50 Cent burns Gucci shirt following blackface controversy

The rapper previously said he would be giving his Gucci clothing to the homeless

50 Cent is burning his Gucci products in protest following the Italian brand’s blackface controversy.

On Wednesday, the rapper uploaded a video of himself burning his Gucci logo shirt to Instagram.

A pile of Gucci clothes can be seen on the floor as the shirt catches fire.

The 43-year-old captioned the video, which has been viewed more than three million times: “I gotta get rid of all the Gucci I have at home. I’m not supporting that brand anymore.”

Prior to burning his shirt, 50 Cent had shared a photo of the Gucci jumper accused of resembling blackface and said he would be giving his Gucci clothes to the homeless.

“Yeah I’m gonna pass on Gucci, I’m giving all mine to the homeless so the right demo can wear it,” he wrote.

The Italian brand faced backlash last week after photos of its $890 (£688) “balaclava jumper” featuring a cut-out mouth and red lips was said to resemble blackface.

Gucci has since removed the jumper and issued a public apology.

“We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make,” the company said in a statement shared to social media.

“We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organisation and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond.”

Despite the brand’s apology, other celebrities have announced their intentions to boycott the luxury brand, including rapper Lil Pump and record producer Russell Simmons.

Gucci isn’t the only brand to find itself embroiled in controversy surrounding blackface allegations.

On Monday, Katy Perry’s fashion line removed a pair of shoes after the design was widely criticised for resembling blackface.

In a statement, the singer expressed her regret over the incident, stating: “Our intention was never to inflict any pain. We have immediately removed them.”