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☆ China’s censorship is among the toughest in the world. So why did it let Kanye West play?
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-12 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —It seemed like an unlikely stage for Kanye West to unveil his new music. Music fans cheer during Kanye West's Vultures Listening Experience at Wuyuan River Stadium on September 15, 2024. One of the fastest-growing in the world, China’s music market became the fifth-largest market globally in 2022, according to IFPI, a trade body for the recorded music industry. China’s recorded music revenues grew 28.4% in 2022 from the year prior, compared with the global market rise of 9%, IFPI said. Bieber “engaged in a series of bad behaviors, both in his social life and during a previous performance in China,” China’s Ministry of Culture announced in 2015, without going into details.

Persons: –, Ye –, Ye, ”, Luo Yunfei, Xi Jinping, China “, Chen Dan, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Charlie Puth, Chen, Kanye, ” Chen, “, Ye’s, China’s, Hung Ho, fung, Bon, Jovi’s, Lama, Justin Bieber, Jay, Lady Gaga, Bieber “, Culture “, Ho, Johns Hopkins, it’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Kanye, Communist Party, German, Adidas, Sports, Chinese Communist Party, China News Service, University of, Travelers, Xinhua, Kanye West, Visual China, Johns Hopkins University ., Oasis, China’s Ministry of Culture, Ministry, Culture, China, Nanjing University, China Daily, University of Richmond Locations: Hong Kong, China, Hainan, Hainan’s, Haikou, Beijing, Shanghai, “, Tokyo, British, Asia, Nanjing, Johns

☆ Trump's ready for his big moment, though he's been winning without one
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Donald Trump is on a winning streak, which is all the more remarkable because he's barely played the game. He's in the strongest position any Republican presidential hopeful has been in July since George W. Bush in 2000. AdvertisementSince the debate, Biden has faced almost daily onslaught of Democrats calling him to step aside. Even as he's refrained from rallies, he's still ranting on social media. Trump also handed Biden's campaign a major gift by offering one of his signature "I don't know them" denials about Project 2025.

Persons: Donald Trump, he's, Joe Biden's, Trump, Biden, George W, Bush, Doug Sosnik, Kevin Dietsch, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, He's, George Clooney, a5OhK8tKYL — David Weigel, Amber Rose, Kanye, Dana White, Mike Pence Organizations: Service, CNN, Trump, Republican, Electoral College, The New York Times, NATO, The Associated Press, Business, Democratic, Republicans, National Weather Service, Supreme Court, Capitol, New, GOP, Republican National Convention, Wall Street Journal, UFC Locations: Trump, New York, Milwaukee, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Virginia, New Mexico, Florida, Georgia

☆ Every outfit the Kardashian-Jenner family has ever worn at the Met Gala, ranked from least to most iconic
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Amanda Krause | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Members of the Kardashian-Jenner family have been attending the Met Gala since 2013. Kim Kardashian's outfits, in particular, have become some of the most famous worn at the event. AdvertisementIt's tough to imagine the Met Gala without the Kardashian-Jenner family. And while some of their outfits have made Met Gala history, others have missed the mark. Here's a look at everything the family has worn at the annual event, ranked from least to most iconic.

Persons: Kardashian, Jenner, Kim Kardashian's, —, Kim Kardashian, Kanye, Kris Jenner Organizations: Service, Costume Institute

☆ Kanye West compared himself to Hitler, threatened staff and students at Donda Academy, new lawsuit alleges
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewA former employee of Kanye West's has accused the rap mogul of threatening the staff and students of his private Christian school, Donda Academy, according to a new lawsuit filed Tuesday. Representatives for Donda Academy, Yeezy, and a lawyer for West did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. AdvertisementPhillips was hired shortly after West's business empire began to collapse following his repeated antisemitic comments on social media, in which he claimed he would go "death con 3" on Jewish people. But, despite his public apologies for the remarks, Phillips said West's antisemitic comments and praise of Hitler continued at work, sometimes within earshot of students. "Fearing for their jobs and also to de-escalate Kanye's absurdities (so that the two present school children did not hear), the school staff did their best to ignore him."

Persons: —, Kanye West's, It's, Donda, Trevor Phillips, Ye, West, Hitler, Phillips, Kanye, Pablo, West's, Bill Gates, Carney, Shegerian Organizations: Service, Donda Academy, Business, Yeezy, West, Associates Locations: Paris, California . West

☆ Adidas says it plans to sell its remaining Yeezy sneakers – and it doesn't want to make a loss
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Adidas says it plans to sell its remaining stocks of Yeezy sneakers worth nearly $300 million. "The company plans to sell the remaining Yeezy product at least at cost in 2024," Adidas said in a press release Wednesday. The German sportswear retailer had previously planned to write off roughly 300 million euros ($324 million) of Yeezy inventory. It now plans to sell around 268 million euros ($289 million) of its remaining stock. AdvertisementAdidas said that it had sold Yeezy stock worth 1.2 billion euros in 2022 and 750 million euros in 2023, the latter of which generated a preliminary operating profit of around 300 million euros.

Persons: Ye, —, Bjørn, George Floyd, Gulden Organizations: Adidas, Service, Kanye, Twitter, Defamation League, Keeta Floyd Institute for Social, Business, Argentine

☆ Kanye West drew a swastika at a Yeezy meeting with Adidas and told a Jewish manager to kiss a photo of Hitler, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

More details of Kanye West's conduct during his partnership with Adidas were revealed by The New York Times. The rapper drew a swastika on a shoe design and told a Jewish employee to kiss a photo of Hitler, per the Times. In another detail of his troubling antisemitic behaviour, Ye told one Jewish manager at the company to kiss a picture of Hitler every day. The last Adidas Yeezy restock AdidasAdidas CEO Bjørn Gulden has defended Ye, saying that the rapper had been misunderstood. The company told the Times it had "no tolerance for hate speech and offensive behavior, which is why the company terminated the Adidas Yeezy partnership."

Persons: Kanye, Hitler, Ye, —, Adidas Yeezy, Bjørn Gulden Organizations: Adidas, The New York Times, Times, Service, New York Times, Adidas Adidas Locations: Germany

☆ Kanye West seemingly wants to trademark the term 'YEWS' for use in gambling, finance, restaurants, and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kanye West's law firm filed 26 requests with a Californian court to trademark the term "YEWS." The applicant is seeking exclusive rights to the term in sectors like finance and fashion. AdvertisementAdvertisementKanye West, now known as Ye, is seemingly trying to secure trademark rights for the use of the term "YEWS" across a range of sectors. Twenty-six filings were made in California on October 2 to the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to trademark the term. AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to the documents, shared in full by Gerben Law, Ye is seeking exclusive rights to the "YEWS" trademark for use on everything from clothing to restaurants and gambling.

Persons: Kanye, —, Ye, Weeks Nelson, Gerben Law, Jonathan Leibson, Adolf Hitler, Hitler, Alex Klein, Klein Organizations: Service, Office, Paha Inc, Gerben, Adidas, Twitter Locations: California

☆ CreditNinja, which has charged loan customers an interest rate of 447%, is complaining that their $1 million PPP loan forgiveness request was rejected
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Short-term lending company CreditNinja is mad about the SBA denying them loan forgiveness. The company charges interest rates as high as 447% in Texas, per KHOU. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. According to Forbes, Kanye West's fashion company Yeezy received over $2 million in PPP loans. Artist Jeff Koons, also notably rich, received a $1.1 million PPP loan in April 2020, according to ProPublica.

Persons: Seamus Hughes's CourtWatch, CreditNinja, CreditNinja wasn't, —, Kanye, Yeezy, Jeff Koons Organizations: SBA, Service, Court, Southern Division, Small Business Association, Relief, Economic, Forbes Locations: Texas, Wall, Silicon, Illinois

☆ Trump's co-defendants in the Georgia election interference indictment include Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Kanye West's former publicist
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Lloyd Lee | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump was indicted again Monday in connection to his efforts to overturn Georgia's election results. Fulton County DA Fani Willis charged the former president with 13 crimes including racketeering. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. In February, the foreperson for the Fulton County grand jury, who heard months worth of witness testimony told CNN, that the amount of recommended indictments was "not a short list." More than 75 witnesses were called before the grand jury throughout the probe, per CNN.

Persons: Trump, Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, Joe Biden's, David Shafer, Cathleen Latham, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Cheseboro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith III, Mark Meadows, Michael Roman, Robert Cheeley, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee Harrison Floyd, Sydney Powell, Sydney Powell Scott Hall, Misty Hampton, — Organizations: Fulton, Trump, Service, CNN, Republican, Georgia Republican, Ray Smith III Former Trump, GOP, Trump Trevian, Kanye West Dallas, Sydney Powell Scott, Fulton County Republican Locations: Fulton County, Wall, Silicon, Georgia, Coffee County, Michael Roman Georgia, Chicago

☆ Foot Locker reportedly refused to stock Yeezys for Adidas' relaunch of Kanye West's shoe brand over fears of a backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Adidas is selling off its stockpile of Yeezy shoes following its breakup with Kanye West. But Foot Locker was too afraid of potential backlash to help sell them, Complex reported. Adidas sold $437 million worth of Yeezys in its first batch of sales, with 27% of that going to charity. It took Yeezys off the shelves when Adidas announced it would stop its business with West in October. A spokesperson for Adidas did not confirm to Insider whether Foot Locker had abandoned plans to restock Yeezys.

Persons: Locker, Yeezys, Ye, restock, Erwan Rambourg, Footlocker Organizations: Adidas, Kanye, Service, West, HSBC Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Elon Musk just reinstated Kanye West's Twitter, or X, account 8 months after ban for offensive tweets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kanye West, legally known as Ye, has been reinstated on Twitter, or X as it is now known. West, known as Ye, was banned for a second time in December after a string of antisemitic remarks. Ye won't be able to monetize his account and ads won't be placed alongside his posts, reported the WSJ. According to the Wall Street Journal, Ye won't be able to monetize his account and advertisements will not be placed alongside his posts. Ye previously had his account restricted in October 2022 after making comments about Jewish people which breached the platform's guidelines.

Persons: Kanye, Ye, David . Ye, Alex Jones, Adolf Hitler, Elon Musk, X Organizations: Twitter, Service, Wall Street, Adidas Locations: West, Wall, Silicon

☆ Musk's X social media platform reinstates Kanye West's account
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 29 (Reuters) - Social media platform X reinstated account of Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, on Saturday, after it was suspended nearly eight months ago because the rapper had violated the platform's rules prohibiting incitement to violence. Ye's account now shows his last post from Dec. 1, a day prior to when his account was suspended on platform X, the new name owner Elon Musk has given Twitter. Ye won't be eligible to monetize his account on X, and advertisements won't appear next to his posts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing the social media platform. The social media platform did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. After Ye went on a string of antisemitic rants in interviews and on social media he lost his partnership with Adidas (ADSGn.DE) and Gap (GPS.N) for Yeezy products.

Persons: Ye, Elon Musk, David . X, Musk, Donald Trump's, Trump, Baranjot Kaur, Alistair Bell Organizations: Wall Street, Reuters, Twitter, Adidas, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ This LA talent manager started her own business only using handshake deals. Here's how she landed top clients and helped them achieve what they care about most.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But she doesn't sign contracts with her clients, instead focusing on genuine relationships. Talent managers might have a bad rep with overbearing contracts and hefty fees, but for Perice and Made By All, clients are only held to a handshake. "I don't believe in contracts, so everything is a handshake for me, and my word is my contract," she said. Deals between clients and brands are done with signed contracts, but Perice still communicates with the NFL via DMs and texts. "Adam loves giving back, so we're able to really tie in the things that he cares about his brand."

Persons: Leanne Perice, She's, —, I'm, Teyana Taylor, Perice, –, Kanye, Taylor, Ugo Mozie, There's, influencer Helen Owen, Adam Waheed, it's, Waheed, Adam Organizations: Service, Interscope Records, NFL, DMs, CMO, UPS, Spice, Forbes Locations: Bali, West Coast, Los Angeles, Europe, Florence, Italy, Fairfax

☆ Adidas and Yeezy staff were told to carry on as usual and ignore Kanye West's antisemitic rants, new report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Mary Hanbury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Adidas and Yeezy staff were told to carry on as usual after Kanye West made antisemitic comments. A new Bloomberg report sheds light on the unraveling of the Adidas-Yeezy partnership. One unnamed source told Bloomberg that after Kanye West – now known as Ye – made antisemitic comments that led him to be suspended from Twitter and Instagram, Adidas was slow to react. Yeezy and Adidas workers were reportedly told "to keep working as if nothing unusual was happening," Bloomberg's Eugene Kim and Tim Loh wrote. "I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me.

☆ Adidas will finally start to move its $1.3 billion mountain of unsold Yeezy sneakers within days
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Adidas will start offloading its Yeezy stock worth $1.3 billion at the end of May. The company plans to donate proceeds to nonprofits including one run by the sister of George Floyd. Adidas struggled to work out what to do with Yeezy stock after severing ties with Kanye West. In a statement Friday, the company said it would release an initial batch of Yeezy stock at the end of May. "At a time when antisemitism has reached historic levels in the US and is rising globally, we appreciate how adidas turned a negative situation into a very positive outcome," he said, per the Adidas statement.

☆ Jordan's 'Last Dance' sneakers sell for record $2.2 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 12 (Reuters) - A pair of signed, game-worn Michael Jordan sneakers from the 1998 NBA Finals fetched a record $2.2 million on Tuesday, making them the most valuable sneakers ever sold, auction house Sotheby's said. He went on to win his sixth and final NBA Championship and was named the Finals MVP. Sotheby's said Jordan gifted the sneakers to a Jazz ball boy after the game as thanks for finding a lost jacket. They were the final pair of Breds that Jordan wore in a game. The previous record for a pair of sneakers was held by a pair of Kanye West's Nike Air Yeezy 1s, which Sotheby's sold for $1.8 million in 2021.

☆ A pair of sneakers worn by Michael Jordan just sold for $2.2 million, setting a new world record for the most expensive shoes ever purchased
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sneakers worn by Jordan in the 1998 NBA Finals just sold for $2.2 million. The sale set a new world record, topping the $1.8 million paid for a pair of Kanye West's sneakers. On Tuesday, Sotheby's announced the $2.2 million sale of Air Jordan 13 sneakers worn by Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals. "That sneaker set the market for the sneaker industry. Rares CEO Sapp, who also played in the NFL, added Jordan sneakers tap into a bigger story that continues to resonate across playgrounds and pick-up basketball courts.

☆ Michael Jordan sneakers, Kobe Bryant gear lead blockbuster Sotheby's auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Michael Jordans 1998 NBA Finals Air Jordan XIIIs sneakers are displayed during a press preview in New York on April 6, 2023 at Sothebys for the upcoming auction Victoriam, a special two-part curated collection of sports artifacts. Michael Jordan's shoes from Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals could be yours — if you have a couple million dollars to spare. Sotheby's is hosting a two-part auction of game-worn sports memorabilia, with Jordan's signed sneakers serving as the cornerstone for an stacked lineup of rare items. The game-worn Air Jordans are estimated to sell for somewhere between $2 million to $4 million. When Kanye West's Air Yeezy samples sold for $1.8 million in a private sale in 2021, they were estimated to be the most expensive sneakers sold to date.

☆ Kanye West's hateful comments about Jews may have inspired dozens of antisemitic incidents, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Charles R. Davis | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Anti-Defamation League counted 59 incidents in which antisemites cited the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. Overall, ADL researchers found there was a 59% increase in antisemitic incidents last year. Overall, ADL researchers found there was a 36% spike in antisemitic incidents in 2022 compared to the year before, with the ADL tracking just under 3,700 cases across the country, the highest on record. "We're deeply disturbed by this dramatic and completely unacceptable surge in antisemitic incidents," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. The ADL report comes after the FBI last year said that white supremacists "pose the primary threat" of domestic terrorism.

☆ Michael Jordan’s ‘Last Dance’ sneakers are being auctioned off. They could go for millions, and become the most expensive sneakers ever sold.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Michael Jordan's sneakers from 1998 could sell for $4 million, breaking auction records. They are a pair of Air Jordan 13s Jordan wore in the last NBA finals he played for the Chicago Bulls. If sold at their estimated $4 million, they will set a record for the most expensive sneakers ever sold. The shoes are a pair of black and red Air Jordan 13s from Jordan's "Last Dance" — the last championship final Jordan played for the Bulls in 1998. If sold for their estimated price, the Air Jordan 13s will set the record for the most expensive sneakers ever sold, per CBS News, citing Sotheby's.

☆ How this former Adidas executive is tackling the biggest problem in footwear with biodegradable sneakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"It's a first of its kind," Liedtke told Insider. The Unless shoe, which retails for $139, was made in partnership with Natural Fiber Welding, which makes various materials from natural products, including plants and minerals. Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for ADIDAS"This is a game changer," industry analyst and ARCH-USA founder Chris Burns previously told Insider. "What's unique about what Eric has done in the footwear industry is paid attention to every single component of the shoe," Natural Fiber Welding President Steve Zika previously told Insider. Last April, Natural Fiber Welding announced an $85 million Series B investment round.

☆ Adidas warns of first annual loss in three decades and cuts dividend after Ye split
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Adidas on Wednesday reported a big fourth-quarter loss and slashed its dividend after the costly termination of its partnership with Kanye West's Yeezy brand in October. The German sportswear giant posted a fourth-quarter operating loss of 724 million euros ( $763 million ) and a net loss from continuing operations of 482 million euros. Adidas is projecting a full-year operating loss of 700 million euros in 2023, marking its first annual loss for 31 years. The estimate includes a hit of 500 million euros in potential Yeezy inventory write-off and 200 million euros in "one-off costs." The company said underlying operating profit will be "around break-even level," reflecting the loss of 1.2 billion euros in potential sales from unsold Yeezy stock.

☆ Yeezy sneakers in hot demand on resale platforms even after Kanye West's anti-semitic remarks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Yeezy sneakers currently are among the top three sellers on Impossible Kicks, a large online reseller of high-end sneakers and clothing that has 17 store locations in the United States. He said Yeezy sneakers are among the top three most-popular brands on the platform after Jordans and other Nike footwear, including Dunk and Air Max shoes. Impossible Kicks, seller of high-end sneakers, said demand for Yeezy sneakers is up 30% since last fall. So now prices for Yeezy sneakers are climbing due to tighter supply, according to StockX, a leading sneaker resale platform. “Since the start of the year, the average price of Yeezy sneakers has increased but sales overall have decreased on StockX,” Drew Haines, director of sneakers and collectibles at StockX, told CNNBusiness.

☆ How Putin's Russian goon squad used Mexican gig workers to troll an American election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Posting to social media sounded like an easy work-from-home gig, so he applied. This post from the Prigozhin-backed Social CMS network in Mexico referred to America as "we." He verified his account by providing chat transcripts, screenshots, contracts, and internal company documents. But just because Social CMS didn't yield an immediate, large-scale impact doesn't mean it should be ignored. "I didn't know who are you," wrote the person who is listed in the corporate directory as Prigozhin's media liaison.

☆ Kanye West is no longer a billionaire after being dumped by Adidas, but is still worth $400 million. Here's how he spent his money.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Major companies have severed ties with Ye in the wake of recent antisemitic comments. His net worth has been slashed, per Forbes, but he's still worth $400 million. Ye's assets include his music catalog, extensive real estate portfolio, and numerous vehicles. He's now lost the long-sought title, but is still worth a healthy $400 million, per Forbes, which ranks him the 2,543th richest person in the world. was dropped by Def Jam, per The New York Times, and he's no longer represented by Creative Artists Agency.

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