Talk about getting the rug pulled right underneath you. AKA has left fans gobsmacked after he randomly revealed that Reebok allegedly didn’t pay him a dime from sales garnered from the SneAKA shoe.
Wait, what? AKA blasts Reebok for not paying him
Things were all good on Twitter until a fan tweeted a fan appreciation post for Reebok’s collab sneAKA.
This partnership with AKA made it the very first time Reebok collaborated on a design with a South African artist.
“This collaboration is two years in the making, and both Reebok and AKA have poured an unprecedented amount of passion, determination and devotion into the project. The brand has partnered with celebrities in other countries like the US with great success, but this is the first time we have done it with a South African artist,” brand activation manager at Reebok South Africa, Brian Jackson, said at the time
AKA was flown to the United States (US) where he was very much involved in the design of the show. This video below will display the level of involvement the rapper had, from selecting the perfect in-sole design to dictating how the sneaker’s exterior would look.
According to IOL News, AKA broke more records in South Africa when the Reebok collab SneAKA sold out in just 10 minutes.
So, what happened to all of those proceeds? Well, if we’re to take AKA’s words without a grain of salt, every single cent of the profits made from SneAKA went directly into Reebok’s account and not a dime was awarded to the rapper for using his celebrity to build anticipation around the sneaker.
This is the response AKA gave when a fan tweeted about how much he loves the shoe.
Now, semantics are very important because things can be easily misconstrued on social media. We have contacted Reebok South Africa to solicit a statement from them on these allegations. Was the rapper paid for the usage of his image and likeness in the promotion and sale of the SneAKA? Or, was he referring to residual income that he feels is owed to him?
We will have to wait and hear from both parties on the intricacies of the deal before we rush to judgment.
