Kanye West laments deals with Adidas, Gap: ‘They my new baby mamas’
Kanye West expressed frustration with his corporate partners, including Adidas and Gap, saying that he longs for the day he will be free of his contractual commitments to the apparel makers.
“They my new baby mamas,” West told Bloomberg News. “I guess we’re just going to have to co-parent those 350s.”
The “350s” are a reference to the Yeezy Boost 350, the shoe line that was produced as part of his long-term agreement with Adidas.
The rapper of hits such as “Gold Digger” and “Devil in a New Dress” said he will allow his contracts with Adidas and Gap to expire.
“It’s time for me to go it alone,” he told Bloomberg News.
“It’s fine. I made the companies money. The companies made me money.”
“We created ideas that will change apparel forever,” West told Bloomberg.
“Now it’s time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience,” he said.
The Post has sought comment from Adidas and Gap.
West will have to summon patience before he can be free of the two global brands. His deal with Adidas expires in 2026, while his contract with Gap runs through 2030.
The relationship between West and his corporate partners has been an uneasy one.
Last week, West took aim at Adidas Senior Vice President and General Manager Daniel Cherry III.
“Venture capitalist who’s [sic] only adventure is capitalism,” West wrote on Instagram.
“Cant [sic] create so they try to out count the creatives.”
West then wrote: “Die slow.”
The rapper and fashion designer also lashed out at Gap, accusing the company of not sufficiently involving him in the management of the “Yeezy” apparel line.
“Gap held a meeting about me without me?” West wrote on Instagram on Aug. 30. The post included a photo of what looks like a pair of Yeezy Gap sunglasses on a glass table.
Those posts have since been deleted.
Despite the tension, West’s partnerships with Adidas and Gap have proved to be fairly lucrative.
Last year, Bloomberg reported that West had $122 million in cash and stock as well as billions more in other assets, including his apparel lines.
In 2020 alone, West made $191 million from royalties paid out by Adidas.
In total, the Swiss bank UBS valued his sneaker and apparel business, over which West retains sole creative and ownership control, at somewhere between $3.2 billion and $4.7 billion last year, according to Bloomberg.
Last year, West signed a 10-year deal with Gap, which predicts sales in excess of $1 billion of “Yeezy” apparel by next year.
West’s “Yeezy Gap” line includes hoodies, t-shirts, and anoraks that are offered at a more affordable price.
But it appears his patience has worn thin with Gap.
“Every step of my career there was something in the way,” he said.
“They did the dream, but just without Ye.”
West has also been at loggerheads with JPMorgan Chase & Co, which is managing his assets.
He recently took aim at bank executives Bill Grous, Jing Ulrich, and CEO Jamie Dimon for allegedly not being available to him on the phone when he needed to speak to them.
“I feel like there’s a lot of controlling and handling to suppress my ability to affect the American economy and industry,” West said of JP Morgan Chase.
The Post has sought comment from JPMorgan Chase.
