UK Grime artist Skepta has announced that he is ending his sponsorship deal with Puma due to the company’s ties to Israel. Puma is one of the companies encouraged to be boycotted by the pro-Palestine BDS movement. The company was the main sponsor of the Israel Football Association (IFA) until December 2023, which the Palestine Solidarity Campaign suggests operates on illegal Israeli settlements stolen from Palestinians. “They know how I feel. I speak my mind. They’ve announced their sponsorship will end this August already. The clock is ticking,” tweeted Skepta.
Skepta signed a clothing and footwear line endorsement deal with Puma in 2022. He later partnered with the company again for the ‘Skope Forever’ collection earlier this year. However, the rapper has now confirmed in a post on Twitter that his deal with the sports brand will terminate by August. In another tweet responding to a fan wishing he’d never signed a sponsorship deal with Puma over their ties to Israel, he added: “Ain’t gonna lie, I’ve realised it’s a lot more than reading the small print before signing contracts, gotta do your due diligence, and yes I am forever a student in practice to eventually take the independent route. Love Abid.”
Figures from the music world have also shown solidarity with Palestine in recent months with campaigns to boycott both SXSW and The Great Escape. SXSW had been highlighted as a “super sponsor” of the week-long event for the US Army and a number of major defense contractors. More recently, over 150 artists arranged a mass boycott of The Great Escape in solidarity with Palestine because it is sponsored by Barclays, who they claim has repeatedly invested in arms companies that supply to Israel.
Skepta recently spoke to NME about his recent short film Tribal Mark, which explores the story of a young boy’s well-meaning family uprooting him from their Nigerian home in search of a better life in London. The film follows a similar narrative to James Bond and Skepta believes the character has franchise potential. “It’s like the Black James Bond thing that everyone was trying to do. We wanted to make something [where] after I’ve done the movie, I’m like, ‘OK, cool – it’s the franchise now,” he said
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