Kanye West’s anti-Semitic remarks are putting one of his business partners in the hot seat! And for a very good reason!!
As the rapper continues to spew hate speech, especially aimed toward Jewish people, online and in various interviews, the internet has been outraged to see Adidas has still yet to cut ties with or reprimand the controversial star! While they did suggest their partnership was “under review” earlier this month, little has been done — and instead, Adidas only appears to be clinging to Yeezy even more these days! For most people, this has gone too far.
Related: Trevor Noah Addresses Supposed ‘Beef’ With Kanye On The Daily Show
Tensions reached a breaking point over the weekend as a recent clip from Ye’s Drink Champs interview resurfaced online. In the 15-second clip, Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband insisted the sneaker company will do nothing despite his ongoing anti-Semitism, saying clearly:
“I can literally say anti-Semitic s**t, and they can’t drop me. I can say anti-Semitic things, and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?”
Kanye:
“The thing about it being Adidas — I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me. Now what? Now what?”
pic.twitter.com/a9S1EvzPk2— Rex Chapman???????? (@RexChapman) October 21, 2022
Ugh. He even seemed proud of that! So awful. Because of this and many of Kanye’s disturbing remarks, many celebrities and social media users took to Twitter to bash the company for not making a statement against their Yeezy collaborator’s cruelty. Take a look:
Josh Gad: “This is not a good person. This is a person who’s dangerous rhetoric continues to go unchecked. Hey @adidas, is this right? Can he single out a single faith and group of people with hatred and vitriol and it doesn’t matter? Asking for a friend.”
Author Alexander S. Vindman: “This dude Kanye is a clown. @adidas what do you think about this? He seems to imply you’re okay with antisemitism.”
https://twitter.com/RoArquette/status/1583521855306014720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1583521855306014720%7Ctwgr%5Efede699cbaa25ca9632419bb5c9ab09e9b657e57%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanityfair.com%2Fstyle%2F2022%2F10%2Fpressure-mounts-on-adidas-to-cut-ties-with-kanye-west
Everyday folk also had some choice words for the company, adding:
“Good morning. Trying to decide which one of my @adidas shoes to wear today. Oh, wait. I’m NEVER F**KING WEARING ADIDAS ever again. I stand against & fully reject Kanye’s bigotry & antisemitism.”
“Shame on you.”
“Silence is complicity. Adidas seems to agree with this POS.”
The Anti-Defamation League also urged Adidas to end its relationship with the Hurricane artist and to stop putting profits first, saying:
“In light of Kanye West’s increasingly strident antisemitic remarks over the past few weeks, we were disturbed to learn that Adidas plans to continue to release new products from his Yeezy brand without any seeming acknowledgment of the controversy surrounding his most recent remarks. We urge Adidas to reconsider supporting the Ye product line and to issue a statement making clear that the Adidas company and community has no tolerance whatsoever for antisemitism.”
Well, that didn’t happen…
As #BoycottAdidas trended on Twitter, the brand released NEW Yeezys! Seriously! On Saturday, the shoe company seemingly ignored all calls for action and instead chose to collect as much cash as possible by launching a new shoe worth $200-$300 (and MUCH more in the resale markets).
Did you add another pair of Yeezy's to your rotation?
If you missed out, shop with confidence, and get em at @ebaysneakers #ebaypartner (After Market)
>> https://t.co/lcXJtWZM7G pic.twitter.com/SmhwwsY0A6
— KicksFinder (@KicksFinder) October 23, 2022
Interestingly, the company also released a new job posting for a new brand director for Yeezy based out of LA. So, it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be cutting ties with Ye anytime soon! So much for that so-called internal “review.” Sigh. Maybe Ye was right? Does Adidas not care about what he has to say, or the implications of his words?
Related: Kanye Giving In & Finalizing Divorce From Kim Kardashian!
A look into the history of the company does shed a nasty light on this situation. For those that don’t know, Adidas was founded by German Adolf “Adi” Dassler — an early member of the Nazi Party! Per TMZ, during Adolf Hitler‘s regime, the company even supplied athletic footwear to Nazis. Oh, this brings a whole new perspective on their silence. Yeesh! Adi was charged with being a “belasteter” during the denazification process, which is the second-most serious category of offense, according to Vanity Fair. Also of note, Adi’s older brother Rudolf, who founded Puma, shared ties to the murderous political party.
As Adidas keeps quiet and Kanye continues to rant, neo-Nazi and white supremacists are now taking to the street to rally. Over an LA highway on Sunday, a banner was hung reading:
“Kanye is right about the Jews.”
Despicable. It’s really going to be telling if Adidas does nothing amid these controversies!! Especially since some brands, such as Balenciaga and Vogue, have already done the right thing and broken off from the star amid his harmful speeches. Thoughts?