Following the news that Pepsi would be terminating its partnership with Wireless Festival following the announcement that the artist formerly known as Kanye West will headline this year, 50 Cent has offered his thoughts.
In a post on Instagram, Fif shared an image reporting on Pepsi’s decision to withdraw sponsorship from the festival after over a decade.
“Oh I know he sick,” wrote 50 Cent in the caption alongside the image. “Bro he might black out again. LOL.”
The announcement that Ye would headline all three nights of the UK festival, which has been held yearly since 2005, was met with concern due to his history of antisemitism.
“Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival,” the company said in a statement. Beverage company Diageo also announced that it would withdraw its sponsorship, becoming the second major brand to back out of the festival.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed his concern about Ye headlining the festival.
“It is deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism,” said Starmer. “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears. “Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”
In 2022, Ye shared a series of antisemitic posts that culminated in him appearing in an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, during which he praised Adolf Hitler.
Ye eventually apologized for his past antisemitic comments in a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal, which arrived shortly before he released his latest studio album, Bully. In the apology, he spoke about brain damage he endured as a result of his car accident in 2002, as well as opened up about his struggles with bipolar disorder.
"One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments—many of which I still cannot recall—that lead to poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body experience," Ye wrote at the time. "I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people."
