K

any West lost place on Forbes list of billionaires after Adidas stopped cooperation with the rapper.

The contract with German the sportswear company was worth about $1.5 billion (£1.3 billion), according to a US business magazine.

Adidas faced pressure to cut ties with West, who legally changed his name to Ye, because of his anti-Semitic comments on social media.

In a statement on Tuesday, the company condemned the rapper’s comments as “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous.”

West was ranked 1,513 on the Forbes Rich List earlier this year, valued at two billion dollars (£1.5 billion) thanks to his lucrative fashion brands and multi-year contract to design the Yeezy sneaker brand for Adidas.

After the partnership ended, Forbes estimated his worth at 400m (£349m) – thanks to “property, cash, his music catalog and a 5% stake in ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company Skims”.

The magazine added that West’s removal from the list ended a “year-long saga” in which the rapper claimed his net worth was “underestimated”, once saying that “no one at Forbes knows how to count”.

On Tuesday, Adidas said it was discontinuing Yeezy-branded products made in collaboration with West, with “immediate effect.”

The company said in a statement: “Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism or any other form of hatred.

“Ye’s recent comments and actions were unacceptable, hateful and dangerous and violate the company’s values ​​of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.

“After careful consideration, the company has decided to immediately terminate its partnership with Ye, cease production of Yeezy-branded products, and cease all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will cease the Adidas Yeezy business immediately.”

Adidas said it expects the decision to have a “short-term negative impact of up to 250 million euros on the company’s net income in 2022, given the high seasonality of the fourth quarter.”

The company added that it remains “the sole owner of all design rights to existing products, as well as previous and new colors within the partnership.”

This comes after a completed documentary about West was shelved and dropped by a talent agency CAA over his remarks.

Fashion house Balenciaga also reportedly severed ties with Ye last week.

Earlier this month, West was criticized for wearing a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt to show his latest collection at Paris Fashion Week.

In the past few days, his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and members of her family have called for an end to the “horrific violence and hateful rhetoric” against the Jewish community.

It came after protesters in Los Angeles on Sunday unfurled banners on an overpass praising West following his anti-Semitic public statements.

Spotify CEO Daniel Eck also told Reuters news agency that West’s comments were “horrible” but that his music would remain on the platform.

Ek added that the rapper’s label, Universal Music’s Def Jam imprint, will make the decision to remove the content if they are forced to do so.

Spotify has been contacted for comment.

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/adidas-kanye-west-forbes-german-caa-b1035248.html