Kanye West Signs Nike Yeezys For Fan Despite Adidas Deal
Kanye West’s relationship with Nike has been interesting to say the least. In the past West denounced the Nike brand when he signed a new deal with Adidas, but following his comments against Nike, Foot Locker decided to drop his latest pair of Nike’s, The Red Nike Air Yeezy 2, which got a release date back in October.
Although West’s relationship with Nike has been strained, he was still nice enough to sign a fan’s Red Nike Air Yeezy 2 kicks. During a stop at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum West decided to make one fan’s day by signing a pair of his sneakers. The lucky fan went to Twitter to express how excited he was over the signed sneakers.
In the past West explained his working relationship with Nike :
“I got that opportunity to work with Nike, I went into that emotional space and place in my life and said, ‘What was it about that, what were the cues that I can add when I make the Yeezys?’ I wasn’t the one rapper that had the opportunity to do a shoe with Nike for no reason. It means it has to be another step, it means it has to keep going.”
However, problems started to exist when West was looking to earn back some money from the sneakers he designed.
“They let me design two shoes over five years. I’m happy I can design them, but they didn’t do me no [sic] favors because Eminem designed a shoe, and Pharrell designed a shoe. I just designed the Yeezy’s. I said I needed some type of royalty. Nike said, we can’t give you a royalty because you’re not a professional athlete. I told them, I’m a performance athlete, and also I’m a thinker.”
In USA Today he also took issue with Nike CEO Mark Parker, having said during a Nashville concert that Parker, “just lost culture.”
West of course continued while in the middle of his concert to dissect Nike’s brand and CEO:
“I’m talking directly to you. No miscommunication Did you not want the Yeezys? Nike would make you believe it was my fault that you couldn’t get them, but that was not the case. I wanted there to be as many Yeezys as there was LeBrons, and I wanted them to be at a good price, but that was not my choice, and we’re going to change everything. And… I’m going to create more than you think that any musician in the history of time ever could have.”
As for his deal with Adidas, it’s been said that West designed an entire men’s collection, which was revealed in a Chicago interview with the Morning Riot.
