A representative from Shopify has confirmed Ye’s Yeezy website did not disappear on its own. In a statement to CNN, the e-commerce company that hosts the online shop explained that the rapper, born Kanye West, was in violation of terms set to use its platform.
Speaking to the news outlet, a spokesperson for Shopify explained the “merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms so we removed them. All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform.”
The statement did not clarify which terms were violated. However, the website does note: “There are activities we don’t allow on the platform because they breach the social contract of commerce. This means you can’t call for, or threaten, violence against specific people or groups. And you can’t sell products that facilitate intentional self-harm.”
Kanye West attends the Balenciaga Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 02, 2022 in Villepinte, France.
acopo M. Raule/Getty Images For Balenciaga
The removal of the website comes after Yeezy.com removed every product from its storefront except for a t-shirt it peddled for $20. As noted by CNN, the t-shirts remained for sale on the Yeezy site for more than 24 hours before Shopify disabled the platform.
The website received the anti-semitic update after the Chicago musician aired a commercial during Super Bowl LIX on various FOX-owned broadcasts of the big game. At the time the ad was ran, the website offered non-branded shirts, pants, and jackets, with the inventory updated to only the swastika t-shirt within the hour.
Earlier this week, Ye shared troubling posts on X, labeling himself a Nazi, defending Sean “Diddy” Combs, and admitting to physical violence against women. Like his Yeezy website, his account on the social media platform is currently inactive. The 47-year-old is also being sued for allegedly texting a Jewish employee “Hail Hitler.”
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