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Kanye West was escorted out of the Skechers office in Manhattan Beach, Calif., after the controversial MC showed up unannounced on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 26). The company said in a statement that Ye was escorted out by two executives following his recent antisemitic remarks.
“Kanye West — also referred to as Ye — arrived unannounced and without invitation at one of Skechers’ corporate offices in Los Angeles,” the company said in a statement. “Considering Ye was engaged in unauthorized filming, two Skechers executives escorted him and his party from the building after a brief conversation.
“Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West,” the statement continued. “We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech. The Company would like to again stress that West showed up unannounced and uninvited to Skechers corporate offices.”
Several companies and organizations have also dropped Ye recently over his racist and antisemetic remarks, including Adidas, Gap, Foot Locker and TJ Maxx.
“At TJX we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind,” read a statement shared by TJ Maxx with CNN. “We have instructed our buying teams not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally.”
Forbes noted that the Chicago native lost his billionaire status when Adidas severed ties with him, dropping his net worth to $400 million — down from $1.5 billion with the Adidas deal.
“We will not be supporting any future Yeezy product drops, and we have instructed our retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites,” a spokesperson for Foot Locker told CNN, adding that the company will remain “a partner with Adidas and carry a wide assortment of their collections.”
Ye’s current fall from grace began Oct. 3 when he featured shirts printed with the phrase “White Lives Matter” during his Paris Fashion Week show. A few days later, he was suspended from Twitter and Instagram for posting anti-Jewish hate speech, which continued in interviews with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, REVOLT’s Drink Champs and more.
Adidas may have severed ties with Kanye West, but it looks like they’ll still be selling the remainder of his Yeezy products — just without his name attached to them.
According to reporting by Bloomberg, the athletic brand’s parent company Adidas AG will rebrand all Yeezy designs under the Adidas brand at the start of 2023. “Looking ahead, on our understanding, the company will not sell any Yeezy-branded products and all Yeezy products will be branded under Adidas brand,” said Morgan Stanley analyst Edouard Aubin in a note to his clients on Tuesday.
“Adidas has the rights to existing Yeezy product designs and can sell these using Adidas branding (not Yeezy branding) following the termination of the Yeezy partnership, which Adidas intends to do,” RBC analyst Piral Dadhania added in a separate statement. “Speaking to the company, it believes it can limit the loss of revenues through this strategy, and will also save on expenses related to royalty and marketing fees no longer payable in 2023.”
Per Bloomberg, a rep for Adidas didn’t respond to the financial outlet’s request for comment on the news, which broke the same day Adidas issued a statement about dropping Ye following his recent barrage of antisemitic comments in the media. “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said. “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.”
Other brands and companies that have ended their relationships with West in the aftermath include Gap, Balenciaga, Foot Locker, TJ Maxx, CAA and more. Find a full list of the consequences West has faced here.
Madame Tussauds is the latest brand to sever its ties with Kanye West amid his recent antisemitic comments.
On Wednesday (Oct. 26), the famous wax museum known for its celebrity figures issued a statement announcing its plans to pull Ye’s figure from the main display floor and into an archive.
“Ye’s figure has been retired from the attraction floor to our archive. Each profile earns their place at Madame Tussauds London and we listen to our guests and the public on who they expect to see at the attraction,” a spokesperson for Madame Tussauds told BBC.
Billboard has reached out for comment.
Though Madame Tussauds has several outposts around the world, there has never been a figure of the rapper in the United States, which includes locations in New York City, Orlando, San Francisco, Hollywood, Las Vegas and Nashville.
The removal of Ye’s wax figure from Madame Tussauds is one of the most recent developments in a week filled with actions against the rapper — on Tuesday alone, Adidas, Foot Locker and Gap all announced their respective brands would be making plans to remove all Yeezy products from their websites and physical retail stores. Losing the Adidas deal was a major loss for Ye, and resulted in his net worth dropping to $400 million and his removal from Forbes‘ billionaires list.
Earlier on Wednesday, TJ Maxx also announced that buyers for its retail locations have been advised to not purchase Yeezy products. Read our complete timeline of the consequences Ye has faced for his antisemitic comments and “White Lives Matter” shirts here.
If you’re an avid TV watcher, you’re probably familiar with Power. Helmed by showrunner Courtney Kemp and 50 Cent, the six-season series proved to be a gem on the STARZ network courtesy of Omari Hardwick, who played the show’s protagonist James St. Patrick.
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Patrick was quite debonair. His luxe suits and magnetic charm always wooed everyone he came across. His skill for closing business deals and monopolizing properties made him a sizable threat in New York City. And though Patrick was a smooth bandit across the board, he had a murderous streak that no one could tame.
When Jeezy enters the Billboard offices, he does so with the same swagger that made St. Patrick a beloved treasure in the Power Universe. Upon arrival, he’s gracious and flattered by the reactions to his bloodthirsty feature on EST Gee’s “The Realest.” After laying the hammer down with a blistering 24-bar verse, Jeezy released his Gangsta Grillz-helmed project SNOFALL with his former Trap or Die partner DJ Drama on Friday (Oct. 21). The 17-track affair is primarily a solo expedition for Jeezy until he collides with Lil Durk on “Most Hated,” 42 Dugg on “Put The Minks Down” and “Scarface” with EST Gee.
“If you really look at the game, everybody that’s in the rap game that came after me,” says Jeezy. “I left the door open for them. A lot of these cats are really from the streets. They saw if Jeezy could do it, they could do it too.”
And while Jeezy is enjoying his life as a businessman, father, and newly-wedded husband, he proves why SNOFALL is his “F-U” to father time as he seeks to reclaim his throne as the forefather of street music.
“[I’m] James St. Patrick,” he says with a sly grin. “When I put them Air Force 1’s on, you already know.”
Billboard chatted with the Atlanta star about his new project SNOFALL, if he has accepted being a legend, performing B-Side concerts, and ending his beef with Freddie Gibbs.
I saw you said on the Big Facts Podcast that music is your talent, but business is your passion.
Yeah, that’s real. Always been though.
I feel like with you, you came back to music because this is something you’re good at.
You know how you have that one thing you got when girls come around? You might be good at dribbling a basketball. That one thing when you know like, “I’m gonna get my s–t off.” That’s what music is.
Also, I realized I still have a responsibility as well — because I still have some influence in this. I can’t just leave the game like, “I got mine and y’all figure it out.” It’s more, “This is how I’m moving — and you ain’t gotta move the same, but if you’ve been in the game this long, this is how you balance it all.” A lot of things people think you can’t do, because rap is so stereotyped. With me, I can do whatever I want, at my own time and my own pace. Coming back with Drama for this SNOFALL was like Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan having a one-on-one in they background.
If you respected and you get to see that, like, “S–t, I got to watch Pippen and Jordan play one-on-one,” that’s like me and Drama. We both up and having fun with what we do — but at the same time, it’s still the game of street music. We get to do that at a high level with all of the wisdom we got. It’s like getting to see your two favorite basketball players or boxers spar at the gym. You like, “Damn, that was legendary.”
When you heard Gee’s “The Realest” for the first time, you must’ve shed a tear — because you took this verse somewhere else.
When he came [into the studio], I heard his music and saw what he did. I see a lot of me in him trying to figure it out. I just wanted to keep the lines of communication open. You’re going to run into some situations where you’re gonna wanna talk to somebody who’s done it, because he’s a street dude running into rap. You gotta navigate it, and I wanna make sure I can be there. When he played me his album, I was like, “D–n.” He said, “I think this is my intro.” I was like, “That should be the last record.”
We had that conversation and he was like, “I really want you on it.” I was like, “Say less — give me a day or two and I got you back.” I pinned it up, on some big homie s–t. I wanted to keep going. Like when Jay-Z gave me the “Go Crazy” verse, he wanted me to know, “I f–k with you like this.” That’s where I was with it and I loved the concept of the record. Same thing with the BET Awards, I just wanted to show him love. On that same platform, Jay came with me and did “Seen It All” with me at the BET Awards. That was unheard of — and I felt like it was the same thing for me, like, “I got you.”
You always had that mentality of being the big homie even with someone like Kodak Black. Who besides Kodak or Gee have you taken over from a mentor standpoint?
Definitely [Lil] Durk. You just want to have somebody you can bounce s–t off of. 42 Dugg is another one of my guys. Haiti Babii is another guy I just signed from Stockton to Def Jam. The list goes on, to even upcoming cats like Baby Money from Detroit — and Payroll was one of my real [guys]. Me and Pay talked all the time. I was like, “Pay, people don’t know you produce.” He’s one of the hardest producers I’ve ever heard. He don’t produce his own s–t, and he produced his last project and he called me.
I’m never gonna be the person to try to tell people what they should do. I just know what I been through, and I know it wasn’t easy. I know there were times I wished there was somebody I could call — but they wouldn’t understand my position, because they’re not from the streets and not doing what I’m doing now. I got a wealth of knowledge and wisdom when it comes to that. I hate when they see me and go, “OG.” Nah, ain’t nothing original about gangsta, don’t call me that. Big homie wanna see you win more than he has won. OG gonna put you on some dummy missions.
Was it easy for you making that switch from businessman to street rapper again, knowing it’s familiar territory with Drama?
Yeah, I get in that mode — and I mean that on the Gee record when I say, “I got four million in cars and nowhere to go.” I mean that. I ain’t on it like that, but I can be. I can go get some chains and throw them on and do what I do. When I’m in that zone, I’m in that zone. I’m still a street guy to the core. I still have street values, morals and integrity — but at the same time, I understand what’s going on in the world. I’m not gonna go out here and act like I’m exempt because it’s me.
I thought the B-sides concerts you’ve been doing have been dope. Talk about the feelings you’ve experienced performing those cuts, compared to a traditional Jeezy concert.
Yeah, that’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Since me and Drama were coming together on this particular project, I thought it would be a perfect time. We’ve been in each other’s circumference a lot. I was like, “I thought it would be crazy to do a B-side concert.” And put it in a secret location, with standing room only, and you gotta win a ticket, so you can’t go buy this to pay to get in. And it’s strictly for your day-one people. It was one of those things where picking the records was therapeutic. We just sat there and reminisced, like, “Remember when we did this?”
People don’t remember I was riding around in a Ferrari, and I’d pull up to Dram’s to get my show tapes made before we did a mixtape… Dram would be like, “Take your shoes off.” I’d be like, “N—a, you live in the hood. You buggin!” We been through all that, so we laugh about the times we had. Going through the records was like, “Damn, bro, we really have a history and legacy with what we’re doing.” I remember a lot of those records I was writing still in the street. I didn’t know if this was gon’ work out. So when I heard myself say certain things, like on “Mr. 17.5,” I’m like, “Damn.” And I wasn’t all the way in. I was still trying to figure it out. Look how far I came. For you to go and take records you did back then and get people in a room to do them now, it says something.
A lot of people have projects, but they don’t have enough of a movement to do a B-side show. We had 70 on the board. The other ones, we had to go through and condense it down. It’s crazy, because when we did The Real Is Back one and two intros, even for me, I was dancing to “Holy Ghost.” S–t is crazy. I’ve been on the tour with the best of them, and this was the first time I was in the room and doing all the s–t that I wanted to. Just seeing the love was crazy, because we’re doing more B-side concerts.
I saw a lot of different people, especially of all ages, embracing you as the people’s champ in the SNOFALL trailer. Talk about touching all different walks of life.
I’ma tell you a quick story. I went to Jamaica a couple years ago. One of the drivers was a native and he wanted to take us somewhere special. We’re going up in the mountains, and two hours later we’re in Nine Mile where Bob Marley’s from. From the second I touched down in that area, I immediately started hearing stories about what Bob did for the people — whether it was loaning money, helping with a bully, or walking kids to school. They just had this genuine love for Bob Marley that was beyond music. I remember sitting there — like, I always loved his music, but now I see why he sings “One Love.”
When I see these youngsters coming up I see what I did for their fathers and brothers — it’s generational. That’s what it’s really about. You don’t want to be a hit record. It’s a flash in the pan. But when you in the hearts of women, men, and children, it’s a real thing. I do it for someone to walk up and say, “Jeezy, you changed my life.” They just giving you these different ways you helped them out and for me, that’s the fulfillment. It ain’t the awards, it’s that love. I got that when I went to Nine Mile.
I think about your legacy, and you’ve had your fair share of beefs — whether it was with Gucci Mane, Rick Ross, and Freddie Gibbs. Interestingly enough, you’ve been able to end all your feuds. How were you able to obtain this level of peace, knowing the situations you’ve been through in your career?
When I realized that most of the time people act out, you don’t have to match energy and engage or react — because, at the end of the day, especially with the Freddie s–t, it was just bad communication. Same thing with Ross — just bad communication, and it took the right people to get in the mix. What I have learned is the same when Nas did “Hip Hop Is Dead” and I reacted. I was kinda spazzing out on the radio, if you remember. I’ll never forget when I got in the car from the radio station, somebody from Def Jam was like, “Nas wanna holla at you. He’s on the phone.”
I’m ready for whatever he’s gonna say — I’m all for it. We can fight dogs, race cars, shoot guns or whatever he wanna do. He said, “What’s up, King?” He asked how I’m feeling, and he was like, “I can understand your frustration, but let me explain what I’m saying, and how it has nothing to do with you.” He was so calm — and I always remembered that. When me and Freddie [Gibbs] had our thing, that was one of the reasons I remained calm — because I’ve been on the other side of that. So I’m hearing his frustration, and I get it, because we’re doing business and not everybody’s gonna be happy. It’s like being married, you gotta communicate. You can’t be like, “I’m gonna blow the whole house up.”
As Black men, we rarely do have good communication. It was love. That’s it. It wasn’t even nothing to have a conversation about, because we both knew where we stood at that. So going forward, we gotta communicate better.
I remember having a conversation with Ludacris, and I asked him if he was finally comfortable with the word “legend.” He said it took him so long to accept that. Have you accepted that?
Man, it’s so hard, because I feel like [I do with] the OG s–t. Like, what does that mean? It just feels like you’re not in it no more, and that’s not the truth. I could be in it any way that I choose to. Whether I sign someone or run a label, I could go run Def Jam tomorrow. It’s when you do other things and you have success there. Let’s just say, Magic Johnson — one of the best to ever do it — he’s an even better businessman. I wouldn’t approach him like, “What’s up old timer? You used to play basketball, but now you own the Dodgers.” It’s a mindset.
My focus doesn’t have to always be rap. I’m building companies — Cognac, vodka, gin, and performance fuel water — and my real estate portfolio is nuts. When I say I own half of Atlanta, I mean that s–t. LLC Shawty, that’s me. My focus ain’t gon’ be in one place, but that doesn’t mean I’m not in it anymore. When you say “JAY-Z,” he’s doing astronomical things. If you put him in the studio with any of these young cats, he gonna tear they ass up. That’s what he does — but that doesn’t mean that’s what he has to do every day.
Going to the “legend” thing, it makes it sound like the run is over. How so? It’s because I believe in reinventing myself all the time. It’s Snowman forever. I been on tour with the best of ’em, and I look in that crowd and see 500 Snowman shirts. I can identify my people, and that means it’s real and tangible. This is like Metallica s–t. It wasn’t just about the songs, it was about the movement.
I don’t even think LeBron has hit his highest plateau yet. Even who he is and what he’s doing. We’re gonna look up and he’s gonna be larger than we could ever think, because of his businesses. We’ve never seen somebody whose business is so on point. He’s like the Barack Obama of basketball. He’s about his business, and we ain’t seen no scandal. He’s clean-cut, and the connoisseur for music, because he’s still young enough that everyone wanna send LeBron their records. We’ll look up in 10 years and look up like, “This is crazy.” Who knows, he could run for president.
I think it’s fair to call Nipsey [Hussle] a legend. Because everything he was working towards, he was working for his people, and he was taken too soon. I think it’s fair to call 2Pac a legend, because of everything he was doing for his people and he was taken too soon.
I ain’t even figured it all out yet. I’m still getting in rooms that I never thought I’d be in. I’m getting knowledge every day. I’m James St. Patrick for real. Clark Kent for real. I’m trying to do it bigger than it has ever been done. Like I would look at Jay and Nas, of course we know they’re legendary — but they still got work to do. Nas is getting Grammy Awards. He wasn’t getting no Grammys back then. His business is impeccable. It wouldn’t be fair to cancel my man out just yet. I agree with Ludacris on that: Between [legend] and OG, I’m confused.
Another company is saying adios to Kanye West and his products. As of Wednesday (Oct. 26), TJ Maxx has joined brands such as Adidas and Balenciaga in severing ties with the rapper following a flurry of antisemitic comments he made in social media posts and in subsequent interviews this month.
“At TJX we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind,” read a statement shared by the retailer with CNN. “We have instructed our buying teams not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally.”
Billboard has reached out to West for comment.
TJ Maxx is merely the latest domino to fall in the line of businesses dropping the artist, who now goes by Ye. One day prior, Adidas announced it would be ending a nearly decade-long partnership with the “Donda” artist, which spawned the creation of his massively successful Yeezy shoe line. Gap and Foot Locker also confirmed Tuesday (Oct. 25) that they’d be removing Ye’s products from their shelves.
Before that, Ye was discharged from his professional relationship with Balenciaga on Friday (Oct. 21), and dropped as a client from Creative Artists Agency on Monday (Oct. 24).
The fallout first began Oct. 3, when Ye featured shirts printed with the phrase “White Lives Matter” in his Paris Fashion Week show. Just days later, he was suspended from Twitter and Instagram for posting anti-Jewish hate speech, which he continued to spew in later appearances on Cuomo, Drink Champs and other interviews.
It’s not just companies that are condemning Ye’s recent antics. Stars such as Ariana Grande, John Legend, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Antonoff, Sarah Silverman and more have all publicly spoken out against the Yeezy founder’s hate speech in the past few weeks. As recently as Monday night (Oct. 24), Harry Styles replaced his usual Adidas footwear with Vans for one of his concerts, something fans believed to be a small act of protest against the brand before it severed ties with Ye. The loss of the Adidas partnership was a move that cost the rapper his status as a billionaire, according to Forbes.
Rihanna is officially back. Well, almost. The singer is slated to get back in our ears on Friday (Oct. 28) with the new single “Lift Me Up” from the upcoming Marvel sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The song, written by Tems, Oscar winner Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and Panther director Ryan Coogler was recorded in five countries and produced by Göransson according to a release announcing the star’s first solo single since 2016.
Ri’s anticipated return to music was written as a tribute to late Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died in August 2020 at age 43. The song will be released on the singer’s Westbury Road label in partnership with Roc Nation/Def Jam Recordings/Hollywood Records. A brief preview of the song appeared on RiRi’s Instagram on Wednesday (Oct. 26), with her wordless humming floating above a string section.
“After speaking with Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life. I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them,” said Tems in a statement. “Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”
The rumored slot on the Wakanda soundtrack has been buzzing for weeks, with billboards hinting at RiRi’s involvement in the project via cryptic promotions on electronic billboards in New York, and, this week, a teaser post for the film in which the title resets to spotlight the “R” in “Forever” above Friday’s date.
The “Umbrella” singer hasn’t released an album since Anti dropped six years ago, and logged two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. She most recently hit the Billboard Hot 100‘s top 10 on her own with “Love on the Brain,” which reached No. 5 in March 2017. She added her most recent Hot 100 top 10 – her 31st – as featured, with Bryson Tiller, on DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts,” which hit No. 2 in July 2017. In her most recent appearance on the chart, she reached No. 23 in April 2020 with “Believe It,” with PARTYNEXTDOOR.
Though she’s teased her next album several times since, no new solo music has emerged since the Anti era, as new mom RiRi has mostly focused on her Fenty Beauty brand. Her long break from live performance is slated to end on Feb. 12, 2023, when she takes the stage for the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The sequel to 2018 global smash Black Panther stars Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Winston Duke as M’Baku and Dania Gurija as Okoye, fighting to protect their nation from interloping powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s [Boseman] death. The film, also starring Martin Freeman, Lupita Nyong’o and Tenoch Huerta Mejia, is due in theaters on Nov. 11.
The Wakanda Forever soundtrack — produced by Coogler, Göransson, Archie Davis and Dave Jordan — will be out on Nov. 4, with Göransson’s score album due out also on Nov. 11.
Check out the “Life Me Up” tease below.
Harry Styles set his Adidas shoes aside Monday (Oct. 24), and many of his fans think he was taking a subtle stand against the footwear brand’s connection to the artist formerly known as Kanye West.
Taking the stage at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for his Monday night concert, Styles showed up dressed in his normal full body Gucci attire — but with one exception. Rather than sporting his usual Adidas x Gucci Gazelles — which he’s worn for every show of his Love on Tour since June, according to People — the 28-year-old pop star instead rocked a pair of red Vans.
Styles’ fans were quick to notice the change, which came amidst a surge of public demand that Adidas drop its longtime partnership with West, who now goes by Ye, following the rapper’s recent antisemitic comments. At the time of the concert, Adidas had not yet confirmed its decision to do so; however, one day later, the company announced it would be officially parting ways with Ye after years of working together on the “Donda” artist’s blockbuster Yeezy shoe line.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the Tuesday (Oct. 25) statement read. “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.”
Billboard has reached out to Styles’ team for comment.
The “As It Was” singer’s next concert will take place Wednesday night (Oct. 26), also at the Kia Forum, where he’s set up shop for a 15-night residency — meaning fans don’t have long to wait to see if Styles will continue wearing Vans in light of Adidas’ statement. Regardless, many have already taken his subtle Monday night fashion statement as an act of good will.
“Harry is wearing vans. good for him,” tweeted one fan the day after the concert. “I believe it’s because he’s boycotting adidas for continuing to be in partnership with kanye.”
“Thank you @harry_styles and @harry__lambert for going with Vans last night instead of @adidas,” wrote another, tagging both Styles and his stylist, Harry Lambert. “We see your decision, and it means so much to me and all your other Jewish fans, and those who stand with us against antisemitism in all its forms.”
See what fans are saying about Harry Styles’ decision to wear Vans instead of Adidas at his recent concert below:
harry is wearing vans. good for him. i believe it’s because he’s boycotting adidas for continuing to be in partnership with kanye. pic.twitter.com/zM01QcJmgS— percy is going to harryween (@goldenisbrave) October 25, 2022
Thank you @harry_styles and @harry__lambert for going with Vans last night instead of @adidas. We see your decision, and it means so much to me and all your other Jewish fans, and those who stand with us against antisemitism in all its forms 💚— Out of Ilena’s System (@ilenafromeroda) October 25, 2022
Foot Locker will no longer be stocking Yeezy products on its shelves. The shoe retailer announced Tuesday (Oct. 25) that it would be joining companies such as GAP, Adidas and Balenciaga in cutting ties with Kanye West in light of the rapper’s recent antisemitic comments.
A spokesperson for the footwear company told CNN that while Foot Locker will continue its partnership with Adidas — the brand that has produced Ye’s blockbuster Yeezy shoes since 2015 — it will immediately halt all sales of any products the “Donda” artist has been involved in making.
“We will not be supporting any future Yeezy product drops, and we have instructed our retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites,” said the spokesperson, who also noted that Foot Locker would remain “a partner with Adidas and carry a wide assortment of their collections.”
Adidas had announced earlier in the day it would be cutting ties with Ye — a move that resulted in the rapper losing his billionaire status. “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said statement. “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.”
GAP, which had already ended its relationship with the rapper in September, also announced Tuesday it was immediately removing all Yeezy products, and took down YeezyGap.com, one day after he was dropped as a client form Creative Artists Agency. And on Oct. 21, he was turned away by Balenciaga, as announced via a statement given to Women’s Wear Daily by the fashion house’s parent company, Kering.
The collective demise of Ye’s partnerships follows two controversies sparked by the Grammy winner earlier this month. The first came when he premiered shirts featuring the phrase “White Lives Matter” — which the Southern Poverty Law Center explains is a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement — at his Oct. 3 Paris Fashion Week runway show.
The second came days later, when he first started on a rampage of antisemitic rhetoric by posting on social media that he would be going “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” something that led to his Instagram and Twitter accounts being restricted. That didn’t stop him from doubling and tripling down on his hate speech, however. He would go on to appear on Chris Cuomo’s self-titled NewsNation show to heatedly debate his antisemitic views on the music industry, and later compared the Holocaust to abortion in an interview with MIT research scientist Lex Fridman.
Bronx-made rapper Ice Spice makes music for bad bitches.
“Anybody can be a bad bitch, it’s more like a mentality,” she explains. “Somebody who’s very confident with themselves and knows what they want.”
The soft-spoken artist learned her bad bitch-isms by way of her Dominican mother, who turned heads from the time Ice Spice was a child. “My mom’s a bad bitch and she raised me to be just like her,” she explains. “You already know Latina girls have that sass. I remember she would always have her nails done so that trickled down to me. She was just always looking so good. I was that kid in the class who had the good-looking mom.”
While we have yet to receive a mom reveal, Mama Spice’s confident air is evident in her daughter’s cool rhymes, with Ice Spice declaring matter-of-factly on her breakout hit “Munch (Feelin’ U),” “He want my body, he telling me “please”/ I’m walking past him, he sniffin’ my breeze.”
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And her confidence is proving to be with reason. In just two months, the rising rapper, born Isis Gaston, catapulted into mainstream fame thanks to her viral drill anthem, and she has no plans of leaving the spotlight. “I realized virality is really based on the person,” she says. “When you’re a viral type of person, you’re gonna always go viral.”
From TikTok videos of girls screaming the lyrics in the car transforming into viral sounds of their own, to cultural adaptations of Ice Spice’s already iconic, “You thought I was feeling you?” line, the song quickly became inescapable on social media, amassing 2.4 billion views and over 500,000 creations. Although she believed in the song from the time of its genesis, Ice Spice says the success of “Munch” exceeded all expectations. “I figured it was gonna be a pretty big song, but I didn’t realize how big it was gonna be,” she says. “It’s funny — because people I showed the song to wasn’t too excited about it. But I’m confident in it. So I was just like, ‘My fans gon’ f–k with it, I don’t care.’”
To no surprise, the TikTok success translated to streams and to the charts, with “Munch” accumulating 34 million global streams, and landing spots on the Billboard Rhythmic Airplay, Bubbling Under Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
The burgeoning rapper is wasting no time, already teasing her next single, “Bikini Bottom,” which she recorded a week before her Billboard interview. “It kind of gives a SpongeBob vibe, I was having fun with that one,” she says. “I was addressing a couple of things that’s been going on, you’ll hear it more in the second verse.”
Fans and critics have had their fair share of jokes about Ice Spice, from her “Annie” curls to lyrics that can only come straight from the Bronx. But she’s laughing along with them, because whether or not she “raps in ‘duh,’” as a popular TikToker joked, fans are eating up everything Ice Spice is dishing out.
Billboard spoke with October’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month Ice Spice about performing for the first time, her Dominican roots, meeting Cardi B, the artists who inspire her and more.
Did you anticipate “Munch” becoming this huge breakout hit?
Honestly I didn’t know that it was going to be such a big hit, but I’m so grateful. I made the song in January. When I put out the Triller tease back in June, it started picking up momentum. I figured it was gonna be a pretty big song, but I didn’t realize how big it was gonna be.
Upon making “Munch,” were you super eager to put it out?
I wasn’t eager at all. Sometimes you get over a song, and that’s what happened with “Munch.” When I first made it, I loved it. But then months went by and I kind of just forgot about it. It was something I was gonna keep in the tuck for a little while. I knew I wanted to put it out, but it felt more like a summertime vibe.
Is “Munch” like a thing people say?
I thought I came up with it, but I recently found out through an older lady “carpet muncher” used to be a popular [derogatory] saying. She told me and I was like, “Wow, I didn’t even know that.”
What was the vibe like during the making of the song?
I was in my room with my producer, I wasn’t with a bunch of people. I like to record alone. A lot of people like to have parties in their studio sessions, but I like to focus in to get the song done. It was just us two and we was trying to challenge ourselves to see how quickly we could get the song done. So I wasn’t thinking too much. That’s one thing about “Munch.” I was getting line by line out and just having fun.
How long did it take to finish it?
Probably two hours.
A lot of female rappers have put their own spin on “Munch” and uploaded videos to social media. How does it feel knowing so many artists are feeling the song?
Everybody’s been putting out their remixes and I’m just like, “Wow.” Kali [Uchis] put out her remix, basically every [female] artist in New York put out a remix to it. Then when [Cardi B] put hers out, I feel like that was the cherry on top.
Have you talked to Cardi since?
I haven’t had a one-on-one long sit down conversation where she gives me advice, but I have really briefly said “hey.” Today’s her birthday, I’m probably going to see her at her party later. I’d love to work with her. That’s my big Bronx sis.
Are there any NY artists you go to for advice?
I go to [Lil] Tjay for like, not advice, but just to relate with certain things. We like to chat a lot. [He] actually goes through similar situations. It helps a lot to be able to talk to somebody and just vent and for them to be like, “This is what I did when that happened to me.” And learning from their mistakes, too.
What was your path to music like?
What’s funny is my mom sent me a video the other day – and I don’t even remember this of course, because I was like four. But I’m singing in the video. And I’ve never seen this video my whole life, I was shocked by that. So I was singing since [age] four, but I didn’t actually take music seriously until I was older. I was writing poems and little freestyle raps in my notes throughout all of elementary and high school. Once I got to college, I went viral on Twitter for the “Buss It” challenge. So then I was like, “Nah, I gotta take it seriously,” and I started putting out music.
Did you always go by Ice Spice?
Yeah, my name is Isis, so my nickname always been Ice my whole life. And the spice came from Instagram, I was just trying to come up with a username when I was like, 14.
You recently did two festivals, what was that like for you?
It was very fun. [Rolling Loud NY] was a little messier, but it still worked out. They showed mad love. I can’t wait for the next Rolling Loud. I never had a soundcheck for none of my performances, they just throw you out there. Everybody thinks that like you go in all prepared and s–t with your own mic, but you don’t get that until you’re like G.O.A.T. level.
My first performance ever was back in May at a college in New Jersey. That was lit, the crowd was actually pretty big. It’s hard to perform. Practice makes perfect for real. I’m sure in a year from now, my performance is going to look drastically different. I can’t wait to pop out and prove everybody wrong that’s been talking a lot of s–t.
You’ve been teasing a new song “Bikini Bottom” on socials. Tell us about that.
It’s called “Bikini Bottom” because it kind of gives a SpongeBob vibe. I was just having fun with that one. I was addressing a couple of things that’s been going on, you’ll hear it more in the second verse. But I feel like it’s a good follow up after “Munch.” I made it last week.
Why do you think there aren’t more women getting mainstream looks in the drill space?
I don’t know, honestly. I feel like there are a lot of girls coming up in the drill space and rap in general. Right now feels like the time for the ladies. Drill is such a new sub-genre that I feel like it just needs time for more girls to enter.
Are there any women artists whose careers you look up to?
I’m inspired by Nicki, Lil Kim, Cardi B. All of the greats. I’m definitely inspired by Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. But I definitely want to like have my own lane. Where like, it’s just it’s mine. And not like really copying somebody. With Nicki, Cardi and Kim, it’s them being from New York of course. That New York swag and aggression and bad bitchness. [Laughs.] When it comes to Lauryn and Erykah, they give a graceful angelic vibe of timeless beauty. All of them are icons.
You mentioned you’re half Dominican. Are we getting that dembow collaboration anytime soon?
Oh my gosh. Yes. You know what? I’ve actually been talking to a lot of Latin artists and I’m figuring it out. And I got this Spanish type of beat that I’ve been plotting on. I’m probably gonna lay that down soon.
What piece of advice would you give aspiring artists?
I feel like being independent is super lit, especially when you get the hit independently, like I did with “Munch.” I wrote that by myself, just me and my producer. That would be like my advice to any up-and-coming artists, definitely stay independent as long as you can.
The ongoing fall-out from Kanye West‘s recent spree of antisemitic statements has reached nearly every corner of the former billionaire artist’s once-sprawling empire, with the latest defections coming from his Donda Sports division. In the wake of a series of interviews in which West has doubled- and tripled-down on inflammatory, derogatory hate speech, L.A. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald tweeted on Tuesday (Oct. 25) that he was unable to continue their professional relationship.
“Our family has made the decision to part ways with Donda Sports,” read a statement from Donald and his wife, Erica Donald. “The recent comments and displays of hate and antisemitism are the exact opposite of how we choose to live our lives and raise our children. We find them to be irresponsible and go against everything we believe in as a family.”
They continued, “as parents and members of society, we felt a responsibility to send a clear message that hateful words and actions have consequences and that we must do better as human beings. We do not feel our beliefs, voices and actions belong anywhere near a space that misrepresents and oppresses people of any background, ethnicity or race.”
Boston Celtics shooting guard Brown — who earlier this week said he was sticking with Donda Sports — shifted his position on Tuesday, saying, upon reflection, he could not keep working with West (who now goes by Ye).
“In the past 24 hours, I’ve been able to reflect and better understand how my previous statements lack clarity in expressing my stance against recent insensitive public remarks and actions,” Brown tweeted in a statement. “For that, I apologize. And in this, I seek to be as clear as possible. I have always, and will always, continue to stand strongly against any antisemitism, hate speech, misrepresentation, and oppressive rhetoric of any kind.”
Brown said in light of his reflection he recognized that “there are times when my voice and my position can’t coexist in spaces that don’t correspond with my stance or my values. And, for that reason, I am terminating my association with Donda Sports.” Both men signed with West’s marketing agency Donda Sports in May of this year. And while they cut ties, the company’s president, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown — who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 after taking off his uniform and running off the field during a game — said he was staying put.
“Over the past few weeks the world’s reactionary and selective outrage at comments in the media made by my brother, Ye, have inflamed and sparked rampant conversation and reflection,” Brown tweeted on Tuesday. “I too have been able to reflect on statements that I and others in my circle have made that lack clarity in expressing my stance. The people and brands that have relentlessly profited from Black ideas and Black culture chose to distance themselves at a very specific time: a time that demonstrated their prioritization of certain groups over others.”
Brown said, for those reasons, he is standing by his “dedication to freedom of speech, thought, and opinion.” He added that as president of the company he remains “true to the mission of Donda,” as well as “dedicated to helping clarify statements taken out of proportion by the media.”
West’s recent spate of controversial statements and actions — including wearing and promoting a “White Lives Matter” shirt featuring a slogan adopted by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement and his weeks-long series of interviews in which he has made antisemitic comments — have cost the rapper dearly.
In addition to facing backlash from both fans and celebrities online, he has been dropped by many of his fashion and business partners, including The Gap, Balenciaga, Adidas, as well as getting him dropped by his agents at CAA, and seeing an already-finished documentary from MRC shelved. In addition, Forbes reported this week that the loss of the lucrative Adidas deal — valued at around $1.5 billion — would cost Ye his billionaire status, dropping his net worth to around $400 million.
See Donald, Brown and Brown’s statements below.
