American rapper and record producer, G-Eazy, has terminated his partnership with European retail company, H&M ahead of his upcoming line with the clothing company.
The news comes in response to the major controversy caused by H&M for featuring a young black model wearing a hoodie with the slogan ‘Coolest monkey in the jungle’ on its website
G-Eazy whose real name is Gerald Earl Gillum, posted on Instagram a drawing of the boy wearing the hoodie, but this time with a crown over his head and “Coolest King in the World”
Accompanying the post, he wrote:
“Over the past months I was genuinely excited about launching my upcoming line and collaboration with H&M,” the rapper wrote. “Unfortunately, after seeing the disturbing image yesterday, my excitement over our global campaign quickly evaporated, and I’ve decided at this time our partnership needs to end.”
“Whether an oblivious oversight or not, it’s truly sad and disturbing that in 2018, something so racially and culturally insensitive could pass by the eyes of so many (stylist, photographer, creative and marketing teams) and be deemed acceptable,” he continued.
‘I can’t allow for my name and brand to be associated with a company that could let this happen. I hope that this situation will serve as the wake-up call that H&M and other companies need to get on track and become racially and culturally aware, as well as more diverse at every level.’
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Source: Linda Ikeji’s blog
