Kanye West Broadimage/Shutterstock
After losing several multi-million dollar business ventures KanyeWest speaks out.
“Let’s look at the contracts,” West, 45, captioned an Instagram post on Saturday Oct. 29, noting that he wanted to share his thoughts while Instagram “still” grants him access to his account. “So we can or will do better deals.”
He added, claiming, “I’ve been beaten to a pulp and there’s still no accountability.”
Balenciaga, Adidas, Gap, Vogue magazine and CAA (Creative Artists Agency) have all severed ties with the Yeezy designer following his controversial antics earlier this month. In a heated Twitter rant, West claimed he wanted to “death addict” people of the Jewish faith.
“I’ll say I’m sorry for the people I hurt with Death Con. [comments]’ the ‘Heartless’ rapper said during an Oct. 19 appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored. “I feel like I’ve hurt and created confusion. And I feel sorry for the families of people who were unrelated to the trauma I went through and for using my platform where you say hurt people hurt people. I was injured.”
While West continues to claim to stand behind his message, he has been publicly condemned for his comments by other celebrities and companies.
“Hate speech is never okay or excusable” Kim Kardashianwho split from the Grammy winner in February 2021, tweeted on Monday, October 24. “I stand with the Jewish community and call for an immediate end to the horrific violence and hateful rhetoric directed at them.”
West’s anti-Semitic comments were hurled in retaliation after his Paris Fashion Week show sparked a backlash. The Chicago native and Candace Owens wore matching White Lives Matter shirts to his Yeezy presentation in October. While such as Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin), Gigi Hadid, diddi and Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson regretted the subject of the shirt, West continued to defend.
The story goes on
“I do certain things out of a feeling, I just channel the energy. It just feels right. It uses gut instinct, a connection to God and just plain brilliance,” West said during an Oct. 6 appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight. “Guys, they’re looking for an explanation and [they] Say, “Well, as an artist, you don’t have to make a statement,” but as a leader, you do. The answer to why I wrote “White Lives Matter” on a t-shirt is because they do. It’s the obvious.”
West’s business shifts have also impacted his overall net worth, as earnings from his various fashion collaborations no longer credit him as a billionaire. According to Forbes, the Grammy winner’s current earnings come from real estate, music and a 5% stake in Kardashian’s Skims company.
“The ‘forces unknown’ are trying to destroy my life with a tweet,” West wrote on Saturday, referring to his first, now-deleted, Twitter post. “So that proves my so-called suspicion was true? Lead with love. This is #lovespeech.”