AKA puts Reebok on blast over SneAKA deal, says he didn't 'get one cent'

AKA says he 'did not get a cent' from the Reebok SneAKA deal.
AKA says he 'did not get a cent' from the Reebok SneAKA deal.
Image: Instagram/AKA

Rapper AKA has come out guns blazing against Reebok, claiming he was not paid for the creation and marketing of his SneAKA shoe range. 

The rapper took to Twitter on Thursday to reveal the finer details of how the SneAKA collaboration apparently turned sour and that he “didn't get a cent” for it. 

AKA lifted the lid after a fan praised him over the sneaker, saying it was one of the best he's ever bought and a big win for hip-hop culture.

Can you believe they didn’t pay me a single cent for this? Not one cent,” AKA said, shocking his followers.

In 2017, AKA announced that he had signed a “seven-figure” deal with the sports brand and was even flown to the States to meet with Reebok big wigs.

Naturally fans celebrated the moment with the rapper, assuming the creation of the SneAKA meant more coins for the Mega. 

However, it turns out, AKA was “paid” in exposure for the collaboration.

AKA's claims caused a huge storm on Twitter with fans bombarding him with questions about the collaboration. 

I had no choice ... it was always a dream of mine to have my own sneaker. I guess that’s why I took a 'shitty deal' in exchange for doing something for the culture,” he explained.

In a statement sent to SowetanLIVE's sister publication TshisaLIVE, Reebok said it was aware of the claims made by AKA on Twitter, adding that he apparently understood and “was happy” with the nature of the deal before it was executed.

“In October 2019, we executed a successful launch of the Reebok SneAKA. Upon entering into the relationship, both parties were happy with the agreement, and the terms of the launch were not disputed. Reebok met all of our contractual obligations related to the launch.”

Reebok explained that earlier this year they decided to cut AKA loose due to a “shift in strategy” but had hoped to partner with the rapper in future. 

“However, we did discuss a new approach of working with AKA. Reebok is thus very disappointed to be learning of the issues raised on social media, as we believed the relationship to still be on a strong footing to negotiate potential future deals.”

Read the rest of AKA's tweets below.

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