In the neverending saga of Ye feuding with corporate America, the Donda 2 artist voiced his frustrations with Adidas and Gap — wishing to exit both deals in a previous interview with Bloomberg.
Now, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Ye has officially ended his two-year partnership with Gap due to “substantial noncompliance.” He also is looking to open his own YZY storefronts, per his legal representation.
“Gap’s substantial noncompliance with its contractual obligations has been costly,” West’s attorney, Nicholas Gravante, said in a statement to CNN. “Ye will now promptly move forward to make up for lost time by opening Yeezy retail stores.”
Ye was contractually tied to Gap until 2030, but as far as his partnership with Adidas, he remains in a joint deal until 2026. While this may stand in opposition with the rapper’s conversation with Bloomberg, his exasperation was both as direct as it was full-frontal.
“It’s time for me to go it alone. 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 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.”
Ye via Bloomberg
If you follow Ye on Instagram, you know that his all-caps rants towards Adidas, Gap and an unpredictable amount of other parties are posted just as quickly as they’re deleted.
Ye’s beef with Adidas in particular might be the most comprehensible from a consumer’s standpoint, as he recently accused Adidas of blatantly copying his designs. It also stands as the most pertinent exemplar of these billion dollar corporations using Ye as a means to their own profitable ends.
“You have to really give me the position to be Ye and let me do what I’m thinking, or I have to do the thinking somewhere else.”
Ye via a now-deleted Instagram clip
Whatever the outcome might be, Ye has built a legacy brand whose demand doesn’t show signs of stopping. He’s drawing a line in the sand too, making it clear that his designs and creativity aren’t for the taking, which is something all creatives can relate to.
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