Kanye: Adidas To Donate Yeezy Proceeds To George Floyd’s Family Foundation

Kanye's Yeezys are going to a good cause. Adidas announced that a portion of the sales from the leftover Yeezy stock would be donated to Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change. The other part of the proceeds will be donated to the Anti-Defamation League.

Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden made the announcement in a press release. "After careful consideration, we have decided to begin releasing some of the remaining Adidas Yeezy products. Selling and donating was the preferred option among all organizations and stakeholders we spoke to."

"We believe this is the best solution as it respects the created designs and produced shoes, it works for our people, resolves an inventory problem, and will have a positive impact in our communities. There is no place in sport or society for hate of any kind and we remain committed to fighting against it."

"At a time when antisemitism has reached historic levels in the U.S. and is rising globally, we appreciate how Adidas turned a negative situation into a very positive outcome. They have shown real thoughtfulness in engaging with community organizations working to combat this pernicious and stubborn hatred," added Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO.

"Their leadership, in not only condemning anti-Jewish hate but lending their support for education and other initiatives, is exemplary and a model for other public companies to emulate. We thank them for their ongoing dialogue around their remaining inventory and their vested interest in tackling issues of prejudice and hate."

Both organizations were affected by Kanye's rants last year. The Grammy-winning artist attacked the Jewish community multiple times with his anti-Semitic comments and later spread disinformation about the murder of George Floyd on a since-deleted Drink Champs episode.

The sportswear company parted ways with the rapper in October.

"Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness," the statement reads. "After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect."

The split left Adidas with inventory levels of $500 million worth of sneakers, with a selling value of over $1 billion, according to the company.

Before Kanye was the rapper, entrepreneur, and trendsetting mogul that he is today, he got his start as a producer most notably working with Jay-Z. Back in 2000, Ye was signed to Roc Nation’s team of in-house producers and from there the rest is history. With over 20 years of experience in the music business, Ye has continued to raise the industry standard.

Take a look at 15 songs you might not have known he produced for other artists:

Ye produced Foxy Brown's "My Life" which was released in 1999. The song was featured as part of the soundtrack in the 2003 hit film "Cradle 2 The Grave" starring the late DMX, Jet Li, Gabrielle Union, Anthony Anderson, and Paige Hurd.

Lil' Kim's "Don't Mess with Me" was released in 2000 from the rapper's second studio album The Notorious K.I.M. Ye is also credited as a co-writer along with Kimberly Denise Jones (Lil' Kim), Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Geoff Gill and Cliff Wade.

"Brown Sugar (Fine)" is from the soundtrack of the film Brown Sugar. Mos Def plays Chris “Cavi” Vichon, a cab driver and underground rapper, and he performs the song in the film and tags Faith Evans' angelic vocals later on the soundtrack. The song contains a sample of Norman Connor’s “Invitation” (1979).

Monica released "Knock Knock" in 2003 on her fourth studio album 'Before The Storm.' The record peaked at No.75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 24 on Billboard’s R&B chart."Knock Knock" samples The Masqueraders' 1976 song “It’s a Terrible Thing to Waste Your Love.”

"Go!" is the third single from Common's 2005 album Be. Ye provides background vocals alongside John Mayer. Be was nominated for "Best Rap Album" at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

“You Don’t Know My Name” is the lead single of Alicia’s second studio album The Diary Of Alicia Keys , which was released in 2003. The song won a Grammy for "Best R&B Song" at the 47th Annual Grammys where the singer also picked up "Best R&B Album," for The Diary Of Alicia Keys , "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "If Ain't Got You," and "Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocals" for "My Boo" featuring Usher.

"Overnight Celebrity" is the second single from Twista's 2004 album Kamikaze. The song has uncredited vocals by West and violin by Miri Ben-Ari. The track samples Lenny Williams' 1978 song "Cause I Love You." The song received a nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.

"Stay The Night" is from Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi, the singer's 10th studio album, which was released in 2005.

Alicia Keys and Ye teamed up again on the singer's "Unbreakable" which was released in 2005. The track was originally supposed to be a part of the R&B icon's second studio album The Diary Of Alicia Keys but it ultimately did not make the cut.
"The song was always one of my favorites, but I did not think it would fit well into my second album," the singer said per Genius. The record draws from Eddie Kendrick's 1977 "Intimate Friends." "Unbreakable" was nominated for "Best R&B Song" and "Best Female Vocal R&B Vocal Performance" at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

"Did It Before" is from Lil Wayne's The Drought Is Over 2: The Carter 3 Sessions. The Drought Is Over 2: The Carter 3 Sessions is an unofficial compilation of Lil Wayne songs that was released in 2007.

"Show Me A Good Time" is from Drake's 2010 album Thank Me Later. Not only did Ye produce this song but he also has a co-writing credit along with Drake, No I.D., and Jeff Bhasker. Ye also produced Drizzy's "Find Your Love" which is also on the album. Thank Me Later was nominated for "Best Rap Album" at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.

The original "Runaway Love" is found on Justin Bieber's 2010 album My World 2.0. Bieber and Ye's collab came after Kanye tweeted his admiration of the song. He then added Wu-Tang's Raekwon onto the project for the remix. The remix samples the beat from Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 hit "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F--- Wit."

"Party" is from Beyoncé's fourth studio album 4 and includes a guest appearance from André 3000. Ye also contributes background vocals to the track along with Consequence.

"Let's Get Lifted" is from John Legend's debut studio album Get Lifted. Ye who was Legend's manager at the time, executive produced this album including "Let's Get Lifted." Get Lifted won "Best R&B Album", and earned Legend another two awards, for "Best New Artist" and "Best Male R&B Vocal Performance" for his single "Ordinary People" at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

"Industry Baby" appears on Lil Nas X's debut album Montero which was released in 2021. The song features a guest appearance from rapper Jack Harlow. The song debuted at No. 2 in August of 2021 then went to No.1 on the chart on the week of October 23, 2021. The track became Lil Nas X's third No. 1 song and Harlow's first. The song received a nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.