(AllHipHop News) Kanye West has ended his working relationship with longtime manager Izvor “Izzy” Zivkovic.
According to editors at Billboard.com, the hitmaker has taken the decision to end his working relationship with Zivkovic, a discreet figure in Kanye’s camp who avoided the spotlight.
The Croatian born manager, who was considered to be a close confidant of the multi-hyphenate musician, is believed to have joined the rapper/producer’s team around the time of the release of his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
No details have been given concerning the reason for the split, which comes two years after the rapper added talent powerhouse Scooter Braun, who was primarily responsible for handling the artist’s non-music ventures such as his clothing line and Yeezy shoe, to his management team.
The 36-year-old, who boasts Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande among his clients, is now expected to take on all management responsibilities for Kanye, who is represented by CAA.
Meanwhile, Zivkovic will be kept busy at his Split Second Management company having added Arcade Fire, Banks, Jack Garratt and Kevin Garrett as clients in recent months.
The news comes as Kanye faces the possibility of a legal battle with a Chinese company which scooped up the rights to sell clothing using his Yeezy brand.The rapper lost the trademark to sell Yeezy clothing last year.
He filed documents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reclaim the mark for use selling apparel, but discovered a Chinese firm named Fujian Baby Network Technology Co. swooped in and trademarked the term ‘Yeezy Boost,’ the name of the shoes the hip-hop star designs for Adidas, as a clothing brand – two months before he did.
A letter from Trademark Office officials to bosses at Kanye’s Mascotte Holdings company states that they have suspended his application due to the “likelihood of confusion” with the Yeezy Boost brand.
The rapper launched his first Yeezy clothing collection, in collaboration with Adidas Originals, in 2015, and is currently preparing to debut his seventh season of apparel.