Kanye West’s Autographed Anti-Adidas Vinyl Auctioned for Half a Million Dollars
A unique Kanye West vinyl album, featuring an explicit message aimed at adidas, is up for auction and commanding an astronomical price.
The item in question is a vinyl copy of West’s critically acclaimed 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. During a visit to Paris in February, Kanye autographed the album with the words “FUCK ADIDAS” and “YE,” making it a one-of-a-kind collector’s item.
Months later, the vinyl has surfaced at an auction hosted by Moment in Time, with an asking price of at least $500,000 for the winning bidder.
The autograph session occurred outside The Ritz hotel in Paris, where West was staying with his wife, Bianca Censori. As the Chicago rapper exited the hotel, he was met by fans chanting “Fuck adidas.” Although Kanye was wearing a full mask, obscuring his facial expression, he seemed to support the chant. He then signed a fan’s copy of the album, adding the provocative message.
At that time, Kanye was vocally opposing his former business partner, adidas. He criticized the company for selling new versions of the Yeezy 350 shoes without his involvement and for allegedly withholding payments.
On Instagram, Kanye expressed his frustration: “Anybody who loves Ye would not buy these fake Yeezys. I never made these colorways. I’m not getting paid off of them and adidas is suing me.”
He continued, “All these celebrities and the public will stand against a T-shirt or the color of my hat, but when y’all see a Fortune 500 company rape one of your heroes in real life, nobody says or does anything.”
In a video, he further elaborated: “Not only are they putting out fake colorways that are not approved, they’re suing me for $250 million and not paying me for the shoes they’re putting out with my name on them. They’re using contract clauses and business experience to exploit an artist.”
adidas terminated their profitable partnership with Kanye in October 2022 following his antisemitic remarks. The company also froze the proceeds that were to be paid to him.
Photos of the autographed vinyl and the moment Kanye inscribed it can be viewed below.
