After one of the ugliest months of his career, Kanye West’s long list of business partners again face a choice — stick with him, knowing at any moment he could launch into a hateful tirade against anyone from his soon-to-be-ex-wife’s new boyfriend to Jewish people at large — or finally cut ties with the music superstar.
The rapper, 45, who now goes by Ye, has teamed up with some of the biggest global firms in music, fashion and technology over his career — Apple, Adidas, Def Jam, CAA and the Gap among them. Even after years of flirting with extreme right-wing politics, including endorsing and meeting with former President Trump, he remained an in-demand collaborator.
In the past, Ye’s outbursts were often excused, in part, because of his struggle with bipolar disorder. But his recent actions have become more impossible to defend or overlook, and some brands like Adidas have begun to pull away.
“This isn’t the Will Smith slap,” said Travis Knox, an associate professor at Chapman University. “His comments are so racist, so antisemitic, he’s not going to get over it quickly. There’s no way.”
In just this last year, West’s wife Kim Kardashian filed for divorce, prompting West to publicly lash out against her and her family. West threatened her then-boyfriend Pete Davidson (including a mock murder in the music video for “Eazy”), and the Grammys, citing “concerning online behavior,” canceled his planned performance during the April ceremony. Kid Cudi, his longtime friend and collaborator, also cut ties with West this year, saying “It’s gonna take a ... miracle for me and that man to be friends again.”
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