5 chapters across the catalog
The hosts discuss the film "Air" and Michael Jordan's revolutionary deal with Nike, which was influenced by his mother to include a percentage of sales. This is contrasted with typical record deals where artists receive very little. Master P (Masterpiece) is cited for his advice on knowing your worth and avoiding predatory 15% royalty deals.
The hosts discuss how institutional money and corporations like Adidas hide the "puppet strings" of control. They embrace their own position on the "podcasting chitlin circuit," arguing that staying small and maintaining creative control is more valuable than being a "big" controlled artist.
Kanye West offered a partial apology during an interview with Piers Morgan, clarifying that he was sorry for hurting people not involved in his specific grievances. Adidas reportedly took a quarter-billion-dollar loss to end the partnership, claiming ownership of all Yeezy designs. The discussion explores whether West's actions were a calculated move to exit restrictive business contracts.
Adidas officially ended its partnership with Ye, citing unacceptable and hateful comments. The discussion notes the historical ties of German companies like Adidas and Hugo Boss to the Nazi party. A specific incident involving a banner over a Los Angeles highway reading "Kanye Was Right" is analyzed as a media tactic to amplify the actions of a small group of extremists to a national level.
The 1936 Berlin Olympics provided the setting for the first major shoe endorsement when Adolf "Adi" Dassler persuaded Jesse Owens to wear his handmade track shoes. Dassler, who wanted to focus on shoemaking rather than Nazi politics, drove to the Olympic village to pitch his product to the fastest man alive. Owens' success in the shoes launched the brand that would eventually become Adidas, marking the birth of the modern sports endorsement industry.
