Source: Jonathan Leibson / Getty
Nike is beefing with adidas, and now Kanye West is too.
Yes, West may be in business with the three stripes, but now the Chicago rapper is angry with the company for the alleged “blatant copying” of his Yeezy Slide in the form of the upcoming Adilette 22 slides.
Ye is never one to hold back his true feelings, and that includes taking to Instagram to call out the parent company while bringing up late basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
“THIS IS YE driving down the same street Kobe passed on Maybe I feel that Mamba spirit right now. 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,” he wrote in the caption alongside a picture of the $55 adilettes in question. “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.”
In the since-deleted Instagram post, the Kasper he’s referring to is Kasper Rørsted, who’s been the CEO of adidas since 2016.
He went on to explain that adidas’ new slides are straight-up disrespectful to people who take their time and creative energy to design new products only to be bitten off.
“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.”
The partnership between West and adidas was formed in 2013 and has yielded an impressive collection of sneakers and has been valued at more than $3 billion.
