Kanye West, Crazy As A Loon

The well-known antisemite and sneaker designer Kanye (“Ye”) West has had his comeuppance for his latest series of antisemitic remarks. He believed himself to be invulnerable to any consequences for those antisemitic statements and tweets, famously saying of his partner in sneakerdom, Adidas, “I can say antisemitic shit and they can’t do anything.”Adidas, in fact did do something: it cut all ties to Kanye West, cancelling its production of Wests’ Yeezy sneakers that constitute the bulk o his fortune. Other companies, including JP Morgan Chase, Balenciaga, and Vogue, had already ended their relationship to him by the time Adidas cut the cord. Additionally, retailers including T.J. Maxx and Footlocker have removed the Yeezy clothing line and sneakers from their store shelves. This has resulted in a loss of $1.6 billion of West’s $2 billion fortune. So far.

At this point, someone facing so many crises and continuing contretemps, might well choose to hide his light under a bushel, perhaps taking a break from his endless search for publicity. But that’s not Kanye West. He loves publicity, and along with his antisemitic harangues, he is delighted to embrace white supremacists and mock Black Lives Matter, as a sure way to remain the center of controversy. Many will remember his Yeezy show in Paris, where he wore his “White Lives Matter” T-shirt and delivered a harangue to the assembled crowd, veering from fashion into talking about his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s 2006 Paris robbery, as well as about his feud with his ex-manager, the “Jewish” Scooter Braun. West also spoke of his ongoing battles with the Gap and his initial difficulties entering the fashion industry. “I am Ye’ and everyone here knows that I am the leader,” he said. “You can’t manage me.” 

Kanye West also courted controversy by insisting that George Floyd’s death was the result of his addiction to fentanyl, which, along with Floyd’s pre-existing medical conditions such as his enlarged heart, were what killed him; Derek Chauvin’s “knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.” Roxie Washington — the mother of Floyd’s daughter — has brought a $250 million lawsuit against West for misappropriation, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress, according to an Oct. 18 press release from her legal team. Since West’s net worth has now sunk to $400 million, it’s pleasing to think that he could lose another $250 million to Roxie Washington. West has gone on the warpath against Washington, berating her for her “greed.” We are apparently expected to believe that there is nothing greedy about Kanye West, the man who keeps talking about the fortunes he’s made, lost, and determined to make again.

West is still keeping company with far-right antisemites. He was recently seen with Nick Fuentes, the far-right Holocaust-denying white supremacist, first at the Miami Airport, and then at Mar-a-Lago, where West accompanied Fuentes to meet with Donald Trump. Apparently Trump – according to West – was “very impressed“ with Fuentes, but West didn’t reveal what it was, exactly, about Fuentes that Trump liked. Nor did anyone ask West the obvious question: what was a black man doing embracing a white supremacist, and even offering to bring him along to meet his friend, a former President?

Kanye West told the world that at the November meeting at Mar-a-Lago he, Kanye West, Yeezy sneaker designer, shock and schlock artist, made a proposal to Trump that infuriated the former President. In his usual “try-to-stop-me” manner, West said he had proposed that he and Trump should run together in 2024 – with West running for President and Trump for Vice-President. This elicited a furious response from Trump, who apparently yelled at West, telling him he would “lose” any race he entered. Trump is, of course, correct. In 2020, Kanye West made a Presidential bid, which was supported by Republicans who hoped West would siphon off black votes that would otherwise go to Biden. West’s run was a catastrophe: he received only 70,000 votes out of the total of 157 million votes cast. But now he seems to think the team of West-Trump might have a chance. Except that if Trump runs, it won’t be with Kanye West. West cannot possibly become the Republican candidate; he’s toxic, and not just to Adidas, Balenciaga, and JPMorgan Chase.

The latest news on Kanye West will not surprise anyone: Adidas, his former partner in fashion crime (Yeezy sneakers justify that noun) is now looking into “ accusations of sexual “misconduct” by Kanye West involving female employees. These include allegations that West bullied employees and forced them to watch pornographic videos, made them look at sexually explicit photos of his wife Kim Kardashian (who has filed for divorce) and even had them view Ye’s own sex tapes, starring himself. Ye also was accused of belittling and intimidating employees with aggressive behavior, often targeting women. Yeezy team members accuse Adidas’ leadership of being aware of Ye’s “problematic behavior” but not stepping in to curb it. Do you doubt that West, given his grandiose sense of himself, and his assumption that he could get away with anything, did some, or all, of these things with which he is charged?

It’s hard to imagine what more trouble the crazed Kanye West can get himself into. But don’t worry. He won’t disappoint. Kanye West will always find a way.