Is this where it “All Falls Down” for Kanye? Many multi-million dollar brands have recently cut ties with Kanye West in response to anti-Semitic remarks made by the artist. The dropping of these deals left Kanye to lose two billion dollars in one day.
The since deleted tweets quoted that Kanye would go “death con 3,” on members of the Jewish community. In response to these harmful tweets, multiple brands immediately cut off their partnerships with West. These included partnerships with Adidas, Gap, Balenciaga, TJ Maxx, and Foot Locker. He also lost access to his Instagram and twitter
accounts, along with his Essentials playlist being pulled from Apple Music. Some of his fans also had an abrupt reaction to these remarks. His average daily audience has decreased
by 21% because of a noticeable decrease in his plays on the radio stations. His radio audience had hit the lowest it has been in 2 years.
In spite of the major economic loss, Kanye seems to be okay with it all. Before his account was locked, he posted on Instagram saying, “I lost 2 billion dollars in one day
and I’m still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still love you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I am.” But, he was fast to become remorseful for his actions. During an interview on Piers Morgan’s talk show, West claimed to be sorry for the people he offended with his anti-Semitic comments.
But the question is, what does this mean for Kanye going forward? Well, he will always have some loyal listeners, with his streaming numbers not changing much over
the past few weeks. The not very fluctuant numbers in streams definitely could suggest fan loyalty, but also curiosity from his attention in the news media. Similar situations have
happened to other artists like Morgan Wallen, who had a recording of him saying a racial slur exposed. Despite this video, Wallen ended up extremely successful still and had the
longest Billboard’s Top 10 streak in 60 years.
Something like this makes it possible for a comeback in the music, but it is still unclear what his future looks like. His music catalog has been a financial backbone for him
through the years and many wonder if it can stand up against the backlash and be a way out for Kanye. His representatives have been shopping his copyrights and are hoping for
an insane deal from investors that can grab new headlines. But ultimately, the real question is if Kanye’s fans are loyal enough to keep him relevant in the industry. In the fashion
world, he will probably become a smaller name with all the brands cutting ties with him and his own designs will probably be frowned upon if worn out. His future is still unclear
to many but there are definitely possible ways to save the artists career.
So, is Kanye West “Bound 2” finding a “Runaway” out of this scandal, or will he end up like another “College Dropout”?