Kanye is again sounding off on corporations such as Nike and Louis Vuitton, while finishing up his Yeezus tour in Miami. Toward the end of the show West teased the crowd, saying he wasn’t going to “talk that sh** again,” after the controversy around his recent rant in Nashville. But all it took was the chant of encouragement from the audience before West succumbed and went on another tirade over his latest grievances.
West started by addressing the crowd as his “extended family,” showing his gratitude for their support, but soon began discussing his aspirations to be a luxury brand designer. He said he has been discouraged by the fashion design industry because of his rapper status:
“You wanna know what they told me, and just in case yall don’t quite understand what I’m saying,” he said. “You know I like, I like clothes and sh**, I’m into it, it’s like a creative outlet for me. I’m into it. But you know what they told me? And I ain’t sayin’ it’s a Black or white thing. I ain’t sayin’ it’s a straight or gay thing, I ain’t sayin’ it’s a American or French thing. But you know what they told me? They said because I’m known for music, that no one would believe in me if I designed anything else. So the man that designed this m*** mountain, can’t design a T-shirt?! I was at Bal Harbor today and I looked at every one of them stores and this ain’t no disrespect to any of the brands I’m about to name because they brought us to where we at right now. But I’m not tryna make Phat Farm, I’m not tryna be Roca Wear. I’m tryna have a store right next to Valentino, right next to Yves St. Laurent.”
While West appeared tone confident that his design skills rival those of the top designers in the world, not everyone agrees.
According to ComplexSneakers, West’s designs for the Air Yezzy are a luxury mash-up of design elements that aren’t new to Nike.
This supported Nike’s CEO Mark Parker’s remark that he couldn’t see why people liked the sneakers and that they had no function for athletes, such as basketball players. Nike often focuses their creations around popular athletes who attract sales from their fan base.
Parker’s remarks led West to lash out against the corporation in an epic rant in Nashville last week. But he must have had a brief change of heart in Miami.
Right before closing out the concert with his new single “Bound 2,” he apologized to Nike, acknowledging the opportunity he had to design the sneakers.
West also mentioned a possible partnership with Louis Vuitton, saying that he wanted “in” on a deal or he threatened to have the masses boycott the brand.
At this point, it appears that Kanye has established a pattern of partnering with high profile brands and expecting his design skills to be taken seriously, and rightfully so.
For some, West as a rapper, is genius. His work transcends popular music, so much so that die-hard fans would view any objection to his lyrical skills as “not getting it.”
But as a fashion designer, humbling himself as he steps into a field sound foreign to his expertise is necessary. A lesson that West has yet to learn.
Check out the full video below:
