MissInfo.tv » Kanye West Explains Why He Is Partnering With adidas Instead of Nike on Hot 97’s Angie Martinez Show

After almost a year’s worth of on-stage rants and radio interviews, Kanye West has finally found the corporate backing he’s been screaming for. During his interview with Hot 97’s Angie Martinez, the G.O.O.D. Music mogul confirmed rumors by announcing that he has, indeed, signed a sneaker deal with adidas.

Despite venting his frustration towards Nike and how they’ve handled his upcoming Air Yeezy II “Red October” on more than one occasion, it turns out the sportswear giant actually offered Kanye more creative freedom. Nike’s refusal to pay him royalties was a major reason why he turned them down, though.

With rappers and fashion designers like Run-D.M.C., Snoop Dogg, A$AP Rocky, Jeremy Scott and Raf Simons previously collaborating with adidas, it’s safe to Kanye’s in good company. Will he be able to recreate the mass hysteria surrounding the Yeezys, though?

So then I start turning up in the BBC interview, so [Nike] said, ok cool, we’re gonna give you a bigger sandbox to play in. We’re gonna give you this amount right here to design, and two collections a year, and 30 skews — that’s the amount of items that you have. Would that make you happy, Kanye? And I said, well I need royalties. It’s not even like I have a joint venture. At least give me some royalties. Michael Jordan has 5%, that business is $2 billion. He makes a $100 million dollars a year off of 5% royalties. Nike told me we can’t give you royalties because you’re not a professional athlete. I told them, I go to the Garden and play one-on-NO-ONE. I’m a performance athlete. Did I really ANYTHING? YES! Did I really EVERYTHING. 100,000 percent. I’m 100,000 percent at all times. It’s people that work in offices trying to tell me how to think, when I got a better perspective. I live in Paris.

So the old me, without a daughter, would have taken the Nike deal because I just love Nikes so much. But the new me, with a daughter, takes the adidas deal because I have royalties and I have to provide for my family.

Watch the interview below…

Angie: So that’s official, did you officially announce the adidas deal?
Kanye: Whatever’s official, non-official, official, what y’all gonna see is… I am going to be the Tupac of product… I’ma be the first hip-hop designer, and because of that… I’ma be bigger than Walmart.

NEXT: Watch part two here.