The most insane stories about the “abusive” environment Kanye created at Adidas?

Kanye West’s career has been in a downward spiral since he jumped on his Adidas brand deal. In December 2013, it was summertime and living was easy for the legendary producer. He’d just gotten engaged to reality superstar Kim Kardashian and he was signing a brand deal with Adidas.

In 2016, both Ye & the popular sportswear company were very confident in their collaboration. Like Kim & Ye, the two thought their partnership would last forever. They even extended their working contract so it would be a ten-year investment for future profits.

However, just like Kim, Adidas has found its relationship with Ye crumbling before their eyes. Gone is the enthusiastic creator with a money-making imagination. In his stead, a dangerously unhinged alt-right support was accused of creating a toxic work environment.

Come together

Musicians have many long-standing traditions, like building a fanbase or trying weed. They also have a long history of getting into the business of fashion. If you’re lucky, you’re Beyoncé or Lizzo building an empire of cozy athleisure made for a variety of body types.

If you’re even luckier, you’re Kanye West linking up with Adidas and putting the world onto Yeezy. You’re not just making money off of clothes or shoes, but a brand name so expensive people gag at the prices. Adidas was making money off of Ye and he was doing the same.

Naturally, they wanted to make even more. Contracts were extended, promises were made, and everything seemed set up for them to have a great partnership. . . at least until 2026. If only Ye didn’t have to be so Ye about everything and mess it all up by not being able to shut up.

Changed man

Kanye West has always been outspoken and Adidas knew that when they put him on. However, his willingness to speak his mind regardless of the consequences used to mean something different. It was him standing next to an awkwardly silent Mike Myers and declaring that “George Bush doesn’t like Black people.”

These days, though, Ye leans more toward casual misogyny and calling slavery a choice. He rubs shoulders with Donald Trump and spouts Antisemitic nonsense about Jewish people running Hollywood. He even made an appearance on the Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight.

In what feels like a short amount of time, he’s gone from a man of the people to the voice of hate. Recent allegations are even accusing him of mistreating his employees in disturbing & inappropriate ways. Ye may have warned fans he’d leave they a** for a white girl, but he said nothing about this.

Big bully

The industry’s relationship with workplace abuse is an interesting one, to say the least. On the one hand, victims & survivors alike are more likely to have their stories told. Their perpetrators have a higher chance of actually facing punishment for their awful crimes.

On the other hand, though, bad behavior is still protected if the person displaying it has a high enough value. According to Rolling Stone, Kanye West employees have stepped forward with allegations of what he did to them while partnered with the German brand Adidas.

They’re accusing him of using pornographic images, manipulation, and scare tactics to trap them in a toxic work environment. Yet, this information was only shared after Ye really started making a fool of himself. This isn’t to question the validity of their claims, but rather to figure out why none of this came out earlier.

Surviving Ye

Of course, Kim Kardashian’s name comes up whenever Kanye West enters the chat even on Adidas-related topics. Yeezy team members specifically stated they were intimidated by lude images of the reality star as punishment. They were terrified when they should’ve been creatively nurtured and no one did anything.

They’re also accusing Ye of fostering “a very sick pattern of predacious behavior toward women.” This isn’t just a misunderstanding or a couple of bad moments. This speaks to a pattern of gross behavior that Ye couldn’t possibly have maintained on his own, genius he may be.

It’s only a matter of time before Hulu or Netflix is releasing a documentary on just how bad it was. Ye has yet to face charges and it’s uncertain if he’ll ever face any consequences. It just goes to show you that being talented doesn’t stop someone from being sick. Unfortunately, it looks like the worst is yet to come and it will not be fun for anyone.