Rapper Skepta has admitted that he regrets partnering with Puma over their links to the Israeli regime. On X, a fan wrote: “Kind of wished Skepta never signed with Puma considering their Israeli ties. Kind of wished he went the independent route. Who knows maybe an independent route is coming (here’s hoping). Love you Skepta. (hashtag)Skope.”

To which the “No Security” artist replied: “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.” When another fan warned Skepta about denouncing his bosses, he responded, “They know how I feel, I speak my mind. They’ve announced their sponsorship will end this August already. The clock is ticking.”

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Puma has long faced boycott calls over its partnership with the Israel Football Association (IFA) but such calls have intensified since the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 18,000Palestinians. The sports brand recently announced they will stop sponsoring Israel’s national football team. The German sports wear company say the move was planned since last year and is not related to consumer boycott calls against Israel amid the Gaza war.

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