Kanye West has been at war with many of his strategic partners over the last few weeks. Of course, Ye was able to leverage his Instagram posts to get out of his deal with GAP. This was a massive victory for the artist as he can now take back control of the clothing side of his Yeezy brand.
As for his sneakers, Kanye is going toe-to-toe with Adidas, who have yet to budge in regards to his call-outs. Ye wants out of his deal, which is set to expire in 2026. While Adidas doesn't seem to have any interest in this, Ye is now looking to negotiate a proper way out. In the following Instagram stories, Ye offered Adidas some royalties, claiming they can still be distribution partners.
"Adidas I’m willing to give you 20% of sales,” he said. “Not ownership[.] As a non-exclusive manufacturing and distribution partner. Adidas I’m willing to give you guys a royalty[.] 20% of net profit.”
Image via Ye
Image via Ye
Kanye wasn't done there, as he then called out Adidas executive Torben Schumacher, noting that he has no interest in talking to the man. Ye has gone after Torben in the past, and if he wants to do business with Adidas, Schumacher will reportedly have to stay out of it.
“Adidas I’m not speaking with Torben again,” Ye wrote. “I’m the king[.] I only speak to the decision makers.” This then led to another post in which Kanye simply said "I Love War."
Image via Ye
Image via Ye
Needless to say, the Kanye-Adidas relationship is in a bad place right now, and it is going to take some negotiating for both sides to feel good about things again. Until then, stay tuned to HNHH for details on this developing story.