A Twitter spokeswoman told AFP on Sunday that her account had been locked due to a violation of the social network’s rules. And a spokeswoman for Meta, Instagram’s parent company, said the group deleted content – without specifying which content – from Ye’s account for violating its policies. Instagram has also restricted his account, which may involve preventing him from posting, writing comments or sending private messages, according to the same source.
Kanye West, who is Black, has been causing a stir on social media since he wore a t-shirt during Paris Fashion Week proclaiming “White Lives Matter” (“White Lives Matter”, in English). This is a diversion of the slogan “Black Lives Matter”emblematic of the anti-racist demonstrations of the summer of 2020 in the United States, and a spade for the attention of the eponymous movement.
On Instagram, Ye, 45, posted screenshots of conversations with rapper Diddy on October 7, who criticized the t-shirt and his message. “I will use you as an example to show the Jewish people who told you to call me, that no one can threaten me or influence me”, wrote Kanye West. The publication has been deleted but copies are still visible on the internet. Then on Twitter, he said he was going to attack Jews in a post that is no longer accessible, the social network indicating that it broke its rules.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) accused Ye of promoting “hatred of the Jews”. “Kanye West should find a way to get his point across without resorting to anti-Semitism”, she denounced. Accustomed to controversy, Ye, who suffers from bipolar disorder, was previously banned from Instagram posts for 24 hours in March, amid an acrimonious divorce from reality star Kim Kardashian.
The rapper is also on the verge of breaking up with the Adidas brand, which wants “reevaluate” his collaboration with the artist. The German sports equipment manufacturer announced in a press release that “hasnear repeated attempts to clarify the situation away from the public”, it had been decided to “reassess this partnership”. Adidas does not give any details on the reasons for the falling out, just stating that“A successful partnership is based on mutual respect and shared values”.
Relations between the American artist and the sports equipment manufacturer have turned sour in recent months. Several events seem to be the cause relating to the juicy collaboration around the collection of Yeezy sneakers designed by the rapper. Developed with Adidas since 2014, these shoes have had a phenomenal success that allowed the Chicago child to be recognized as a billionaire by Forbes, which in July estimated his fortune at 2 billion dollars.
However, the specialized press has relayed numerous messages from Kanye West on social networks criticizing, on his Instagram account, the fact that Adidas is launching a “Yeezy Day” without his approval, while multiplying the harsh comments against the brand. According to the specialized press, Kanye West also blames Adidas for reissuing older Yeezy collections and designing Yeezy colorways without his approval. Kanye West also presented eight collections of Yeezy clothing, financed by Adidas but with low volumes compared to sneakers.