However, only recently has the rapper been receiving significant backlash for such behaviour. On October 9th, West made a series of antisemitic comments, beginning on Instagram, where he suggested that rapper Diddy was being controlled by Jewish people. He then took these comments to Twitter, threatening to “go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” Within days, his Twitter and Instagram accounts were suspended, and he was dropped by Adidas and Balanciaga, as well as his talent agent CAA. According to Forbes, West is no longer a billionaire, with his net worth falling from $2 billion to $400 million overnight.
Despite these current repercussions, many are wondering why it took this long for the rapper to be cancelled. West has a history of making headlines for his questionable and offensive actions, yet it took antisemitic remarks to finally put an end to his intolerant behaviour. What about the time he wore a “White Lives Matter'' t-shirt during Paris Fashion Week, or the disrespectful comments he made about the death of George Floyd? It seems that firms have consistently turned a blind eye to Ye’s hateful rhetoric up until the very last moment.
This has drawn a lot of attention to the ineffectiveness of “cancel culture”. Despite the rapper’s repeated insensitive behaviour, the fashion and entertainment industry continued to embrace the artist, letting him sell records, concerts and sportswear to his fans. This isn't the first time cancel culture has been inconsistent. Big celebrities like West tend to get away with offensive behaviour due to their raised status. However, if people can pick and choose who to cancel and when to cancel them, is this really an effective form of activism at all? Only now is the rapper facing direct repercussions for his hurtful behaviour, yet his time in the spotlight should have ended months, even years ago. Why has it taken this long?
