The artist formerly known as Kanye West has fallen on some hard times, and a few of his fans have turned to GoFundMe to try and help him out.
According to AllHipHop, several campaigns were launched with one in particular summing up their collective goal: “Make Kanye West a Billionaire Again.” This specific fundraiser was removed by GoFundMe after earning just five dollars, but a few others have not yet been taken down. Forbes reported last week that Ye was “no longer a billionaire” after his net worth plummeted to about $500 million in wake of Adidas cutting ties with him.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said in a statement. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect, and fairness.”
Ye came under fire after he made anti-Semitic remarks, threw around hate speech, and claimed fentanyl contributed to the death of George Floyd, even though his death had already been ruled a homicide. CNN reported last week that those in West’s inner circle are “fully aware” of his “obsession” with Adolf Hitler, with four sources alleging he nearly named his 2018 album Hitler.
Several companies have since parted ways with Ye, including Balenciaga, Foot Locker, and CAA. West claimed on Instagram last week that he “lost two billion dollars in one day.” He also downplayed the financial hit, writing, “The money is not who I am. The people is who I am.”
Newsweek notes this isn’t the first time his fans have tried to send money his way. A GoFundMe was started in response to his alleged admission to being $53 million in debt.