Kanye West told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on Monday that Kid Rock cheered his move to Parler, the social media app that the “Yeezy” fashion designer is set to buy after he was banned by mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Instagram for anti-Semitic comments.
Parler’s parent company, Parlement Technologies, announced on Monday morning that it was in the process of being acquired by the rapper legally known as Ye.
Ye told Cuomo on Monday night that he was moved to buy Parler because “the CEO is just really incredible.”
“Why would I remain in a place where I’m just tolerated?” Ye asked Cuomo, referring to Twitter and Instagram. “Why not go to a place where I’m celebrated?”
Ye then added: “That’s actually something Kid Rock just gave me a text about.”
Last week, Ye’s account was locked by both Twitter and Instagram after he posted anti-Semitic comments, including one about “going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
Parlement Technologies said it expects the Parler deal with Ye to be completed later this year. The company, which has raised about $56 million till date, did not say how much Ye will pay for the acquisition.
Parler, which launched in 2018 as a social media app that billed itself as one that allowed largely unmoderated content in contrast to Twitter and other platforms, was recently reinstated on Google and Apple’s app stores after being removed following the US capitol riots in January 2021.
Ye’s bizarre comments in recent weeks about Jews has coincided with the end of his corporate partnership with apparel retailer Gap.
Adidas, the German-based sporting goods giant which sells Ye’s apparel line, has announced that it has put the partnership under review.
The rapper has also had problems with major social media platforms, being restricted a number of times.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said in a statement.
Ye seemed to have joined Parler on Monday and had about 91 followers at the time of the announcement.
The American rapper had announced in 2020 that he would run for president in an apparent challenge to former President Donald Trump, but later pulled out.
Parler has also garnered traction from supporters of Trump.
Last month Parler created a new parent company, Parlement Technologies, as part of an overhaul.
Ye’s remarks about Jews have landed the rapper in hot water.
In 2018, Ye allegedly professed his love for Adolf Hitler, telling TMZ that slavery was “a choice.”
Van Lathan, the co-host of the “Higher Learning” podcast, said last week that Ye made the comments on camera but that his then-employer, TMZ, decided to censor the remarks.
Earlier this month, Ye was locked out of his Instagram account after sharing a since-deleted screenshot of a text exchange with Sean Love Combs, the rapper formerly known as Diddy.
Ye accused Combs of being “used” by “Jewish people.”
Last year, Bloomberg reported that West had $122 million in cash and stock as well as billions more in other assets, including his apparel lines.
In 2020 alone, West made $191 million from royalties paid out by Adidas.
In total, the Swiss bank UBS valued his sneaker and apparel business, over which West retains sole creative and ownership control, at somewhere between $3.2 billion and $4.7 billion last year, according to Bloomberg.
Last year, West signed a 10-year deal with Gap, which predicts sales in excess of $1 billion of “Yeezy” apparel by next year.
West’s “Yeezy Gap” line includes hoodies, t-shirts, and anoraks that are offered at a more affordable price.
With Post Wires
