Kanye West, the rapper and fashion designer formerly known as Ye, has leaked an alleged internal document from Adidas that he says is evidence of a conspiracy against him and his Yeezy brand.
In a since-deleted post on Instagram, Kanye West shared a photo of a memo that was supposedly sent out to Adidas employees instructing them on how to handle media inquiries about the ongoing legal dispute between the sportswear giant and the rapper.
The memo, which West claims is authentic, tells employees to “please refrain from extended conversations” about the conflict and also asserts that Adidas is the sole owner of the Yeezy shoe designs that originated in 2022.
It also states that the German company fulfilled all obligations with West before ending their partnership in late 2022 over his antisemitic remarks.
West captioned the post:
“This is the document that they give employees at adidas when asked questions about Yeezy. There is an overlap to adidas and Kim ignoring my opinion on where my kids go to school or people ignoring my name change or the entire celebrity culture ostracizing me for my political opinion.”
“It all comes down to human rights which you sacrifice when you’re stigmatized with mental issues. All these situations are actually far crazier than what I’ve been branded to be,” he added.
West’s post comes amid a bitter legal battle with Adidas, which launched a lawsuit against him in November 2022 seeking $75 million in damages for breach of contract and trademark infringement.
Adidas accused West of violating their exclusive agreement by collaborating with other brands, such as Gap and Nike, and creating unauthorized products under the Yeezy name.
West has denied the allegations and counter-sued Adidas for $250 million, claiming that the company exploited his creativity and reputation and failed to support him during his mental health struggles.
