Kanye West responds after JPMorgan Chase severs ties with him

The rapper and producer has faced wide condemnation for his recent antisemitic comments

Kanye West has responded after the bank JPMorgan Chase reportedly severed ties with him following a series of antisemitic comments he made.

Last Sunday (October 9), West had his Twitter and Instagram accounts suspended after sharing antisemitic posts on the two platforms. A spokesperson from Twitter told BuzzFeed News that “the account in question [had] been locked due to a violation of Twitter’s policies”.

Many artists, celebrities, politicians and organisations have since publicly condemned West over his remarks, including Jack Antonoff, David Schwimmer and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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The ‘DONDA’ artist made further antisemitic comments in newly revealed footage from his recent interview on Fox News.

Last week, meanwhile, West faced a backlash after he wore a shirt emblazoned with the slogan ‘White Lives Matter’ at Paris Fashion Week.

Amid the growing controversy, JPMorgan Chase has now reportedly terminated its partnership with West. A statement from the US multinational investment bank and financial company states that they have “decided to end its banking relationship with Yeezy, LLC and its affiliated entities”.

According to the conservative commentator Candace Owens, JPMorgan Chase gave “no official reason” for its decision. The bank’s statement instructed Ye to “promptly transfer [his] business to another financial institution before November 21, 2022”.

It added: “To avoid any transaction delays, we suggest that you stop processing Company transactions and/or using any products associated with the accounts five business days before the scheduled closure date set forth above.”

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Approached by Page Six as he left a screening in Nashville last night (October 12), West said in response to the backlash to his antisemitic comments: “Hey, if you call somebody out for bad business, that means you’re being antisemitic. I feel happy to have crossed the line of that idea so we can speak openly about things, like getting cancelled by a bank.”

West added that he was “the richest black man in American history, that put $140 million in JPMorgan”, before ending the interview by saying that he will “speak at a different time”.

Hypebeast notes that West has been critical of his relationship with JPMorgan Chase in recent weeks.

Prospective Twitter owner Elon Musk said on Tuesday (October 11) that he had spoken to West and “expressed [his] concerns about his recent tweet, which I think he took to heart”.

Elsewhere, KISS frontman Paul Stanley said West’s struggles with mental illness should not be used as an excuse to “minimise the danger of hate speech, advocating antisemitism and violence against religions or ethnicities”.

He added: “We have found ways over centuries to rationalise this behaviour and viewed the atrocities that followed. SPEAK UP!”

Earlier this week, Kanye West shared a documentary called Last Week. That too has prompted controversy, as it included a clip where West can be seen showing porn to executives at Adidas.

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