People who represent something, paid or not, needs to at least follow a number of rules, even when they're unwritten. If not, someone is certainly going to sue.
Kanye West, who has changed his legal name to "Ye," was paid by millions of dollars by Adidas.
Ye is not an athlete, but for Adidas, the famous sportswear was so happy with Ye's collaboration with its Yeezy brand, that it once said that it was one of the most successful in the company's history.
But things go south for both parties, after Kanye showed up wearing a "White Lives Matter" at Paris Fashion Week. And making things worse, the ex-husband of Kim Kardashian also posted anti-Semitic comments on his social media accounts.
In response, Adidas quickly put its Yeezy brand collaboration with Kanye under review, saying in a press release that "Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech."
Cutting ties means that Adidas is expecting a net loss of £217 million in 2022. Whereas for Kanye, the result is a significant reduction to his net worth.
Read: Kanye West Restricted In Various Social Media Platforms Following Anti-Jews Remark
According to Forbes, the rapper and designer was once valued at a staggering $2 billion.
But with the commotions, his net worth dropped to around $400 million.
Ye is no longer a billionaire not only because of Adidas, but also because of a number of other big brands that also pulled away from him.
They include TJX Companies, Talent agency CAA, Aaron Donald and Jaylen Brown, GAP, Balenciaga, MRC Entertainment studio, Vogue, The Shop, JPMorgan Chase, and some more.
Despite all of the criticism that are thrown at him, Yet decided to stand by his remarks rather than recant them.
"I’m not going broke. One of the most liberating days was the one when I was removed from the Balenciaga site,” Ye said, sharing his thoughts.
He also said that the people and brands are severing relationships with him to "silence him" and "score points."
"I suffered a two billion dollar loss in a single day. I’m still here, too. This is a eulogy," he said.
"Still, I adore you. God still cares about you. Money does not define who I am. I am a person of the people."
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) October 3, 2022
Ye didn't stop just there, because he also threw around hate speech, and claimed fentanyl contributed to the death of George Floyd, even though his death had already been ruled a homicide.
According to reports, people close to Ye are “fully aware” of his “obsession” with Adolf Hitler, with four sources alleging that he nearly named his 2018 album "Hitler."
While Ye is still considered a rich man, and still owns share at Skims, the shapewear brand founded by his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, with whom he has four children, fans are trying to help him regain his billionaire status.
Fans are quick to respond by giving him a hand.
His supporters have started crowd-funding campaigns to help him rejoin the billionaire club.
On the crowdsourcing GoFundMe, at least one is dubbed "Make Kanye West a Billionaire Again," with a goal to raise $1 billion to fund the rapper.
It's worth noting that this isn't the first time fans rallied up to help Kanye.
Back in 2016, people managed to raise over $50,000 for Kanye because he was facing bankruptcy. Kanye said at that time, that he was $53 million in debt, and even asked Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to invest $1 billion into his “ideas.”
“It doesn’t look like he’s going to get Mark Zuckerberg’s help that he desperately needs,” said Jeremy Piatt, the man who launched the GoFundMe campaign for Kanye, at the time.
"Sure he is personally rich and can buy furs and houses for his family, but without our help, the true genius of Kanye West can’t be realized."
But a few short years later, Ye's a billionaire.
This time, people are trying to help Kanye regain his fortune. Some are serious, and some have tongues firmly planted in cheeks.
And due to the hype and the internet, some are probably scams.
Read: Parler Announced Kanye West's Acquisition, And Accidentally Doxxed Its Elite Members
