Many brands are now distancing themselves from the rapper
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Never one to shy away from speaking his mind, Ye has issued his thoughts on a number of people, brands and religions.
His hot-head antics, however, have seen the music mogul not only lose large amounts of money but also barred from social-media platforms and dropped by fashion brands and his creative agency.
Here’s a timeline of his most recent rants, starting from Paris Fashion Week and a controversial T-shirt to his complete ban on Twitter due to antisemitic comments including the use of a swastika.
Paris Fashion Week, October 3
During a “secret” catwalk event, Yeezy SZN nine, Ye stirs things up with a T-shirt emblazoned “White Lives Matter”.
Alongside Ye, models on the catwalk and rightwing commentator Candace Owens are seen in the tees, which feature a photo of Pope John Paul II.
Anti-racist campaigners are in uproar, calling it hate speech that mocks the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Everyone here knows that I am the leader… you can’t manage me. This is an unmanageable situation,” Ye had said prior to the show.
Locked out of Instagram, October 7
Ye’s Instagram account is suspended after he posts a text conversation screenshot with fellow rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The screenshot conversation involved Ye suggesting that Diddy was being controlled by Jewish people. The rapper is accused of antisemitism.
48-hour Twitter ban, October 10
After being locked out of Instagram, Ye posts a photo of himself singing alongside Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Twitter, despite not posting on the platform for almost two years.
This was followed by another post seen as a direct threat aimed at Jewish people, with Twitter then banning the rapper.
Interview controversy, October 11
Kanye is on a roll and, in an interview with Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, website Vice obtains unaired footage from the interview.
The footage involves Ye making a number of antisemitic claims.
An episode of YouTube talk show The Shop is pulled due to “more hate speech”, with producers deciding against airing their interview and refusing to share any more details of his comments.
Brands pull the plug – End of October
A number of major brands announce they will no longer be working with the rapper due to his ongoing antisemitic comments.
This comes after Gap had dropped the rapper back in September and includes fashion house Balenciaga, talent agency Creative Artists Agency, and banking group JP Morgan.
Adidas sticks with Ye despite increasing pressure to drop him, too.
Billion-dollar loss and end to Adidas deal – October 25
After numerous negotiations and warnings, Adidas is finally at the end of its tether with Ye and drops the musician.
A statement reads: “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.
“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.”
This move sees Ye lose a staggering $1.5bn, with US money magazine Forbes stating the rapper is no longer a billionaire, with his net worth dropping to $400m.
Alex Jones interview culminating in official Twitter ban - December 2
Kanye appears on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s Infowars.
In the interview, Ye is seen wearing a face covering and goes on to praise Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
The interview continues with him discussing other controversial subjects, including pornography, sin, and the devil.
Within hours of its broadcast, Ye is suspended from Twitter yet again, citing the same reasons as before, of “violating our rule against incitement to violence”.
Calling Elon Musk a hybrid - December 5
On his Instagram story, the rapper asks: “Am I the only one thinks Elon could be half Chinese... take a Chinese genius and mate them with a South African super model and we have an Elon.”
He adds: “I say ‘an Elon’ because they probably made 10 to 30 Elon’s and he’s the first genetic hybrid that stuck.”
Mr Musk replies, “I take that as a compliment”, before later simply tweeting: “Lmaooo”.
