Kanye West has called out Adidas on Instagram, blasting the sportswear giant for allegedly making a “fake Yeezy.”
Ye took to Instagram to post a picture of the Adidas adilette 22, retailing for $55. He then exploded into a rant in the caption, beginning with an unexpected reference to Kobe Bryant, before mentioning Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted.
“THIS IS YE driving down the same street Kobe passed on Maybe I feel that Mamba spirit right now,” he wrote. To Kasper I’m not standing for this blatant copying no more To all sneaker culture To every ball player rapper or even if you work at the store.
This is for everyone who wants to express themselves but feel they can’t cause they’ll loose their contract or be called crazy Bravery is not being afraid Bravery is overcoming your fear for your truth This Ye with the blue paint on my face.”
Ye finished with his strongest point of the statement: “These shoes represent the disrespect that people in power have to the talent This shoe is a fake Yeezy made by adidas themselves I’m not talking to DC about this either Kasper come talk to me.”
Ye and Adidas have a long history together. Back in 2018, when the rapper was looked upon unfavourably due to his public support of President Donald Trump, Rorsted stuck by him.
“You need to look upon what you’re signing up and I know Kanye quite well, he’s a fantastic creative force,” the Adidas CEO said at the time.
Love Hip Hop?
Get the latest Hip Hop news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
“He has his own opinions, we don’t always stand with those opinions,” he added. “But there’s no doubt that for both sides it has been a great relationship and overall on the bigger picture we’ve been super happy with that relationship.”
For more on this topic, follow the Hip Hop Observer.
