Is it really possible to separate the art from the artist? Kanye West has established a new kind of “canceled” in the light of his recent comments in the face of globalized media. Some think that all press is good press, but West may disagree with this sentiment, officially losing his billionaire status in the past week alone due to his media fallout.

On October 8th, West debuted his newest show of hate speech in a 60-word tweet that threatened the lives of “JEWISH PEOPLE,” leaving fans with a plethora of varying emotions about the artist. Even more prominent than his fans, brands affiliated with the artist were scrutinized by public media in search of full condemnation of West. His most renowned business venture, Yeezy by Adidas, faced the most substantial backlash as they took weeks to respond to West’s actions. The brand eventually put out a statement on October 25, just thirteen days after the original tweet, terminating their relationship with West. “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism or any other type of hate-speech,” the company said, “After a thorough review, our company has chosen to terminate our partnership with Ye immediately.”

Though monetary loss may be on the mind of West, there is a greater deliberation between fans, current, and past, of the artist. Many express a moral dilemma regarding the question: can art truly be separated from the artist? Spencer Wise, a self-proclaimed superfan of West, faces this inquiry head-on. “I think that his music is the same and it will never change, but I think what he said was very unintelligible and controversial.” He said, “Horrible people can make beautiful things.”

Though fans like Wise find forgiveness in West, others struggle with an internal battle of moral conscious. Junior Blair Rubinger finds the actions of the musical artist despicable and has a particularly difficult time navigating the issue in its entirety. “Not everyone sees the faults in Kanye, and some people truly take such a strong inspiration from him, peaching him, no matter his actions. Supporting someone who supports Hilter cannot be excused for their artistry,” She said, “There are no more excuses.”

As in every issue, the spectrum of belief is vast, causing dubs to struggle in deciding what to do and how to handle the conflict. For companies, however, the issue presents itself in a much clearer fashion: to drop or not to drop. In light of West’s recent comments, the majority of companies seem to be on the same page, and have cut ties with the star entirely. In current day, Kanye West can no longer ‘Runaway’ from these issues, with the world watching as it ‘All Falls Down.’