Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer The Weeknd has decided to cut ties with Swedish multinational clothing-retail company H&M after the brand featured an image of a black child wearing a hoodie that read "Coolest Monkey in the Jungle" on its website.
The R&B star tweeted on Monday saying that he was shocked and embarrassed upon seeing the photo. He added that he was deeply offended and will no longer be working with H&M.
The Weeknd started his collaboration with the clothing company in 2017, creating t-shirts, jackets, and sweatshirts. Not long after the Canadian Canadian pop dynamo's announcement, rapper G-Eazy declared on Tuesday that he is terminating his partnership with H&M ahead of his upcoming line with the clothing company.
G-Eazy posted on Instagram a drawing of the boy wearing the hoodie, but with a crown over his head and "Coolest King in the World" written across his chest.
"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."
In a statement obtained by Fox News, H&M issued an apology and said that they have since removed the image from all their online channels. The company also indicated that the hoodie will not be for sale in the United States, adding that they will be reviewing all their internal policies to avoid any future issues. The hoodie is also no longer available for purchase on its UK site.
Meanwhile, recent reports suggest that pressure has to be building up for personalities who recently appeared in ads for H&M and competed collaborations with the brand including rapper Nicki Minaj and actor Jesse Williams. However, according to Page Six, requests for comment from Minaj and Williams' teams have not been returned.
