An explosive new investigation by the New York Times details how Adidas employees experienced frequent anti-Semitism from Grammy Award-winning rapper and Yeezy designer Kanye West for nearly a decade.

Adidas officially ended its partnership with the rapper and producer, who now goes by Ye, in October of 2022, after multiple virulently anti-Semitic remarks, including a tweet in which the rapper threatened to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”

However, West’s pattern of anti-Semitism dates back to at least 2013, according to the Times’ reporting.

At the start of her report, Megan Twohey detailed how, in his initial meeting with Adidas executives at their German headquarters in 2013, West expressed his dissatisfaction with a proposed shoe design by taking a marker and drawing a swastika — the display of which is banned in Germany — on the design. He also reportedly told Jewish Adidas executive Jon Wexler, who at the time was Adidas’ global director of entertainment and influencer marketing, to “kiss a picture of Hitler every day.”

    • li10@feddit.uk
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      11 months ago

      Yes.

      People are constantly outraged by what he says, but the guy is actually sick and needs help.

      Instead, yes men and the media just fuel his mental breakdowns.

      • Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca
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        11 months ago

        Unless you’re going to support involuntary commitment it’s fair game to ridicule him. He will never seek help and until he does I will view him as the terrible person that he is. If he does seek help my opinion will change.

        • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Also, his young fans model their behavior on him. Public ridicule is probably the only option to hold that back.

    • ABCDE@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      He didn’t deny that when asked; he has mental issues and stopped taking his medication according to his Letterman interview.

    • Taleya@aussie.zone
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      11 months ago

      No kidding. But it’s been turned into a reality show and not an involuntary comittal