The rapper has recently spoken out against his partnership with Adidas and Gap.
Adidas has announced the status of its partnership with Kanye “Ye” West. In a new statement, the activewear company said that its relationship with the 45-year-old GRAMMY-winning musician is “under review.”
“Adidas has always been about creativity, innovation and supporting athletes and artists to achieve their vision. The Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry’s history,” the statement obtained by ET reads.
“We are proud of our team that has worked tirelessly throughout our collaboration with Ye and the iconic products that were born from it. We also recognize that all successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values," the statement added. "After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review. We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period.”
West took to his Instagram to react to the news of the company's statement. Next to a screenshot of a link to an article, the rapper wrote, "F*******K ADIDAS I AM ADIDAS ADIDAS RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS."
The announcement follows a week of controversial behavior from West. During his YZY SZN 9 runway show, the rapper included shirts that read “White Lives Matter," and after Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson spoke out against the design, West took to social media to publicly shame her, garnering backlash from a host of celebrities.
Following the rant against the editor, which has since been deleted, Karefa-Johnson and West both confirmed they spoke in private.
West, who has worked with Adidas since 2016, has recently aired his personal and professional grievances with the company. The rapper has alleged that the brand has stolen his ideas and did not get his approval for YEEZY DAY, after claiming one of their recent designs for the Adilette 22 sandals resembled his YEEZY products.
In addition, the “Touch the Sky” rapper called out the company’s General Manager, Daniel Cherry III, on his personal Instagram account. West has also expressed his issues with Gap, with whom he has also had a working partnership.
Last month, Westt sat down with Good Morning America, where he discussed his future with Adidas and Gap.
"It was all kind of a disregard for the voice of something that I co-created. I co-created the product at Adidas. I co-created the product at Gap," he said. "That means that I was there for some specific agenda, not for Yeezy Gap to be everything that it could be, or this dream that I had about what the Gap could be. It's time for me to make my own thing."
When talking about ending his partnerships, the rapper discussed his next steps.
"We had to level up," he said. "Really show 'em who's the new boss in town, that I'm the boss of me. I'm no longer just the man ridin' atop the polo horse. I'm not just a mascot in the middle of the games, gettin' the crowd hyped up sayin', 'Hey, wear this, do this,' but you know, just learn financial engineering. Learn how to really run a company."
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