American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has agreed in principle to purchase Parler, a social media platform that positions itself as Twitter alternative devoted to free speech and making its users “uncancelable.”
Ye and Parler announced the acquisition Monday, saying they expect the deal to close by the end of the year.
Parler which has raised $56 million to date did not disclose the value of the deal. The company, launched in 2018, has been reinstated on Google and Apple Inc’s app stores after being removed following the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riots.
The announcement of Ye’s acquisition comes amid a firestorm of controversy over the T-shirt he wore at the Paris Fashion Show and series of posts he made on Instagram deemed to be Anti-Semitic.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said in a statement.
“This deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech,” said Parlement Technologies CEO George Farmer.
“Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again. Once again, Ye proves that he is one step ahead of the legacy media narrative. Parlement will be honored to help him achieve his goals.”
In Paris on October 3, Ye appeared at a fashion show alongside conservative commentator Candace Owens. Both were wearing “White Lives Matter” shirts, leading to criticism.
Days later Ye was locked out of his Instagram following posts that were deemed Anti-Semitic.
He then moved to Twitter, posting for the time in two years on October 8. He was also locked out of Twitter.
Ye then posted a screenshot of a text he had sent to another rapper, Diddy, who had criticized his shirt.
“This ain’t a game,” Ye’s text read. “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”
He later tweeted: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
