Adidas settles dispute with Kanye, Yeezy line to continue
After more than two years of disputes, Adidas and Kanye West have officially ended the conflict. On Tuesday, October 19, the sports brand announced that an agreement had been reached with the rapper. The issue involved the musician's anti-Semitic statements.
7:59 PM EDT, October 30, 2024
Kanye West is a popular rapper, music producer, artist, vocalist, and fashion designer, often called a visionary by many. In 2020, he was a candidate for President of the United States. The musician has made many controversial statements and actions. In the past, he argued that we live in a simulation, governments are testing how much they can influence our lives, and we cannot trust what politicians tell us. He repeatedly offended Jews, leading to him being labeled as an anti-Semite.
Kanye West collaborated with Adidas for many years, producing the now-iconic Yeezy shoes. The collaboration ended in 2022 due to the rapper's statements and social media posts. The musician praised Adolf Hitler, saying he was not as bad a person as he is portrayed. He blamed the Holocaust on its victims, the Jews. The conflict between the brand and Kanye West lasted more than two years, with its resolution announced on Tuesday, October 29.
End of the "fight" between Adidas and Kanye West
The dispute between Adidas and Kanye West has officially ended. Both sides have managed to settle. According to bbc.com, the sports brand retains Yeezy shares worth about $1.3 billion. Additionally, Adidas can sell the products in batches and donate the proceeds to nonprofit organizations, including its newly launched anti-discrimination foundation. The company informed the media that the remaining Yeezy shares will be sold by 2024.
In a media interview, Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden acknowledged past tensions on various matters but highlighted that both parties have decided to move forward without conflict. He explained that steps like legal reviews, negotiations, and settlements are standard in resolving such disputes, and now everything has been finalized, leaving no outstanding obligations. What happened is now part of the past.
Source: bbc.com
