This is a literature review of the crisis communication strategies employed by Kanye West after incidents of racism and anti-semitism in late 2022.

Tenley Sablatzky COMM 814 Assignment 6a February 27th, 2024 TITLE Kanye West, also known as Ye, has long proven himself a figure of both profound creative brilliance and deep personal controversy. However, the final months of 2022 saw the artist descend into an unprecedented spiral of racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric, pushing even his long-time collaborators away. This paper examines the crisis communication strategies employed by the brands associated with Kanye West during and after this period, looking at how they sought to address the controversy while mitigating damage to their reputations. However, this paper will also investigate the unusual resilience displayed by segments of West's fan base. Despite the abhorrent nature of West's remarks, many fans resisted the "cancel culture" movement, remaining loyal to Kanye. This is shown not only by his continued following on social media but most notably, by the success of his first album release since the incident, Vultures 1, a collaborative album with fellow rapper, Ty Dolla $ign. The reasons for this loyalty are complex but can be explained best using the Parasocial Relationship Theory. Ultimately, the Kanye West crisis of 2022 provides a potent case study on crisis communication and the intersection of celebrity, public relations, and the power of fandom. The Kanye/Ye Crisis On October 2022, West wore a shirt with the slogan, “White Lives Matter” at his Yeezy SZN 9 fashion show in Paris (Dellatto, 2023). The slogan emerged in 2015 as an opposition to the Black Lives Matter social justice movement. The “White Lives Matter” slogan is associated with neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan groups, and other white supremacist movements. Proponents of the slogan indicate that they aim to raise awareness regarding a supposed "white genocide" and support the establishment of a white ethno-state. "Pro-white" rallies across the US use the "White Lives Matter" slogan frequently. West explained his choice the following day indicating that seeing white people wear shirts that indicated that Black Lives Matter made him feel that they were doing him a favor by reminding him that his life mattered. In the same way, West said that wearing a White Lives Matter shirt was a means to return the favor and let whites know that their life matters too. Candace Owens, an American conservative commentator, known for her criticism of Black Lives Matter and the Democratic Party, posed for a photo with West, while wearing a matching shirt with the same slogan as him. In addition to attending his fashion show in the “White Lives Matter” Shirt, West attended the premiere of Owen’s documentary, “The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM.” After watching the film, West proceeded to make an incorrect claim regarding Floyd's death (Dellatto, 2023). In May 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of killing Floyd by kneeling on Floyd’s neck for close to nine minutes, while the unarmed man was handcuffed with his face down on the ground saying that he could not breathe. While appearing on the Drink Champs podcast to discuss Owen’s documentary, West claimed that Floyd died of fentanyl and not the brutally established criminally. West further indicated that the officer’s knee was not on Floyd’s neck. Such remarks on the podcast sparked criticism, with civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt, responding on behave of Floyd’s family that a lawsuit for West’s false statements regarding the manner of Floyd’s death would be brought against West (Snapes, 2022). Elsewhere in the interview, West proceeded with his anti-Semitic statements. West indicated that four concerts he had scheduled at the Los Angeles SoFi stadium had been suspended because of a Tweet that he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” an apparent misspelling of “defcon.” West defended the tweet, saying that it was not anti-Semitic to tweet so given that blacks are also Jews (Dellatto, 2023). On October 17th, 2022, West in an interview with Chris Cuomo talked about the "Jewish underground media mafia" defending his earlier remark on "Death con 3" to indicate when Black musicians signed under Jewish labels have the labels take ownership of their works, leading to a form of modern-day slavery. The remark sparked controversy among people who felt that West used the old anti-Semitic myths of Jewish power, greed, and control in the entertainment industry. Brands Pulling Away Following the intense public backlash, several brands associated with West used crisis communication strategies to navigate the situation, aiming at risk mitigation and image repair. Risk mitigation strategies are important for brands to reduce the potential damage to their reputation and financial bottom line. Adidas, a major collaboration with West, used a risk mitigation approach and ended their partnership. The company recognized the harmful nature of West's remarks and their potential to alienate its diverse customer base. As a result, Adidas announced the termination of the lucrative Yeezy collaboration (Attiah, 2022). The decisive action showed Adidas commitment to social responsibility and distanced them from the anti-Semitic and racial remarks. The move mitigated the risk of reputational and financial losses. Similarly, clothing company Gap Inc terminated its tie-up with West (Attiah, 2022). The company proceeded to remove Yeezy Gap products from its stores. Talent agency CAA and the Balenciaga fashion house ditched West and shelved a completed doc...