Kanye West Twitter Rant — Why Did Yeezy Apologize To Michael Jordan?

Kanye West recently took to social media with another rant, only this time the rapper stirred up beef with one of the NBA’s greatest players of all time. While West issued a formal apology to Michael Jordan on Twitter, what prompted West to apologize in the first place?

According to FOX Sports, Kanye West’s issues with the Charlotte Hornets owner centered on the singer’s shoe brand, Yeezy. West was formerly in business with Nike, but left the company back in 2013 and subsequently signed a contract with Nike’s rival, Adidas.

For his part, Jordan’s brand of shoes are one of Nike’s most successful lines of all time. Although Jordan doesn’t have a direction connection with West, his shoe line is in direct competition with Yeezy. This prompted the rapper to take a shot at Jordan’s brand in one of his recent songs, titled “Facts.”

In the song, West slammed both Nike and Jordan by referencing how his shoe is superior over Jordan’s.

“Yeezy, Yeezy, Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman.”

This latest shot at Nike isn’t the first time West has felt the need to lash out at the company. In fact, back in a 2012 song, titled “New God Flow,” West shared similar sentiments, rapping: “Hold up, I ain’t trying to stunt, man, But the Yeezys jumped over the Jumpman.”

That being said, West’s main issue is apparently with Mark Parker, the CEO of Nike, and not with Jordan. This is one reason why West felt the need to apologize to Jordan in a recent post to Twitter.

“I’m sorry Michael Jordan. I love and respect you. My beef was with Mark Parker. I respect you so much!”

Kanye West’s apology comes right before the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, which corresponds to a few major shoe releases from both Nike and Adidas. Jordan is getting ready to unveil his OVO Air Jordan 10s and 4s, while West is promoting his Boost 350.

Meanwhile, HipHopDX is reporting that West has stirred up a number of different controversies on social media in the past week. In addition to his beef with Jordan, West also shared a few words about his sister-in-law, Kylie Jenner, and her recent deal with Puma.

Despite Jenner signing a contract with Puma, West assured his fans that she is not planning on going through with the deal. Instead, West promised that Jenner is only going to promote his shoe brand, Yeezy.

“1000% there will never be a Kylie Puma anything,” West wrote on Twitter. “That’s on my family! 1000% Kylie is on Yeezy team!!!”

West went on to declare that his family will be giving Puma back the money they paid Jenner for signing the contract. Apparently, Puma paid Jenner a million dollars, which isn’t exactly a large sum for someone like West.

“Puma we gone give you your measly million dollars back!!! Never try to divide the family!!!” he shared on Twitter.

At this point, it isn’t clear how West’s recent comments will impact his relationships with athletes who are connected with Nike and Puma. Considering how the rapper felt the need to apologize to Jordan over his past remarks is an indication that he will likely have a lot of cleanup to do in the coming months if he wants to repair his image in the shoe industry.

That being said, it is interesting to note that West was born in Chicago and is a longtime fan of both Jordan and the Bulls. He also has connections with Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, whom he has also had to patch up his relationship with in recent weeks.

Tell us! What did you think of Kanye West’s latest Twitter rant? Let us know in the comments below.

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]