Controversial rapper Kanye West is alleged to have exhibited anti-Semitism on multiple occasions during his meetings with Adidas executives, who nevertheless continued their partnership with the controversial star for nearly a decade, according to a lengthy report by the magazine New York Times Published Friday.
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According to the daily’s information, based on numerous documents and interviews, Kanye West – who now goes by Ye – drew swastikas and even asked an Adidas manager of Jewish origin to take a photo of Hitler every day during a meeting at Adidas headquarters kissing in Germany.
Employees also said that Kanye West insisted on showing pornography to Adidas executives both at home and in the office and that he made sexual comments to company employees during his visits to headquarters.
The popular sportswear brand first partnered with Kanye West in 2013, which led to the launch of Yeezy shoes.
When Adidas renewed the partnership in 2016, Adidas made sure to include in the rapper’s contract that he could end the partnership if Kanye West said something scandalous.
Just last year, Adidas exploited this clause after the rapper made inflammatory statements about Jews and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Adidas’ financial results quickly showed why the company was eager to continue its partnership. Adidas suffered two consecutive quarters of net losses before finally returning to profitability, albeit with significantly lower net profits than before.
Last spring, Adidas began selling its final inventory of Yeezy shoes. The company held 500 million euros (approximately CAN$725 million) worth of Yeezy shoes at the time, with an estimated retail value of up to 1.2 billion euros (CA$1.75 billion).
Part of the profits should be donated to organizations.