Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images and Adidas
- Rapper Ye is accusing Adidas of selling "fake" Yeezys for which he's not getting paid.
- The controversial rapper said that the sportswear company is trying to "rape" him as an artist.
- Adidas previously cut ties with Ye after his hate speech tirade in 2022 on social media.
Rapper Ye tore into Adidas in several Instagram posts on Monday evening, accusing his old sponsor-partner of selling "fake" Yeezys when the sportswear brand released a new version of the sneakers.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, had his partnership with Adidas terminated in October 2022 after he launched into an antisemitic tirade on social media that month. Some of his posts heavily criticized Adidas and its leadership.
In the wake of the split, Adidas said it had decided to start selling its $1.3 billion inventory of leftover Yeezys, which it partnered with Ye to create.
At least four designs are slated to launch this year, starting with a steel grey-toned version of the Yeezy 350 V2.
Ye, apparently not a fan of the new color scheme, blasted Adidas in his Monday posts as trying to "rape" him over the new designs, further accusing the company of not paying him for the sales.
"Anybody who loves Ye would not buy these fake Yeezys I never made these color ways I'm not getting paid off of them," he wrote in one post.
"As far as the system goes What yall gone do now Take my album down again Freeze my accounts again Threaten people to not work with me again All the new non approved 350's are cooorny," Ye added.
In a separate video post, Ye claimed that Adidas is suing him for $250 million and of "using contract clauses and 50 years of business experience to rape an artist."
It's unclear what lawsuit Ye is referring to. Adidas, in July 2023, accused the rapper of mishandling $75 million in marketing funds and is trying to retrieve the money in private arbitration.
Ye was previously reported to be receiving 15% in royalties from Yeezy sales, and The New York Times reported in October 2023 that the rapper is still entitled to royalties after Adidas cut ties with him, though it did not specify how much.
The rapper also accused Adidas of "rape" in an October 2022 post, in which he ranted against the organization in all-caps after it announced the termination of its relationship with him.
"I AM ADIDAS ADIDAS RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS," Ye's Instagram caption partially said.
Adidas has about $300 million of Yeezy stock left, the company said earlier this month. The bulk of the proceeds would go to charities, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, Adidas said.
The press office for Adidas did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.