Rishi Bala ‘25, News Staff Writer

Image Courtesy of CNN

The month of October saw the rapid downfall of Kanye West, a man who was often considered one of the most influential rap artists of all time. Early in the month, Kanye wore a shirt displaying the phrase “White Lives Matter,” a statement that has been linked to neo-nazis and white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. West did not stop there, doubling down on his largely antisemitic comments on Instagram and Twitter, a series of decisions that have had severe financial consequences for him and all associating companies, leading to a surge of antisemitic remarks and hate speech in the public spotlight.

For Kanye, the punishments have come fast. Following social backlash and celebrities voicing concerns, both Instagram and Twitter restricted his accounts for violation of company rules and guidelines. The rap mogul also faced a sharp decline in radio play: according to Billboard, West’s daily spins declined by 21.1%, and his average daily radio audience fell by 21.4%. Brand deals and endorsements started to cut ties with West as well; companies such as Balenciaga, Adidas, Foot Locker, and T.J. Maxx stopped procuring and selling his products. 

Adidas took much of the spotlight following Kanye’s comments. According to Forbes, their decision to end all relations cost him both $1.5 billion and his billionaire status, dropping his net worth to $400 million. Out of all of the companies that dropped Kanye’s products, Adidas also ended up paying the biggest toll: the company stated that it would face a loss of about 250 million euros (about $244 million dollars) in the fourth quarter. West’s line of Yeezy products made up a significant portion of their revenue and profitability. Alone, they generated $2 billion in sales last year, 8% of Adidas’ total revenue. However, many are still left wondering what took Adidas and so many other companies so long to drop Kanye’s line of products. The terminations of his deals and endorsements came weeks after the rapper’s first series of offensive remarks. On the Drink Champs Podcast, West even bragged and directly called Adidas out, claiming that they could never cut ties with him. And for a little while, that appeared to be true.

According to CNN Business, however, it seems that the last straw for Adidas was an image in Los Angeles depicting a small group of demonstrators raising their arms in the Nazi salute and holding banners reading “Honk if you know” and “Kanye is right about the Jews.” Multiple other neo-nazi groups performed similar demonstrations. West’s comments provided backing for them, with extremists using him and his large following to amplify their views. Companies like Adidas —not wanting to be associated with hate groups—quickly cut all ties with Kanye following this image’s release. 

For many people, it is clear that West’s career and reputation have been severely changed. His antisemitic comments and remarks have not only harmed his public image, but have also served as a basis for hate groups to amplify and reinforce their messages and ideals. It is unclear whether his music career will be able to recover, but with his endorsements and brand deals having permanently cut ties with him, it appears that his best days are far behind him.