Kanye West Lights Up Chinese Stage With His Kids Amid $2 Million Lawsuit Hearing
By Afouda Bamidele on September 16, 2024 at 3:30 PM EDT
Kanye West is not losing sleep over his legal drama!
The "Carnival" rapper, legally known as Ye, recently went viral for a rare performance with his four children in China. Surprisingly, the touching family moment came days after he blew off a necessary court hearing.
Kanye West was scheduled to appear in court in his $2 million lawsuit with The Gap but was absent.This comes a month after his attorney reportedly dropped him.
Kanye 'Ye' West Skips Court Hearing Without Notice
According to new court documents, Ye missed the hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, September 12.The minutes revealed the rapper and his company, Yeezy, did not make an appearance or call the court about their absence.
The judge also noted that Ye and his company had not informed the court of any new representation after their previous lawyer dropped out. Therefore, The Gap's request for a Yeezy representative to attend a deposition was granted.
That wasn't all; the court minutes further revealed that Ye would similarly be asked to appear for a deposition in the case. The legal drama began after a company called Art City Center sued The Gap in 2022 over its partnership with Ye.
According to In Touch, the company claimed it leased a building in Downtown Los Angeles to the retail giant, which was used in the collaboration between Yeezy and The Gap. However, Art City Center was displeased by the outcome.
Ye And The Gap Sued For Damages
The partnership between the rapper's Yeezy company and The Gap began in 2020. The duo agreed that Ye's apparel would be sold in the retail company stores worldwide, but their deal fell apart in 2022.
At the time, Yeezy claimed The Gap did not follow the terms of their agreement, but Art City Center had a different problem. The company noted the building they leased them for their partnership underwent numerous "significant" and "unapproved modifications."
In their initial lawsuit, Art City Center demanded damages above $800,000, but The Gap denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Then, the company countersued Ye and Yeezy for $2 million.
The plaintiff accused Ye and his team of making unsolicited changes to the building in Downtown L.A. However, the Hip-hop star's troubles worsened in August when he was dropped by his attorney, Brian Brumfield.
Ye Performs In China Days After Missing Hearing
Kanye West got a 40,000+ live audience in Haikou, China last night.
Looks wild. pic.twitter.com/pQrJ8Z1Y57
— Zichen Wang (@ZichenWanghere) September 16, 2024
Days after skipping out on court, Ye and his family surprised fans at the Wuyuan River Sports Stadium in Hainan, China. During his Vultures Listening Party, the rapper appeared on stage with his four kids — North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
A video from the event captured the kids and their dad stepping into the spotlight amid the crowd's cheers. The children jumped through the fog and flashing lights, turning the stage into their playground.
Meanwhile, Ye's wife Bianca Censori enjoyed a proud stepmom moment by recording the entire performance on her phone, per The Daily Mail. She showed similar enthusiasm during her husband's performance in South Korea.
The Rapper Claimed Over $1 Million Worth Of Clothing Was Stolen
In March, The Blast reported that Ye's team alleged they were robbed over about $1.2 million worth of clothes from the rapper's Yeezy Gap collection. The apparel, per their claims, was stolen from his warehouse.
According to Ye's chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulus, the stolen clothes were tracked down to a sale in Los Angeles. They allegedly found the venue through an advertisement on a fan account, offering tons of the rapper's clothes for $20.
However, when cops went to investigate the sale, the organizers had receipts to back their purchase. They argued that the clothes were bought legitimately; however, law enforcers noted they couldn't trace every item to a receipt.
Kanye 'Ye' West's Team Issued A Cease And Desist Letter
Although cops couldn't confirm all the items on the receipts, their hands were tied because Ye's team had not filed a police case. Therefore, they could not confiscate the clothes on sale.
However, Ye's team issued a cease and desist letter to the sale organizers, accusing them of forging the receipts they showed to cops. Yiannopoulos insisted they never approved a bulk sale of their clothing.
He also noted that there was no record of such a large sale in their records. Yiannopoulos insisted the organizers stole the clothes and said Ye's team would officially file a police report about the alleged theft.
Despite his legal dramas, Kanye "Ye" West continues to promote his new album "Vultures 1."