As Ye’s empire burns, so does his appeal with fans
A former fan of Kanye West has burned USD $15,000 (£12,961) worth of Yeezy sneakers following the rapper’s anti-Semitic tirade that has also seen his fortunes go up in flames.
West, now known as Ye, has been abandoned by big business with Adidas, GAP, Apple Music, and even Madame Tussauds, choosing to ditch the rapper, who on Thursday suggested he had lost $2 billion in one day.
South Florida man, Danny Shiff has taken a personal stand against Ye. He’s set fire to his collection of Yeezys, the shoe that launched the rapper’s fashion empire.
After tossing his once beloved pair of kicks into the flames, Shiff told 7 News Miami: “I’m very much actually for free speech, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but what got me going on this one is someone like Kanye West, people like him cannot use the massive platform to spread this kind of hate.
“So I thought, ‘There’s not much I can do.’ I bought 40 pairs of Yeezys, so I’m going to burn them all.”
A video of Shiff burning several pairs of sneakers on a fire pit has now gone viral.
He told the outlet that he did so to “make a statement” before adding: “I’m never going to wear them again or support him again.”
While the torching sent a strong message, many commenters also called Shiff out on the stunt, suggesting he could have made a real difference by selling off the shoes and donating the profits to charity.
One person wrote: “He already has his money. Dude could have donated $40k.”
Another said: “The year is now 2040 and Yeezys are now worth 20000 per shoe.”
A third person commented: “Why pollute to prove a point. And he’s already got your money. He doesn’t care what you do with them now.” While another shared: “Don’t burn them to pollute the air. Give them to charity for the homeless.”
According to News12 The Bronx, Shiff reportedly still has USD $25,000 ( £13,949) worth of sneakers left and since coping heat over the stunt, has decided to auction them off. All proceeds will reportedly go to help fight racism and anti-Semitism.
Shiff’s move comes days after one of the rapper’s biggest partnerships, Adidas, terminated their contract with him.
On Tuesday the sportswear giant terminated its partnership with Ye “with immediate effect” saying that it does not “tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech”.
The company said Ye’s recent actions had been “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous”.
The following day, Ye turned up at Skechers, unannounced, and was removed from premises. The shoe brand made clear is isn’t “considering and has no intention of working” with the rapper.
“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,” the statement concluded.
Related links:
- Kanye West says he lost $2 billion in one day after companies cut ties with him
- Apple Music removes Kanye West’s Essentials Playlist
- Kanye West kicked out of Skechers office day after Adidas ditched him
