Diddy has shown his support for Kanye West amidst his ongoing dispute with adidas and has called for a protest against the sportswear brand.
The Bad Boy Records founder followed in Swizz Beatz’s footsteps and called for a nationwide boycott against adidas on Tuesday (September 6) after Ye accused them of ripping off his Yeezy designs.
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“Since the era of Run-DMC, @Adidas has always used Hip Hop to build its brand and make billions off of our culture,” Diddy wrote on Instagram. “BUT WE ARE MORE THAN JUST CONSUMERS NOW, WE’RE THE OWNERS. @KanyeWest and YEEZY are the reason Adidas is relevant to culture. WE KNOW OUR VALUE! I’m done wearing Adidas products until they make this right!! We have to support each other!! Everybody repost this please!!”
The caption was posted alongside a screenshotted text exchange between Diddy and Ye, with the former writing: “please can send me something I could post in support of you! I never wear Adidas again for the rest of my life if they don’t make you right!!!!”
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Kanye replied, “Praise God. Love you.”
Diddy also re-shared a photo of a pair of black and orange bootleg Yeezys with a red “X” through the middle.
Irv Gotti soon after joined in calls to protest adidas, and posted the same photo to Instagram along with his own message to Kanye.
“I’m also in full support of my brother @kanyewest the man has made @adidas Billions,” Gotti wrote. “We never thought any sneaker company could compete with Jordan’s. And Ye did with Yeezy’s. For them to do anything he don’t like is CRAZY!!! We all with you YE!!!! Love Brother.”
T.I., Timbaland, Consequence, The Game, and A$AP Nast all soon followed suit.
Swizz Beatz was the first to share the photo and join in Kanye’s call to action.
“YE is only asking for his work to be respected and not stolen that’s not crazy to me!!” Swizz wrote in his original post. “We not buying these !!!!!!!!!!!! @adidas you’re supposed to be original do the correct thing please!!”
Kanye re-shared Swizz Beatz’s post and wrote in the caption: “That’s love.” He later shared a photo of Swizz smiling with another caption that read: “This the energy.”
The latest drama between Ye and adidas began on Thursday (September 1), when Kanye posted another incendiary front-page newspaper headline on his IG that read: “Kasper Rørsted Also Dead at 60,” referring to Adidas’ outgoing CEO.
Ye had previously criticized adidas for celebrating their Yeezy Day brand holiday on August 2, noting in a DM to Complex’s Instagram that “Adidas made up the Yeezy Day idea without my approval.”
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These complaints had come after Ye had already criticized the brand’s Adilette 22 Slides back in June, which the Donda rapper said were a blatant rip-off of his Yeezy Slides. He again aired his grievances against the brand’s CEO Kasper Rørsted.
“To Kasper I’m not standing for this blatant copying no more,” he wrote. “To all sneaker culture…This is for everyone who wants to express themselves but feel they can’t cause they’ll lose their contract or be called crazy…These shoes represent the disrespect that people in power have to the talent.”
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While so many rappers continue to show out for Kanye, he actually already declared victory against the brand on Monday (September 5).
“I COULD HEAR THE JOY IN MY TEAMS VOICES TODAY,” he wrote in all caps on Instagram. “ADIDAS DON’T WANT NO MORE SMOKE. THE MOVIE CREDIT’S ARE ROLLING. THIS WAR WASN’T ABOUT MONEY.
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“IT WAS ABOUT CONTROL OF OUR FAMILIES. OF OUR BUSINESSES. OF OUR STORY. OF OUR VOICE. I GAVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO SETTLE THIS QUIETLY. NOW IT’S TIME FOR GAP :)”
Reading between the lines, this might mean Ye’s next target will be Gap, which he also criticized last week for copying his Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga line he has with the company. He also lambasted them for canceling a photo shoot at the last minute he had planned with his children.
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Kanye had previously followed up this criticism with a six-minute video call to Gap in which he can be seen reaffirming his commitment to the brand and to his larger “life mission” with the company.
“This country is based on industry, and with us—collectively—we all have a responsibility to bring it back. … We can do it with this team,” he said in part. “This is bigger than us, and we shouldn’t argue amongst ourselves. But I’m saying I have to go pull that sword out the stone. You either believe me or I’m going to show you. … You’re gonna see it.”
