A new expose claims that employees at Adidas experienced anything but the good life during their partnership with Kanye West.
The nearly 10-year partnership between the 46-year-old rapper and the shoe brand seemingly ended in October 2022 in the wake of the musician’s offensive, racist and anti-Semitic remarks, but according to a new report from the New York Times, the billion-dollar deal was doomed from the start.
In a 2013 meeting at the company’s German headquarters, staffers were “thrilled” to get started and prepared swatches, mood boards and an array of sneakers to present to the hip-hop artist and entrepreneur who now goes by the name Ye.
But according to the Times report, Ye was not impressed.
“To convey how offensive he considered the designs, he grabbed a sketch of a shoe and took a marker to the toe, according to two participants,” explained reporter Megan Twohey. “Then he drew a swastika.”
West apparently had a troubling fixation on Hitler and Jews. He allegedly later “told a Jewish Adidas manager to kiss a portrait of Hitler every day,” according to the Times. “And West told Adidas colleagues that he admired Hitler’s command of propaganda.”
Additionally, West also reportedly told a member of the company’s executive board that he had paid a “seven-figure” settlement to one of his own senior employees who accused him of repeatedly praising the architect of the Holocaust.”
And this was only the beginning. “Tears were common,” the report alleges. “So was fury.”
After interviews with former and current employees of Adidas and West, “along with hundreds of previously undisclosed internal records, including contracts, text messages and financial documents,” the dramatic downfall of the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” singer was years in the making.
Yet execs reportedly chose to look the other way and dismiss West’s problematic behavior in lieu of profits, despite the fact that West’s contract contained a clause that would have allowing Adidas to end the agreement if his action’s harmed the company’s reputation.
For example, in November 2022, news broke that West had reportedly shown pornographic material to staffers who were working on his Yeezy apparel line, including his own sex tapes and explicit images of his now ex-wife, Kim Kardashian.
Some two dozen former Adidas and Yeezy staffers also alleged that West showed them smutty photos and videos during work meetings, and he also showed an explicit image of Kardashian to a prospective employee during a job interview.
After moving the Yeezy design operation abruptly in 2019 to remote Cody, Wyoming, and requiring the Adidas team to move as well, West reportedly demanded a $1 billion advance during a meeting with company leaders and angrily hurled a shoe across the room in a fit of rage.
A rep for West and Adidas could not immediately be reached by The Post for comment.
Despite the drama, the partnership remained lucrative. Sales of Yeezys would surpass $1 billion a year and West became a bonafide billionaire.
Adidas officially cut ties with the “Flashing Lights” rapper on October 22, 2022.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech” they said in statement at the time. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
The statement continued, “after a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. adidas will stop the adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.”
Adidas’ decision ultimately cost Ye his billionaire status. Forbes reported that his net worth dropped to $400 million after he lost the reported $1.5 billion dollar partnership.