Controversial rapper Kanye "Ye" West. Picture: Twitter
American rapper Kanye West’s life has been on a downward spiral since his now ex-wife, media personality and socialite, Kim Kardashian filed for divorce in February 2021.
The star seemed to keep his life together for the remainder of 2021, with no major headlines, but 2022 was certainly not a good year for the Gold Digger hitmaker.
Ye’s erratic behaviour, which has cost him dearly since it started, first reared its unpredictable head early in 2022 when his reality television star ex-wife started dating comedian Pete Davidson.
The rapper went to extreme lengths in an attempt to win back Kim Kardashian’s favour, although we’re not sure how bashing her boyfriend fitted into his plans.
In February, the Can’t Tell Me Nothing rapper took to his personal Instagram account posting a series of photoshopped pictures of the comedian and his estranged wife, as well as screenshots from a conversation he had with Pete.
At one point the rapper also made a Claymation music video which showed Kanye holding Davidson’s severed head.
When former The Daily Show host Trevor Noah spoke about West’s behaviour on one of his shows, the rapper hit back insulting Noah on Instagram. This post led to West being banned from using his account for 24 hours for violating the social network’s harassment policy.
ALSO SEE: Kanye West bashes Kim’s bae Pete Davidson in series of Insta posts
However, bashing Kim K’s new bae was only the beginning of Ye’s downward spiral.
In September Ye broke off his partnership with Gap, with both sides having said at the time that they were “no longer pulling in the same direction”.
In October, Paris-based fashion house Balenciaga cut ties with the rapper following weeks of controversial statements by West which made headlines around the world. The comments included a rant about going “death con 3 on Jewish people”, which led to his accounts on Twitter and Instagram being restricted at the time.
ALSO SEE: Publicity stunts or worrisome? Kanye’s Twitter and Instagram accounts locked
Earlier in October Adidas also announced that it was putting its own tie-up with Kanye under review.
The rapper also made a surprise appearance for his brand Yeezy at Paris Fashion Week sporting the controversial slogan “White Lives Matter”, widely considered a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The artist then lashed out on social media against former colleagues and friends and a leading fashion journalist who criticised the move, including Kering boss Bernard Arnault.
Wild rumours are swirling that the artist now known as ‘Ye’ is missing as his ex-business manager, Thomas St. John, attempts to serve him with a $4.5 million lawsuit over alleged unpaid fees.
According to a report by the New York Post, St. John sought an extension to serve the lawsuit, telling a court he has been unable to find a proper address for Ye or reach his legal team.
The rapper was last seen in public on 18 December.
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