Kanye West Cut Off by Fashion Distributor, Talent Agency and Filmmaking Collaborators Amid Fallout Over His Anti-Semitism
Photo by JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty Images
The business travails for the rapper formerly known as Kanye West are about to get worse — as three of his major partner agencies are parting ways from him in the wake of his anti-Semitic public meltdown.
Ye, as he is currently known, has been publicly railing against multiple companies and business affiliates in recent weeks — even as the blowback for his outrageous antics is raising questions about the public feasibility of his entrepreneurial endeavors. Now it seems that more companies are backing away from West amid the controversy he has generated.
The fashion house Balenciaga, which worked with Ye on his Yeezy line earlier this year, released a statement through its parent company, Kering, announcing they have cut their ties.
“Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” the statement said. This comes after a spokesperson for Vogue claimed the magazine is breaking off from Ye as well.
Apart from trouble for Ye’s clothing line, the CAA talent agency has also confirmed they will no longer represent the rapper. Furthermore, Variety picked up a company memo from MRC announcing that they will not move forward with releasing their completed documentary about the rapper.
From the memo:
This morning, after discussion with our filmmakers and distribution partners, we made the decision not to proceed with any distribution for our recently completed documentary about Kanye West. We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform. Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3,000 years — the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain.
The silence from leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or antisemitism in general is dismaying but not surprising. What is new and sad, is the fear Jews have about speaking out in their own defense
