Amid ongoing controversy surrounding Kanye West, a completed documentary about him has been shelved. Per Variety, it’s been announced by the executives behind the doc, MRC’s Modi Miczyk, Asif Satchu and Scott Tenley, have pulled the documentary from its scheduled release. This decision was made despite the fact that the film was already finished, as the filmmakers no longer consider it appropriate to release the document in light of the controversial comments made recently by the hip-hop mogul.
A memo written by the trio reads:
“This morning, after consultation with our filmmakers and distribution partners, we have decided not to proceed with the distribution of our recently completed documentary about Kanye West. We cannot support content that enhances its platform. Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week, he sampled and remixed a classic tune that’s been on the charts for over 3,000 years — the lie that Jews are evil and plotting to rule the world for their own gain. The silence of leaders and companies when it comes to Kanye or anti-Semitism in general is mind-boggling but not surprising. What is new and sad is the fear Jews have of speaking out in their own defense.”
To make matters worse for Ye, he has also reportedly been dropped by his talent agency CAA. While the company has not yet addressed the situation publicly, the decision to drop Ye is not a big surprise. It follows Ye’s recent condemnation and his comments by UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer, as Ye was a customer of UTA at one point. Zimmer’s statement reads:
“Unfortunately, anti-Semitism, racism and many forms of hatred and intolerance are part of the fabric of society. In general, they live as a scourge that affects the health of communities and are combated by understanding, tolerance and the general goodness of most people. But throughout history, some have used their public platform to spew the plague out loud and spread the contagion to dangerous effect. Kanye is the last to do so, and we see how his words encourage others to reinforce their despicable beliefs. I’ve also seen copies of horribly anti-Semitic flyers left on the doorsteps of homes in LA neighborhoods this weekend, proving that the 405 banners aren’t the end.
Kanye West continues to generate headlines, for better or for worse
Kanye West has been in the news regularly in recent weeks for one controversial statement after another. While he’s never been one to shy away from controversy, many say he’s gone too far this time amid criticism for making anti-Semitic comments. This has led to calls for others to cut ties with West, and that process had already begun when Ye was ousted by luxury fashion house Balenciaga.
West also recently made headlines for his claim that he was the one who came up with the idea for the Quentin Tarantino movie. Django unleashed. According to West, he pitched the concept to Jamie Foxx and Quentin Tarantino, claiming that Tarantino turned that idea into a movie. These comments didn’t come across well on social media as not many seemed to believe these claims, noting that: Django unleashed was inspired by the 1966 film Django. Tarantino has said before that he got the idea for Django unleashed while writing a book about Django director Sergio Corbucci.