Ye, the being formerly known as “Kanye West,” has never been one to hold his tongue. In a recent phone interview with Bloomberg, the 45-year-old artist expressed his intention of going about his creative endeavors solo.
“It’s time for me to go it alone,” Ye told Bloomberg. “It’s fine. I made the companies money. The companies made me money. We created ideas that will change apparel forever. Like the round jacket, the [Yeezy Foam Runner], the slides that have changed the shoe industry. Now it’s time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience.”
The past three weeks have seen the former “Mr. West” bash adidas, the German sportswear behemoth to which he signed in late 2013, and several members of its corporate team for not heeding to his demands (which includes a seat on the Board of Directors). Although all the details of Ye’s working relationship with the Three Stripes haven’t been – and will likely never be – disclosed, the Chicagoan has recently been aggravated by two shoe designs from the brand that bear close resemblance to the aforementioned Foam Runner and Yeezy Slides. According to Ye, the adiFOM Q and adilette 22 were “blatant copying” and “no one should be held in that position where people can steal from them and say we’re just paying you to shut up…[t]hat destroys innovation. That destroys creativity. That’s what destroyed Nikola Tesla.”
While it’s easy to say that he’s done with corporate partnerships, the Yeezy frontman is locked in deals with both adidas and Gap until 2026 and 2030, respectively. The 45-year-old father of four has taken to social media to demand his partners allow him to walk free, but in his latest conversation with Bloomberg, he’s accepted the situation he’s in, likening the German and American institutions to his “new baby mamas.”
“I guess we’re just going to have to co-parent those [Yeezy 350s].”
Lead image by Sneaker News.