Why was Adidas under pressure to cut ties with rapper Kanye West?

German sportswear major Adidas has reportedly decided to snap its ties with rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye) following his offensive and anti-semitic remarks he made recently on many platforms. Ye (West) and Adidas have had a very successful partnership over the years. But due to the current string of events, Adidas was reconsidering its contract with the rapper. Earlier this month, Adidas said that it was reviewing its relationship with West after he appeared wearing a "White Lives Matter" T-shirt at a fashion show in Paris. 

What West said 

After some controversies over his views on Jews, West in an interview on Drink Champs went into a diatribe about “the Jewish people,” arguing that he’s not an anti-Semite because he’s also a Jew “as the blood of Christ.”  

He kept criticising how the 'Jewish people' control all facets of media and entertainment, even blamed “Jewish Zionists” for recent news stories about his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her ex-partner Pete Davidson. 

West’s recent anti-semitic comments got his Twitter and Instagram accounts restricted.  

West and Adidas’s tie-up 

West has repeatedly made remarks about Adidas for its Jewish past. He reportedly criticised Adidas for supplying footwear to the Nazi army, and also that one of the founder brothers served the Nazi party, as per news reports. 

Commenting about Adidas and his partnership with the German sports company, he said: “The thing about me and Adidas is like, I can literally say anti-semitic remarks, and they can't drop me.”  

He added, before repeating himself slowly and solemnly. "I can say anti-Semitic things, and Adidas can't drop me. Now what? Now what?" 

West also accused Adidas of copying his ideas and mismanaging the brand and taunted its CEO Kasper Rorsted on social media. 

Following this, there was a growing backlash among consumers and celebrities, who wanted the sportswear giant to walk away from West. Some were even read to boycott Adidas products until the partnership is cancelled. 

Earlier, Gap Inc and Kering SA’s Balenciaga fashion label also cut ties with West.  

Many Jewish celebrities had spoken against the West and Adidas partnership. Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said that Bavaria-based Adidas to "immediately stop its cooperation with Kanye West."  "The rapper's daily anti-semitic comments are unbearable for Jews in Germany and around the world," he added.  

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted that the company's silence "is a danger to Jews." 

This is not the first time that the rapper has courted controversy. Earlier, he said that slavery is a choice and also said that the Covid-19 vaccine was “the mark of the beast”.