Kanye West Says He Felt "Suffocated" When He Was With Nike

Kanye West talks adidas and Nike on The Ellen Degeneres Show.

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Image via Complex Original
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Kanye West has never been one to hold back his tongue and, while on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today, spoke candidly about the differences between his experiences at adidas and Nike.

"Because of this adidas deal, they allowed me a little bit of oxygen," Kanye told Ellen, while discussing the struggles of being pigeonholed as a rapper/celebrity in the creative world. "Adidas allowed me to make my whole clothing line and it was just a little bit of oxygen."

In the past, Kanye has talked about the inability to have the chance to grow his Air Yeezy line with Nike despite the obvious demand for product.

"You guys were seeing someone being suffocated by a perception," Kanye said of his time with Nike. "Being suffocated by people in a position that could blatantly see, 'Wow, the Yeezys did really good, he was this influential, but we're not gonna give him a shot at something else.'"

The creative difference and a lack of royalties from Nike sales eventually led to Kanye's departure from Nike.

While there's still no release date for his adidas sneakers or clothing line, it's awesome to know that we can expect product where Kanye was given the chance to go all in.

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[via EllenTube]

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