© (Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press) Kanye West no longer has a contract with his Def Jam label, making him a free agent. It's unclear if a major check-in company will handle West's baggage. (Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press)
After one of the worst months of his career, Kanye West's long list of business associates is once again faced with the choice of staying with him, knowing that at any moment they could turn their hatred on any of the … ex-wives. A new friend of the Jewish people is on the run or, finally, severes relations with a pop star.
The 45-year-old rapper who now heads Ye has partnered with some of the world's largest music, fashion and tech companies throughout his career, including Apple, Adidas, Def Jam, CAA and Gap. Even after years of flirting with far-right politicians, including support and meetings with former President Trump, he remained a wanted employee.
In the past, Yi's seizures have often been attributed in part to her struggles with bipolar disorder. But its recent actions have become impossible to defend or ignore, and some brands like Adidas are starting to back down.
"This is not a slap in the face for Will Smith," said Travis Knox, assistant professor at Chapman University. “His comments are so racist and anti-Semitic that he won't be able to deal with them quickly. It's impossible".
Last year, West's wife Kim Kardashian filed for divorce, prompting West to launch a public attack on her and her family. West threatened then-boyfriend Pete Davidson (including the murder staged in the "Eazy" music video) and the Grammys, citing "web behavior," canceled his April concert schedule. Kid Cody, his longtime friend and collaborator, also broke off relations with West earlier this year, stating:
Last week, West's behavior was very clear. During the YZY show at Paris Fashion Week, she poses alongside far-right political columnist Candice Owens wearing a "White Lives Matter" T-shirt (a slogan popularized by fascist and neo-Nazi groups). After widespread criticism, he announced that he would "go to death with 3 on HEWIH People", which later led to the suspension of his accounts by Instagram and Twitter. He then went to Tucker Carlson's Fox News, made more anti-Semitic comments, and claimed, among other things, that there was a conspiracy related to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. In the footage, he said that someone planted "fake children" in his home to "sexualize my children".
In light of its recent outbursts, Adidas, which makes the popular Yeezy shoe line, said in a statement that "after repeated attempts to resolve the situation in private, we have made the decision to reconsider the partnership."
West responded on Instagram by writing: "F-ADIDAS I AM ADIDAS raped and stole my models".
© (Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Universal Music) Kanye West at the Donda Audition Party at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 22, 2021. (Kevin Mazur / Getty Images Universal Music)
Of course, the West is still a huge force in pop music. All albums, along with her 2004 debut The College Dropout, topped the Billboard 200, including Donda's 2021 Grammy-winning album of the year. Before Donda, he hosted public "audition parties" in football stadiums in Atlanta and Chicago, broadcasting them live on Apple Music (he was heavily criticized for inviting special guests Dabebe and Marilyn Manson, both of whom are fugitives). conditionally, for intolerant language or perceived insult). His show, which concluded in December with Drake's performance at the Los Angeles Coliseum, has ensured that he continues to be the concert's primary audience, and he is one of the few hip-hop artists who can be trusted as a headliner in most major festivals in the world.
But getting on the A list as a live activity can be easy. It canceled major shows at two festivals, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Rolling Loud Miami Festival, at the last minute, leaving promoters with just a few days to throw a new show.
We will never leave the front pages until Kanye is gone, and we don't take that lightly, "Rolling Loud co-founder Tariq Sharif told The Times in August." The platform we have created deserves respect, but we don't. he liked it. he realized he wasn't ready to take the lead, so we had to respect him and find a replacement. Unfortunately we did everything. "
CAA, who currently represents West on tour, declined to comment on their current relationship with the artist. West's attorney, Nicholas Gravant, did not respond to a request for comment on their current employment relationship. Representatives from AEG Presents, the parent company of Coachella and Live Nation, declined to comment on West.
Meanwhile, it's unclear who will release West's next album. A source familiar with his contract with old Def Jam said he complied with the terms of his record deal, keeping him a free agent. Although he has released ten consecutive Top 10 albums, it's unclear whether a major record company, some of them publicly traded, can handle the baggage it brought to the West. (Of course, West could choose to release future albums without the support of mainstream record labels, as he did with February 2's Donda 2, which was only available on his $ 200 Stem device.)
Meanwhile, major streaming service Spotify, which temporarily halted promotions for country star Morgan Wallen after being accused of using the N word in a video in February 2021, still includes West's music in many of its playlists. Spotify reps did not respond to requests for comment.
Recently, other famous artists have given up on public insults. Wallen returned to the sold-out arena and won the televised Academy of Country Music Awards after using racist slurs. Mel Gibson is making mainstream films after years of racist and anti-Semitic slurs. Brad Pitt's career has not yet been successful after his ex-wife Angelina Jolie accused him of strangling her son on a plane. After winning a nefarious libel suit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp is more popular than ever in some circles.
© (Edouard Berthelot / GC Images) Kanye West at Paris Fashion Week. (Images by Edward Berthelot / GC)
West still has some unacceptable behavior in the world of high fashion. During Paris Fashion Week, industry stars including Anna Wintour, John Galliano, Balenciaga stylist (and western partner) Dimma Gvasalia and Alexandre Arnault of Tiffany & Co. (son of LVMH president Bernard Arnault) attended the screening on 3 October. . . Where he wore the "White Lives Matter" T-shirts. As Galliano demonstrated with his anti-Semitic outburst and his return in 2011, the fashion industry will allow you to return to work if it believes in your talent and your business.
It's unclear who currently supports her fashion line, but West said, "We'll open our house tonight" at a show in Paris. She later told Women's Wear Daily: "Why would I want to do a business? I foster a culture … that's what happens when you become independent, you can't count on these big companies to give you your vision."
In September, West ended her relationship with clothing retailer Gap, citing distribution and retail issues. "Yezy Gap revealed his concerns in August and gave the company 30 contract days to correct the violations," Gravante told CNBC at the time. Gap CEO Mark Breitbard wrote in a company note. “As we share the vision of creating stylish, high-quality and useful designs for all people across all of Yeezy Gap's unique experiences, how do we work together to achieve this vision? To approve".
Big brands know that creative minds like Ye can sometimes be unpredictable or problematic. According to Americus Reed, a professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, it will be difficult for companies to justify working with him again after his recent revolutions.
"Things like that are deadly for celebrity sponsors," Reid said. "Celebrities don't get paid to express their opinions, they get paid to keep a brand and they get paid to sell a brand."
This also applies to media brands that want to hear from you, or at least document your recent ups and downs. Andscape reports that Ye's latest appearance in The Shop! Uninterrupt, which switched to YouTube this year after working with HBO, was shelved, citing SpringHill's Maverick Carter, CEO of the show's production company. series.
Carter said Landscape. “I thought we could have a respectful discussion and I was ready to address all your recent comments. Unfortunately, you used The Shop to repeat more hate speech and very dangerous stereotypes. We decided not to air this episode or whatever Kanye said. "
Even the right flamethrower Carlson had to free West's two novels from the irrational distractions of his program. Vice posted leaked images where West claimed Planned Parenthood was created "to control the Jewish population … When I say Jews, I mean the 12 lost tribes of Judah, the blood of Christ, and indeed these are the people known as Black race. These are our people. Blood of Christ. "This is my faith as a Christian."
© (Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press) Kanye West and Kim Kardashian at the WSJ Innovator Awards on November 6, 2019 in New York City. (Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press)
Some breakups appear to have been instigated by the artist himself long before his recent racist outbursts.
Owens tweeted last week that JPMorgan Chase had terminated his banking relationship with Ye. This claim has been widely circulated in the right-wing media as evidence of the alleged "abolition" of the West by financial institutions.
“I learned today that Kanyevest has been officially fired by JP Morgan Chase. They told me there is no official reason, but they also sent this letter to confirm that they need to find another location for the Yeezy Empire Bank by the end of November. "Owens tweeted on Thursday. Share a screenshot of the e -mail.
A person familiar with the situation, not authorized to speak publicly, said the letter was dated September 20, before the latest series of explosions.
West is one of the few artists who has the resources to open their own retail stores, self-produced albums and bookstores. Last year, Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at $ 1.8 billion, largely thanks to a sneakers deal with Adidas (despite West's claims, Forbes called him not the man of richer color of America).
Reed said any benevolence West might have retained for his artistic vision and business prowess was now in real danger.
"When you start going crazy and attacking the CEO and doing all kinds of extreme things, you go radioactive," Reed said.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
