Ex-Yeezy Designer Claims Kanye West Has “Lost His Mind” And Works With “Toxic Losers”

BYGabriel Bras Nevares5.6K Views
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Fast Company Innovation Festival - Day 3
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 07: Steven Smith and Kanye West speak on stage at the "Kanye West and Steven Smith in Conversation with Mark Wilson" at the on November 07, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company)
Steven Smith's unceremonious Yeezy exit comes about eight years since he helped Kanye West link with Adidas, and the rest is history.

Kanye West is still rolling VULTURES out with Ty Dolla $ign, but he's also dealing with a media firestorm that has raged on for years now. For example, one of the many consequences of his antisemitic rants was the end of his Yeezy parternship with Adidas in 2022, one that famous sneaker designer Steven Smith helped broker all the way back in 2016. But it seems like that ship has also sailed. Moreover, new reports emerged that Ye fired Smith in early August of this year, and Smith spoke to Fast Company about this development. They described him as "a sensitive defender of Ye and, in particular, the treatment of his mental health."

"He’s lost his mind," Steven Smith said of Kanye West, which definitely indicates that he's no longer as sympathetic as the publication suggested. "The whole of Yeezy is circling the drain and this is just part of it. He has surrounded himself with toxic, C-grade losers. [...] I’m in a very happy place with it all. I will certainly be a priceless asset to whoever I work with next. It’s all his loss and the result of his foolishness."

Kanye West & Steven Smith At The Fast Company Innovation Festival In 2019

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 07: Steven Smith and Kanye West attend the Fast Company Innovation Festival - Day 3 Arrivals on November 07, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company)

Furthermore, Kanye West has apparently also blocked Steven Smith on Instagram, but Smith didn't really elaborate on why Ye fired him, or if this is actually how things went down. After all, Fast Company claims that Smith "reached a breaking point" when the Chicago artist tried and failed to launch a porn company. But it's difficult to identify exactly what caused the breakdown of their relationship, mostly because the heaps of controversy over the past few years leave a lot of options on the table.

Meanwhile, other Kanye West antics these days involve the arrest of a woman who claims he telepathically ordered her to steal a car. Whether it's the zaniest of zany headlines or legitimately disturbing sexual harassment accusations, there's a lot to unpack. Sadly, things haven't really gotten any easier to deal with as of late. We just have to wait and see what happens next in the saga of Ye, and hope that there are brighter days to come.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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