Rapper and fashion mogul Kanye West has been dropped by his talent agency following a three-day long posting spree in which he disseminated a slew of disparaging remarks. His website is also down for violating the platform’s terms after listing swastika shirts for sale.
West is no longer represented by the Los Angeles-based talent agency 33 & West, a company spokesperson told Variety.
33 & West talent agent Daniel McCartney, meanwhile, announced in a Monday Instagram Story, “Effective immediately, I am no longer representing YE (Kanye West) due to his recent harmful and hateful remarks that myself nor 33 & West can stand for.”
“Peace and love to all,” McCartney added.
Instagram/danielmccertney
As Breitbart News reported, West — who was banned from Elon Musk’s X platform in December 2022 — was recently welcomed back to the site, upon which he immediately kicked off a three-day long posting frenzy, incessantly disseminating a series of wild all-caps diatribes for hours on end.
The rapper’s X posts included praising Adolf Hitler, and referring to himself as a “Nazi,” as well as issuing attacks against Jews, women, gays, disabled people, and his critics, whom he called “broke,” among a litany of various other eyebrow-raising sentiments.
On Sunday, West ended his posting hysteria with a series of uncensored pornographic video clips before thanking the public for “participating in this social experiment,” and then deactivating his X account altogether.
But the rapper’s antics did not appear to end there, as the website for his fashion brand Yeezy had only one item listed for sale: a $20 white t-shirt adorned with a black swastika, labeled “HH-01.”
On Tuesday morning, West’s website went offline with Shopify saying the site had violated the company’s rules.
“All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform,” the ecommerce platform told NBC News, adding, “This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms so we removed them from Shopify.”
While Shopify did not disclose which of its rules West’s website had violated, its terms of service state the company will “restrict products or activities that we deem unsafe, inappropriate, or offensive.”
At the time of this writing, West’s website has been redirected to a notice that states, “Something went wrong,” adding, “This store is unavailable.”
Moreover, as of Tuesday morning, West is facing a lawsuit filed by a former employee alleging the “Heartless” rapper fired her after calling her ugly and texting her, “Hail Hitler,” Variety noted.
The employee, who is Jewish, further alleges that West consistently targeted her with hateful and antisemitic remarks.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, reportedly includes text messages allegedly sent from West to employees in which he wrote, “I Am A Nazi,” and “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.”
Music executive Lyor Cohen — who previously held executive roles at Def Jam Recordings and Warner Music Group, and currently serves as global head of music at YouTube — addressed West in an open letter, the Hollywood Reporter revealed.
“I am deeply disappointed and troubled by your recent actions involving the use of Nazi symbols and antisemitic rhetoric,” Cohen wrote. “Your words and actions are not only offensive but triggering to all decent people who recognize the horrors of the Holocaust and the suffering of millions.”
“With antisemitism on the rise, your voice and influence carry a significant responsibility. I urge you to be more sensitive to the pain your words inflict on Jewish communities and all those who stand against hate,” the music executive added.
Cohen, who has been a major influence on hip-hop and rap — starting his career by managing rappers for Rush Productions and becoming a tour manager for Run-D.M.C. — went on to say, “Your talent and reach could be used to heal and inspire, to bridge divides and promote understanding.”
“Instead, you’ve chosen a path that sows discord and perpetuates harmful stereotypes,” Cohen lamented. “The Jewish and Black experiences share a rich history of collaboration and mutual support, particularly in the music industry.”
“From the early days of jazz and blues to the groundbreaking work of Motown and beyond, our communities have enriched each other through music and culture,” the music executive added.
Cohen concluded his letter by urging West “to reflect on this shared legacy and use your platform to build upon the love and understanding that have always existed between our communities.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
