Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has long been known as a controversial figure, but his recent antics on social media have landed him in trouble, both online and in his business relationships.
Social Media Moderation
On social media, Ye started seeing major pushback for debuting a shirt with the slogan, "White Lives Matter", at Paris Fashion Week on Monday. The phrase is often used by white supremacists to spread hate, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
One of the many people troubled by Ye's actions was the rapper Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, who privately reached out to Ye to try to express his problems with the shirt.
In response, Ye posted screenshots of the private conversation in which he accuses Combs of being manipulated by Jewish people. That post got Ye's account restricted on Instagram starting Friday, October 7.
Then, on Sunday, Ye's Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) account was locked after he posted about his plans to go "death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE".
"The funny thing is I actually can't be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also," Ye wrote in the post that was later removed by Twitter. "You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda."
According to both Twitter and Meta (NASDAQ: META), the parent company of Instagram, Ye's accounts were locked due to his violations of their policies. The account lock and restriction mean that Ye's accounts are still visible, but he can't post for an undisclosed amount of time. While the posts were removed, they were still seen by millions of Ye's fans, many of whom may be unfamiliar with the dangers of antisemitism.
"Unfortunately, we've been seeing these kinds of tropes and conspiracy theories on the rise across the country, which is all the more troubling because the rise of antisemitic rhetoric is directly linked to the rise in antisemitic violence," president and chief executive of the Jewish Federations of North America, Eric Fingerhut, said in a statement.
Partnership Problems
The day before the "White Lives Matter" t-shirt controversy, Adidas (OTC: ADDYY) announced that it would be putting its partnership with Ye's fashion brand Yeezy "under review" after nearly a decade. The partnership between the athletics company and Yeezy has been massively profitable, but Ye has made several negative statements about Adidas in the last month that put that relationship in jeopardy.
Along with accusing Adidas of "copying" his ideas, Ye also claimed that the company didn't give him enough control over the design process, specifically attacking the company's CEO Kasper Rorsted, as well as other board members.
"F-------- ADIDAS I AM ADIDAS," Ye wrote on Instagram following the announcement about the partnership review.
Adidas hasn't stated why the partnership with Yeezy is under review and has consistently stated that its relationship with Ye is one of its most successful.
"He's had a tremendous impact globally for us," Rorsted said in August. "Kanye is our most important partner worldwide. We have a very, very good relationship with him. We communicate with him on a very ongoing basis. And we're very proud of that relationship."
Last month, Ye pulled out of his partnership with Gap (NYSE: GPS), again complaining that he wasn't given enough creative control. The Gap apparel line, which was expected to bring in $1 billion in annual sales, ended when Ye sent a letter officially terminating the partnership over an alleged breach of contract.
Gap responded, "While we share a vision of bringing high-quality, trend-forward, utilitarian design to all people through unique omni experiences with Yeezy Gap, how we work together to deliver this vision is not aligned."
Rather than continuing his project with Gap, Ye says he plans to open his own retail stores. However, Yeezy Gap products became available at Gap stores starting this July, and products that were already designed will still be available at stores through the first half of 2023.
The Yeezy partnership was a big deal for Gap, which saw its biggest share price bump in 40 years after the project was announced. The slick new Yeezy products were part of the company's efforts to modernize its image. While Ye's creative vision was a major selling point for Gap, that same vision may have been what killed the partnership.
"Kanye seems to have a very specific vision and a very strong desire to see things in a certain way," said Staci Jennifer Trager, partner and lead of the fashion practice at Nixon Peabody. "That level of control and desire to control things and execute in that way may not be aligned with collaborating with a brand."
According to Trager, making compromises is a key part of these sorts of fashion collaborations, and Kanye's unwillingness to compromise effectively kills his corporate relationships.