Topline
Kanye West—whose Twitter and Instagram accounts were locked this weekend for his posting of apparently antisemitic messages—continued his bizarre social media tirade on Monday, posting a 30-minute documentary on YouTube, in which he showed a “porn movie” to Adidas executives in order to demonstrate the “extreme discomfort” he feels about having the brand steal his designs, days after the company said they were reviewing their long-standing partnership with the rapper.
Kanye West (a.k.a. “Ye”) is seen wearing a Balenciaga boxing mouth guard during Paris Fashion Week … [+] on October 2, 2022, in Paris.
Key Facts
In a video titled “LAST WEEK,” West is seen meeting with two executives whose faces were blurred and who appear to represent Adidas, and West holds his phone up to forcibly show them a sex video.
West said he showed the clip because it featured a woman getting revenge on a man who cheated on her, and a representative of the rapper told the executives it was shown to make the Adidas executives feel the same “extreme discomfort” West feels having his designs allegedly “stolen” and copied by the brand.
One of the apparent Adidas employees told West, “We can certainly do a lot better in the way that we work with you.”
It’s not clear when specifically the clip was taken, but a representative for West references his September fallout with Gap happening “last week”—two weeks before Adidas said it was putting its partnership with West’s brand, Yeezy, under review.
Elsewhere in the video, West attends his daughter North’s basketball game with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, has a meeting about fabric quality, works on his fashion line and listens to his own unreleased music in the car.
It’s not clear if the Adidas executives knew they were being recorded, or if West showing the inappropriate clip had anything to do with the brand reviewing its partnership with him; Forbes has reached out to the company for comment.
Crucial Quote
“Is this a porn movie? Jesus Christ,” one of the Adidas executives remarks in West’s documentary.
Key Background
West claimed last month that both Adidas—which has produced his Yeezy line since 2013—and Gap were copying some of his designs, and said he wanted to end his partnerships with the brands. Gap agreed to end its relationship with West, which was supposed to last until 2030. Adidas said Friday it was putting its partnership with West “under review” after “repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation.” The statement came after West wore and displayed T-shirts with “WHITE LIVES MATTER” written on them during a Yeezy fashion show, and claimed that LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault “tried to kill” Virgil Abloh, who died of cancer. West appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox on Thursday. Over the weekend his Twitter and Instagram accounts were locked after he posted an apparent antisemitic message, tweeting he was going to go “death con 3 on Jewish people.” West also accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of being controlled by the Jewish people. His comments have been widely criticized, including by the Anti-Defamation League.
Forbes Valuation
West has an estimated net worth of $2 billion, which would drop significantly if he were to lose his deal with Adidas, Forbes reported.
Further Reading
Twitter Locks Kanye West’s Account After Post About Jewish People (Forbes)
