Nicki Minaj sparks feud with designer over ‘Nicki’ shoe

US rapper Nicki Minaj has called out designer Giuseppe Zanotti for denying her proper credit and compensation for the brand’s “Nicki” line of sneakers.

Minaj explained on Twitter that although Zaonotti had informed her she was the inspiration for the shoe, which also bears her name, the company would not accept calls from her agency to discuss a formal collaboration.

 

“I met Giuseppe Zanotti years ago. At which time, he told me I inspired him to design a sneaker in my honor. Wore them on the cover of Cosmo,” she said. “Recently when he gave other artists capsule collections, my agency reached out and was told they’re not taking our call.”

Minaj also shared an Instagram photo of a Google search for Nicki sneakers which showed various styles of the shoe.

“#GiuseppeWhatsGood 23 pairs of sneakers in my collection and they won’t take a call?” Minaj wrote.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQDm5BBj6uo/

She then took to social media to rally her fans to share the hashtags #GiuseppeWhatsGood and #RunMeMyCHECK to get the brand’s attention.

“The racism and disrespect won’t be tolerated,” she wrote.

She offered a 24-hour deadline for the brand to resolve the issue, while stating she was seeking recognition for her role in the shoe’s design more than monetary compensation.

“Don’t care about the money. It’s just the disrespect. You’re not taking MY call?” Minaj wrote on Twitter. “Give some money to charity in my name or something.”