Studios.
Having started filming West’s journey since the late 1990s, Simmons’ project featured never-before-seen footage includes the early years of the rapper’s career in Chicago, the death of his mother Donda West, his foray into the fashion industry and his 2020 presidential run.
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