Kanye West and Adidas decided to collaborate on a deal in 2013, and a part of the agreement may have hindered the rapper from getting mental health treatment. While the brand envisioned becoming more popular via his influence, it was an avenue to skyrocket him to a higher financial status. The rapper signed a contract to receive 15% royalties anytime Yeezy shoes were sold. But how did that end?

Kanye West And Adidas Revisits Their Contract

Just three years after the first negotiation, Adidas, backed by their lawyers, renegotiated. In 2016, the shoe brand maintained that its moral clause, if breached, could see Kanye West out its door. It specified that if the rapper ever got arrested, bankrupt, or anything controversial, that would be the end.

Naturally, any big brand like Adidas would want its users to continue trusting them, and staying clean is the way to go. As per Fast Company reports, any reasonable organization would add such a clause considering the drama that Kanye West has had in recent years.

Numerous sources cite that the rapper-turned-fashion icon has made some anti-Semitic remarks and deliberately mistreated his staff. Years after his partnership with Adidas, Kanye West came clean about his bipolar disorder and struggle with the bottles.

Did Kanye West’s Contract Stop Him from Getting Mental Health Treatment?

Adidas executives, alongside their legal team, might have done too much while protecting the interest of the company. With reference to their termination clause, their relationship with the rapper was to end if he was subjected to:

“30 consecutive days of mental health or substance abuse treatment.”

In clear terms, Kanye West would have no option of seeking help for his mental health problem for long. But this was never the reason Adidas ended its partnership with the artist.

In fact, they remained glued to his side until he was engulfed in a sea of controversy. In 2022, Kanye West unapologetically made some anti-Semitic comments, leading to bigotry and harassment. This earned him backlash from the public and the termination of his contract with Adidas, Balenciaga, Skechers, and other brands he partnered with.