Last night, Kanye West released his latest single “FACTS,” a surprise move that caused a stir on the internet and within the sneaker industry alike. Following a massively successful year which was preceded by silent work and a loud exit from Nike in 2014 and 2013, respectively, the end cap to 2015 is full of boasts, shots and claims alike.
Looking to take a balanced, business approach, we dive into the lyrics and reason which claims are facts and which claims are fiction.
Facts or Fiction: Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman
photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images via Zimbio
Making reference to his “New God Flow” lyric in 2012 inspired by the Nike Air Yeezy 2’s out of this world popularity at the time while also jabbing at the Jordan Brand juicing “Jumpman” track by Drake and Future, “Yeezy, Yeezy, Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman” is a chorus, a headline and a strong statement. But it is a fact?
Numerically speaking, it’s safe to say a whole lot more Jordans sold in 2015 than Yeezys. A whole lot more were made available, too. Nevertheless, Kanye West having the biggest shoe of both All-Star Weekend and the holiday season is pretty bonkers. So, in 2015 did Yeezy jump over the Jumpman? In the sneaker culture: FACT In the market as a whole: FICTION
Facts or Fiction: Herzog and adidas love it
Adidas America HQ in Portland, OR (photo by Mike D’Olivo)Umm, yes. You don’t have to be an industry expert to know that adidas and the HQ in Germany are bouncing off the walls over the year they had. The heritage brand has had some hard times in the past and Kanye has been quite the Godsend, changing the trajectory of their Originals line with the trickle down effect influencing running, basketball and the brand in general. FACT
Facts or Fiction: If Nike didn’t have Drake and Don C they wouldn’t have nothing
Really speaking more on Jordan Brand than Nike, this is of course fiction. Yes, Drake and Don C do give JB the cool factor and creative co-sign that adidas has been building for years, but Jordan Brand forever has the Ace card: Michael Jordan. Is the tide turning? Without a doubt, it has been for more than a minute. But as Kanye continues to set the new standard for cool in the sneaker game, it’s gonna take more than a year to undo three decades of MJ. FICTION
Facts or Fiction: Kanye didn’t drop an album but the shoes went platinum
As music fans know, 2015 didn’t see So Help Me God, SWISH or any other Kanye album. His followup to the very abrasive Yeezus is still very much in the works, with ‘singles’ that range from “Only One” to “FACTS” serving more as moments to cap and end the year, while “Wolves” and “Fade” live only in Yeezy Season fashion shows leaving the world to wonder what’s next sonically for Kanye.
So, album aside, did the shoes go platinum? A platinum album marks 1 million units. While no numbers have been put out as to how many Yeezys have been released, they’ve certainly sold all they’ve dropped. Add in the umbrella effect of Kanye co-signing Ultra Boosts, the Energy Boost ESM and Stan Smiths still striding and does that number likely add up to 1 million pairs sold worldwide? Our bet is yes. FACT
Facts or Fiction: Nike treats employees like slaves, gave LeBron a billi not to run away
photo by Getty Images
Did Nike put restrictions on what and how much Kanye could do? It appears so. Were his royalties or ability to collect on his legacy better at adidas than that of Nike? All signs point to yes. To say Kanye was getting a raw deal at Nike and that his creativity and reach was caged appears completely true after his recent run at adidas. To say Nike as a whole treats their employees like slaves, though? We’re going with FICTION.
As for LeBron, his big deal comes as perhaps a counter move to the buzz adidas has made this year with Kanye and the Harden signing. It’s also likely a restructuring power play after KD darn near dipped to Under Armour and his RocNation team ended up inking a stronger salary with the Swoosh. LeBron’s lifetime payout appears to be more than just royalty rich and ironically he might have Kanye to thank. When departing from Nike, Kanye offered some insight in interviews about the royalty percentage Nike was offering him and how that compares to Michael Jordan with JB. Obviously MJ is cashing in off sales as previously reported, but it looks like LeBron will have guaranteed bread regardless of how well his retros sell 20 years from now. This might be a FACT as the press for the deal was huge for Nike in a year ran by adidas headlines, but just the same, Nike knows what they’re doing in their investments and LeBron likely wasn’t dipping to any competitor.
Facts or Fiction: Kanye’s worn designers he won’t wear again
photos via Zimbio
Other than adidas popping bottles in Herzog, this is probably the most clear-cut FACT of all. During Kanye’s departure from Nike, it was made very apparent to him and he made it apparent to everyone just how big his influence is. In 2015, it’s probably more measurable than ever thanks to social media and that all of his product influence comes from one outlet: adidas. Long gone are the days of Kanye unofficially endorsing Air Jordan 1s, zipping up LRG or Bape hoodies on the go and bringing Louis Vuitton luggage on stage. In truth, that’s a bit sad as Kanye’s ability to switch styles and break barriers of who could wear what with what made him the most exciting artist in fashion of the last decade. Nevertheless, from here on out he will serve as that rare individual that’s both the creative behind a line and its biggest endorser (though the Kardashian/Jenner fam is right their, too, in regard to endorser exposure.) He’s basically a mix of Ice Cream-era Pharrell with ’98 MJ if the album booms. That’s good for Kanye, that’s great for adidas.
Facts or Fiction: All Kanye needed was the infrastructure
More than memes, this was really the real takeaway from the Sway interview. Kanye has long had ideas and reach, he just hasn’t had the financial backing and factories to make it happen at the level he’s wanted to make it happen at. With adidas he has that and the results are real. FACT
Facts or Fiction: James Harden and Swaggy P are running up the budget
Not long ago, adidas announced their plans to sign an abundance of athletes as a way of restructuring and repositioning their place in a variety of sports. The biggest of course has been basketball, with the $200 Million James Harden deal and recent signing of Nick Young bringing in ballers that have influence and eyeballs far from the hardwood, too. While dollar details for Swaggy P have not been disclosed, the big money for The Beard has certainly had an impact on John Wall leaving and perhaps LeBron’s lifetime deal. From a payroll standpoint for adidas (or anyone) not sure if that’s good, but it’s most certainly a FACT as well as a win for the athletes.
Lastly, expressed but not able to address with certainty, will adidas be putting a million in production come 2016? We certainly hope this is a FACT as bots and unparalleled interest have made the Yeezy Boosts incredibly hard to get thus far. But as the man who aspires to be the 2Pac of fashion and compete with Wal-Mart suggests, it’s safe to assume that Yeezys will eventually be produced and put out at a bigger scale. How they balance demand with chase will be an interesting thing to figure out, but one thing’s for sure, they certainly know how to make a buzz.
