For friends and fans of Kanye West, it is getting harder and harder to support the rapper-turned-fashion mogul. Kanye’s always known how to get a conversation going. Most recently, he got people speaking thanks to his decision to include t-shirts in his Yeezy fashion show that included the slogan “WLM.” Well, it looks like many people are tired of trying to speak up for him and have finally turned their backs on West following his latest remarks earlier this month.
The backlash has been quick and swift. On October 9th, Diddy threw in the towel after Kanye West used their messages as a way to get his anti-Semitic rant off. Diddy was not having it and posted a video of Stokely Carmichael, a black activist who spoke on the dangers of black men being brainwashed by “white people.”
Justin Beiber put some distance between him and his former friend following some uncalled-for hatred aimed at his wife’s appearance after she defended her friend Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson from Kanye’s nasty remarks. LeBron James had to bench a whole episode of The Shop that he could not air because West used the show to spew some nastiness toward Jewish people.
Now, people are putting their money where their mouth is and showing their distaste for West by severing business ties. While The Gap and Adidas have discussed “winding down” collaborations with him in the coming months, Balenciaga has ended their partnership with West effective this week.
Kanye West’s label, GOOD Music, has seen its partnership with Def Jam Records brought to an end as well. West artist deal with them is said to have expired following 2021’s Donda. Kanye has also taken a hit in streams as a result, with his music plays down a whopping 23% since he was kicked off Twitter and Instagram for his anti-semitism. His radio play is down 13% too, with some major cities like Los Angeles reporting zero plays in the last week.
This week it was also reported that a completed Ye documentary with Paramount Pictures and Magnolia has been shelved. “We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform,” the film’s creators said in a statement. His lawyer Camille Vasquez has also dropped him as a client this week after he refused to apologize. This isn’t the first time Kanye’s remarks have cost him, but somehow he always seems to bounce back. Do you think Kanye West will recover this time?
