Kanye West responds to Ari Emanuel’s op-ed on rapper’s anti-Semitic comments
Kanye West says he’s still got “love” for Ari Emanuel – even after the high-power media executive wrote an op-ed about why businesses should cut ties with the rapper over his anti-Semitic comments.
“Ari Emmanuel I lost 2 billion dollars in one day and I’m still alive,” West, 45, wrote in a post captioned “LOVE SPEECH” and shared via Instagram on Thursday.
”This is love speech I still love you God still loves you,” he added. “The money is not who I am the people is who I am.”
West’s message came after Emanuel penned a piece for the Financial Times, arguing that the rapper’s mental illness does not excuse his controversial behavior.
“Some of West’s behavior has been dismissed over time, citing mental illness, given that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after being hospitalized in 2016,” Emanuel wrote last week.
“However, mental illness is not an excuse for racism, hatred or anti-Semitism.”
The Endeavor CEO, who is Jewish, continued, “Millions of people affected by mental illness do not perpetuate hateful ideologies. Others brush his comments off as just words, but hateful words far too easily become hateful actions.”
Emanuel called on all companies that work with West to end contracts with the Yeezy designer after Ye tweeted that he wanted to go “death con 3” on Jewish people.
“Those who continue to do business with West are giving his misguided hate an audience. There should be no tolerance anywhere for West’s anti-Semitism,” Emanuel wrote. “This is a moment in history where the stakes are high and being open about our values, and living them, is essential. Silence and inaction are not an option.”
West was temporarily banned from Instagram and booted from Twitter after pushing the anti-Semitic trope that Jews control the media. He then doubled down on his offensive comments in several interviews.
Several celebrities spoke out against his hate speech, including ex-wife Kim Kardashian, who wrote, “I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.”
Many of her family members have also posted similar statements.
As previously reported, Balenciaga cut ties with West last week while Vogue vowed to never work with him again. And after mounting pressure from the public, Adidas ended its partnership with Ye on Tuesday after putting the rapper under review earlier this month.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the German athletic company said in a statement Tuesday. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
The move resulted in West losing his billionaire status.
Gap then announced that the clothing company would be taking immediate steps to remove all Yeezy products nearly a month after West announced that he was ending the partnership.
West’s many hate speech rants against Jews came shortly after he faced backlash over his “White Lives Matter” designs he debuted at the Yeezy fashion show in Paris in early October.
