Sportswear manufacturer Adidas is putting its deal with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, under review only a few days after he made several “White Lives Matter” statements in public and on social media.
Adidas did not explicitly mention the controversy, saying that “successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values.” The company placed the deal under review after it had tried repeatedly “to privately resolve the situation,” a company spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
“The Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry’s history,” the spokesperson said. “We are proud of our team that has worked tirelessly throughout our collaboration with Ye and the iconic products that were born from it.”
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West responded to the announcement by saying Adidas “stole” his designs. In a deleted Instagram post, the rapper also wrote, “I AM ADIDAS,” according to BBC.
During Paris Fashion Week, models at West’s “Yeezy Season 9” fashion show were seen wearing shirts that said “White Lives Matter” on the back. On Tuesday, West’s Instagram story called the Black Lives Matter movement a well-known “scam.”
In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Thursday, West claimed that the reason for the message on the shirt was “because they do.”
“My dad is an educated ex-black panther and he put a text to me today and he said, ‘White lives matter, hahaha,'” West said. “I thought it was funny, the idea of me wearing it was funny, and I said, ‘Why do you think it’s funny?’ And he said just, ‘A black man stating the obvious.’ That was my favorite response because I kept thinking — people are looking for an explanation, and people say as an artist, you don’t have to give an explanation, but as a leader, you do.”
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Adidas reviewing its contract with West comes a month after the rapper ended a contract between his clothing brand Yeezy and Gap after an alleged breach of contract. West gave Gap 30 days in August to honor its end of the deal, sending a termination letter Thursday, according to Nicholas Gravante, a lawyer for the rapper.
