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Investors Sue Adidas In US For Axing Kanye West

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Investors in Adidas have filed a lawsuit against the company at a US court over its cancelled partnership with Kanye West, saying it should have been aware he courted controversy.

The class-action lawsuit seen by AFP was submitted Friday in US District Court in Oregon, where the German sportswear giant’s US headquarters is located, and argues executives failed to control damage linked to the tie-up.

Adidas halted its deal with the rapper — now known formally as Ye — in October after he made a series of anti-Semitic outbursts.

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As a result, the group ended production of the highly successful Yeezy line designed together with West.

READ ALSO: Kanye West Escapes Prosecution After Throwing Photographer’s Phone

The US lawsuit represents people who bought Adidas shares between May 3, 2018 and February 21, 2023.

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It argues that for years before the partnership ended, the rapper “began to accrue controversy as a result of his various statements on topics such as slavery, racial issues, and politics”.

In 2018, for example, West suggested that slavery had been a “choice” for enslaved people, the lawsuit said.

Adidas dismissed the allegations in the litigation.

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“We firmly reject these unfounded claims and will take all necessary steps to vehemently defend ourselves against them,” a company spokesman, Stefan Pursche, said in a statement emailed to AFP.

READ ALSO: Divorce: Kanye West Releases Fresh Allegations Against Kim Kardashian

The artist was associated with rival sportswear company Nike for years but broke away in 2013, lending his name to Adidas as they launched their first Yeezy shoe in 2015 — a partnership that went on to make him a billionaire.

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The company began a review of its relationship with West after he appeared at a Paris fashion show last October wearing a shirt emblazoned with “White Lives Matter”, a slogan created as a backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Days later he was locked out of Twitter and Instagram over anti-Semitic threats.

Adidas said in March it was now weighing what to do with its huge inventory of West’s Yeezy products, as potentially not selling the apparel and shoes linked to West would lead to a revenue loss of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion).

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That would lower the company’s operating profit by an additional 500 million euros in 2023, the company said.

Adidas will release its first-quarter results on Friday.

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I’ve Been Blacklisted In Music Industry For 13 Years – Seun Kuti

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Grammy-nominated Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti has claimed that he has been blacklisted in the Nigerian music industry for about 13 years due to his style of music.

He explained that because his late father Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and his contemporaries used their music as a form of protest against bad governance, the government invested heavily in vain artists while targeting conscious musicians.

Speaking in a recent episode of the Saleh Meditate podcast, Kuti said government’s interference has significantly affected the quality and impact of modern Nigerian music.

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He, however, said being blacklisted in Nigeria doesn’t affect him much, stressing that the country is just a fraction of his fanbase.

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He said, “The impact of Fela and his contemporaries who spoke truth to power sacred the government. They made the government realised the power of artistry. So, the government invested more in artists who don’t make conscious music than artists who sing about realities.

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“When I am in Nigeria, I don’t fear to say whatever I want to say. That is a lot of people are saying that I should be cancelled. I have been cancelled for about 13 years now after I performed conscious music at former Lagos State Governor Ambode’s event. Even before then, my music was heavily restricted.

“I have been cancelled for long. People think I am not cancelled because I am doing well. Nigeria has cancelled me long time but Nigeria is just like a really small percentage of my market. So, being cancelled doesn’t really affect me.”

He added that artists who are scared of being blacklisted are only scared because Nigeria makes up the bulk of their fanbase.

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My Beef With Wizkid Is For Life – Seun Kuti

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Maverick singer Seun Kuti has ruled out reconciliation with Afrobeats star, Wizkid, declaring that their rift is lifelong.

DAILY POST recalls that Seun Kuti and Wizkid fell apart after the latter claimed he was greater than Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in response to the former’s directive to fans to stop comparing the Ojuelegba crooner to the late music legend.

READ ALSO:How My Elder Sister Opposed Selling Fela’s Catalogue – Femi Kuti

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When asked in a recent podcast if he has settled his beef with Wizkid, Seun Kuti said he can’t reconcile with the Starboy boss because he disrespected his late dad.

The host asked: “Have you and Wizkid settled your Beef?”

Kuti replied: “It is on for life. I don’t have anything to say about him but it is on for life. You don’t say things about my dad and then it is fine. There is no coming back from that.”

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Why I Stopped Attending Church Service – Funke Akindele

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Famous Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, has opened up on why she lost interest in attending church service.

The actress who made the revelation in a Snapchat video on Sunday, stated that she stopped going to church because attention often shifted to her rather than the service.

While explaining that she’s always the one they take pictures of, the actress said she now joins church service online.

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READ ALSO:Drama As Eniola Badmus Challenges Funke Akindele To Celebrity Boxing Fight

Akindele said “Anytime I go to church, I am always the one they take pictures of. So I will join online.”

Recall that in 2022, Akindele openly identified herself with the Celestial Church of Christ.

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“Every time I have challenges I go to the Celestial church quietly at night for solutions. But I have to stop hiding and publicly identify with the church”, she said.

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