KANYE West has quietly shut down his Yews News platform after less than a year, while his fashion business has also slashed prices on all items to just $20.
The embattled rapper and entrepreneur launched his news site last December, which was initially only available via mobile.
It featured drop-down menus dubbed 10 am, 3 pm, and 8 pm and included articles relating to everything from fashion to politics and updates on Kanye’s career after his cancelation.
There were few original posts on the platform, with most of the news pulled from major outlets, including The U.S Sun, often with a random religious illustration.
The website, which was said to be “crafted by news professionals, curated by Ye,” now just shows a blank cell phone graphic stating, “No items found.”
An account on X, which followed the website claims the last news blasts were at the end of April.
On May 3, a post read, “This may be the end of yews. No new articles in 3 days and it’s been removed from the Yeezy website. YEWS 2023-2024.”
The links from the previous editions are still live, with the last articles being “Hundreds Of Cops Raid Columbia,” “Sex Workers Outraged By AI GFs,” and “U.S. May Admit Some Palestinians.”
Kanye filed multiple trademarks before the launch for the use of “Yews” including projects/items across education, advertising, banking services, music streaming, TV, beauty care, food and drink, games, clothing, footwear, cookware, alcoholic beverages, and more.
It’s unknown why Kanye has decided to stop posting news articles for the past few months, but changes have also been made to his Yeezy fashion website.
YEEZY STRUGGLE
The hitmaker has slashed the prices on most of his products, with T-shirts, joggers, and sweatshirts now selling for as little as $20.
A notice on the Yeezy website currently warns customers, “All sales are final,” meaning even damaged items cannot be returned.
Shocking drone video shows shell of Kanye West’s $6m Yeezy HQ still standing roofless & construction work at standstill
Kanye is thought to still be working with American Apparel founder Dov Charney, who was hired to work with the star and relaunch his Yeezy clothing line last year.
Charney now runs Los Angeles Apparel and allegedly has a factory downtown in the city, where the Yeezy merchandise is also produced.
But despite the cheap prices, it seems customers haven’t been too happy with the shipping prices and delivery time.
“Yeezy $20 okay cool but $16 for shipping?” one fan wrote.
Kanye West’s recent controversies
Kanye West has faced a number of controversies in recent years.
In November 2022, a former Yeezy staffer alleged in a lawsuit Kanye showed them intimate photos of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
Staffers also claimed he played pornography for them during meetings and talked about porn.
The star, who has been sued by multiple former employees, has denied all of the claims.
In October 2023, Adidas dropped the rapper as various social media sites barred him from their platforms for making anti-semitic comments online, in interviews, and with his clothing.
Amid pleas from fans and threats of major boycotts, Adidas announced its decision to terminate his contract.
Gap and Balenciaga followed suit.
Kanye has said in the past that he suffers from a porn addiction, making the comments in an online rant that has since been deleted.
“Yeezy didn’t even send a shipping email yet for my wet shirt,” another posted in recent months.
“I just realized I ordered a shirt was Yeezy never got it. Not even a shipping email,” a third complained.
Yet another customer added, “I was gonna buy one of the $20 Yeezy shirts but the shipping is $15 so no.”
Kanye has been desperately trying to get his fashion business back on track after being canceled for his antisemitic comments back in November 2022.
Although his album Vultures was self-released, earning him money, he’s facing a lot of financial issues with mounting lawsuits from former Yeezy and Donda Academy staffers.
HEADQUARTERS MESS
Adidas is also seeking millions through private arbitration after dropping a federal court case aimed at freezing $75 million held by the Yeezy brand.
In court documents, Adidas claimed Kanye’s “racist, antisemitic, and other offensive public statements and conduct” caused “considerable damage to its brand.”
“Adidas has multiple causes of action against Yeezy, resulting from Ye’s highly public and offensive conduct described above, which violated the terms of the Agreement and justified Adidas’s termination of that contract,” the company wrote. “Those broader causes of action, as well as the dispute over [issues], will be resolved through arbitration.”
The split reportedly contributed to a loss of $655 million in sales for the last three months of 2022.
Kanye’s lawyers have filed to comment on the case, while he has had several different publicists in recent months.
The U.S. Sun also published photographs last week showing his $6.7 million HQ in West Hollywood is no nearer to completion after he ripped the roof off the building.
Exclusive drone footage showed construction workers on-site at Kanye’s 7,400-square-foot space.
In one image, a mountain of trash sat at the entrance to the building, with discarded items piling up inside the property.
One worker was digging in a mound of dirt, with vehicles situated throughout the space.
Piles of different materials were dotted around and work is now beginning on a huge structure in the center of the building.
