Adidas breaks with Kanye West after anti-Semitic statements - PhotoList

Image Credit: Kayne West Image

Adidas will immediately end its collaboration with Kanye West. The reason is the anti-Semitic messages that the American rapper posted on social media two weeks ago.

Adidas said in a statement: “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.” The successful Yeezy shoe line of Adidas and Kanye West is therefore suspended.

Anti-Semitic Statements

West, who officially changed his name to Ye in 2018, was discredited earlier this month after posting text messages between him and fellow rapper Diddy. In it, he suggested that Diddy is controlled by Jewish people.

He also wrote on Twitter: "Slightly sleepy tonight, but when I wake up I'm going to die con 3 on the Jewish people," referring to the US military's state of alert, Defcon. After his statements, Twitter and Instagram blocked West's accounts.

It was not the first time that the American artist, who suffers from bipolar disorder, has been discredited. He previously made a half-hearted bid for the American presidency and called slavery "a choice".

Ties broken

After West's anti-Jewish statements, pressure increased on Adidas to suspend its collaboration with the rapper.

At the end of last week, the fashion brand Balenciaga already broke with the artist. It was also announced that an already completed documentary about the rapper's life will not be released.

Yeezy shoes

West, besides being a rapper, also an entrepreneur and designer, has been associated with Adidas since 2013 with his successful shoe line Yeezy. He previously worked with Nike.

The Yeezy shoes are estimated to bring in nearly $2 billion a year for Adidas, of which West receives about $200 million. The sports brand expects the termination of the collaboration with the rapper to have a negative effect of $250 million on net profit in the short term.

All three of those groups, The Anti-Defamation League, Antisemistism.com, and the International Legal Forum applauded the move by Adidas on Tuesday.

“In the end, Adidas’ action sends a powerful message that antisemitism & bigotry have NO place in society,” the ADL’s statement said.

Also, Adidas Shares fell 4% in morning trading in Frankfurt, Germany, after Bloomberg reported early in the day that it was planning to end the partnership.