Earlier this week there were rumors floating around that G.O.O.D Music artist Teyana Taylor had been dropped from her Adidas deal, considering the shoe that was expected to drop on Black Friday never happened. At the time, Teyana’s publicist denied the news, saying:
Teyana has not been dropped, the sneaker is on hold, no other comments or statement is ready to be issued at this time.
Finding it odd that no definitive statement from Adidas had been made on the matter, we reached out to the sneaker brand for a comment and that’s when they told us Teyana has in fact been dropped from her deal. A Senior PR Manager for the corporation wrote to us in an email:
“We have ended our relationship with Teyana Taylor and do not have any upcoming product launches with her.”
When asked whether the decision was based on Teyana’s altercation with Rihanna and if the petition calling for Adidas and Reebok to eliminate the endorsement factored into the decision at all, the rep added:
“All I can say is that adidas partners with athletes and artists who blend well with our brand values. We evaluate our relationships with partners based on the values we hold at adidas and we don’t condone violence of any kind.”
In other words, yes. This news is unfortunate considering Rihanna was the initial antagonist in this drama. We’re sure you remember how Rihanna and Teyana’s beef spiraled out of control within minutes on Twitter after Rihanna posted an Instagram video mocking Teyana’s cover of “Rapture of Love.” After warning Rihanna, “Don’t let twitter get you F-CKED UP!!!!,” Teyana went on to post this picture, which we can only speculate was the final nail in her endorsement coffin.
Considering the success of Teyana’s Harlem GLC sneaker release earlier this year, we imagine it will only be a matter of time before another brand gives her an opportunity like this again. But in the meantime, word to the wise: Do not let Rihanna get you caught up in these streets. Unfortunately her victim’s losses always seem to be greater than hers.
