Kanye West issued an apology to the Jewish community amid more corporate fallout including STEM player distancing itself from the rapper.
The company that created Kanye West’s STEM player has cut ties with the rapper in the wake of his antisemitic comments and recent White Lives Matter statements that has emboldened right-wing white supremacist organizations.
In a statement on Wednesday, Kano released a statement clarifying that the STEM player is not owned by Kanye and that the company would no longer be entertaining his $10 million buyout offer.
“STEM was created and is owned by KANO, the educational computer company. We’ve removed Kanye’s music from our platform, and turned down his $10 million offer for our technology. Instead, your money will go to a company that is focused on giving power to artists and the artist in everyone. Power based in truth and unity – not lies and hate,” the company said in a brief statement.
“A portion of profits on the new STEM devices will go to the ADL and NAACP,” the company added.
The STEM player rose to popularity after Kanye West lashed out at streaming platforms earlier this year, claiming that they were robbing artists by paying them only pennies on the dollar and keeping the artist’s income for themselves.
The rapper had successfully released his 11th studio album ‘Donda 2’ on the platform, which he later claimed made him over a million dollars within a month as fans paid around $200 for the device.
In the meantime, a video of Kanye from a recent interview with Lex Fridman surfaced Wednesday night, where the rapper apologized for the antisemitic comments and his tweet where he threatened to unleash ‘Death Con 3’ on Jews.
“I want to apologize and say I am sorry for the Jewish people that I hurt,” Kanye said as he explained that he did not mean to be hurtful against Jews and that he felt we are all Jews as children of God.
“I’m sorry for hurting you as a Jewish person, I’m sorry for the way that made you feel, and I’m sorry for the entire population of a race that I feel is actually my brother as I classify and I’m also connected with Christ in that way, and that my people came from Africa in that way,” Kanye continued.
“I can’t say that it’s this exact teaching or that exact teaching but I feel that there’s an; it’s important, you know, the sons of Abraham, however, we want to word it, right,
for us to come together and bring our different talents together to serve God collectively,” he added.
In the wake of his statements, Kanye has lost several major deals, including one from Adidas, which means that he has simultaneously lost his billionaire status. Along with being booted from JP Morgan Chase bank and losing his Gap and Balenciaga deals, the rapper has also been dropped by other companies.
Up to Monday night, the rapper was granted access to Instagram, more than a week after the platform suspended his account for the antisemitic remarks.
