On Sunday, Kanye “Ye” West shared a disturbing photo of civil rights icon Emmett Till on his Instagram, along with a lengthy rant directed at American businessman Ari Emanuel stating, “You tried to destroy my life after all the money I’ve made for the ‘business’ people.”
Ari Emanuel the CEO of Endeavor, an entertainment and media agency that owns the UFC, wrote an opinion piece for the Financial Times on Wednesday in which he argued that Kanye’s mental illness does not excuse his ‘anti-Semitic and racist comments.’
“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.
“However, mental illness is not an excuse for racism, hatred or anti-Semitism… 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,” he added.
After West tweeted that he intended to go “death con 3” on Jewish people, Emanuel has called on any companies who partner with the Yeezy designer to sever connections with the rapper.
It can be recalled that Adidas announced it would stop its partnership with Kanye West, and Gap Inc. announced it would drop items he helped design from its stores. Balenciaga and Vogue also severed their ties with the rapper.
Following Emanuel’s op-ed, Kanye West responded on his Instagram Thursday stating that he lost $2 billion in one day due to cancel culture.
“Ari Emanuel, I lost 2 billion dollars in one day and I’m still alive,” West wrote. “This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I am.”
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Amid mounting backlash over the rapper’s anti-semitic rants, the California campus of Kanye West’s non-accredited private school informed parents on Wednesday that it would be closing immediately, which triggered his rant on Sunday towards Emanuel.
Below is the excerpt:
Can you find a place for the Donda Academy kids to go to school that’s properly zoned for a school?
I got about 60 children that have no place to be as they look to transfer.
They tried to dismantle our basketball team. Those boys are being penalized without reason.Even professional athletes were threatened by their owners to disassociate.
This is what modern post-social media #Blackmirror warfare looks like…the children are not even off limits
– Economic Lynching– Digital Lynching– Bankrupting my Social Credit Score
You tried to bankrupt Adidas and me at the same time
You tried to destroy my life after all the money I’ve made for the “business” people
At least as I burn to the stake in front of the whole world… // everyone now knows who they need to really be afraid of.
And now everyone knows how much power you “Business” people actually have.
Forcing Roxie to sue me for 252 million after I gave her family 2 million
Only a truly powerful “business” person could have thought of that and sent her to do this.
To everyone in the world! // Take me as an example of what will happen if you show any frustration.
Your frustration does not matter!
We declare today the day when no human is allowed to be human.
Please note that I have never physically hurt anyone.
So…Ari Emmanuel:
Better yet, let me ask your BIG brother Rahm Emmanuel // Former Mayor of Chicago.
Rahm…You’re a very powerful “Business” person // Here I am…The once richest black man in the world asking the very person who is destroying me to at least help these Children…
“Hurt meeeeeeeebut please masadon’t hurt da chirren masa”
We bus underprivileged kids in from all over and they love it at Donda Academy.
I see and understand just how powerful you are, but even the mighty Pharoah was no match for the power of GOD.
At times like this…and at all times…
I trust my Jesus. The KING of Israel.
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