After vocalizing frustration with Nike, Kanye West says he is sorry.
“I really feel honored to have had the chance to blow Yeezy [sneakers] up with Nike,” West said in an interview with I Am Tall Boy. “I really appreciate everything they did for me. I’m not knocking them on the way out or burning no bridges. I apologize for my frustration earlier.”
West has now confirmed a deal with adidas. During the Tall Boy interview, West also spoke about how that compares to his work in music.
“Man, it just feels good to be able to create more,” West said, “[to] create product that I can control the pricing on, that I can do quality control on and I feel very comfortable to have a great partner backing my ideas and allowing me to think and be creative, giving me that shot the same way how Dame [Dash] gave me a record deal ten years ago, gave me a shot and I was able to do something creative with it.”
In November, Kanye West spoke about his frustration with Nike during a concert.
“They try to act like people ain’t line up for the Yeezys,” Kanye said. “[Nike CEO] Mark Parker tried to son me. Yes. Son me because I am the sun and I will shine bright. And when I don’t have as much money as a billionaire and when I don’t have the factories that, that dude has over there, what I do have is my voice. Ain’t no corporation that can take me away from my voice and I’m going to scream at the top of my motherfucking mountain as loud as I want. Anything I want. Whenever I want. Is that crazy? So I’m going to make the announcement on Monday with the corporation that finally let me get an opportunity to create.”
In the same month, West spoke with New York radio station Hot 97 about his work with Nike and his then-rumored work with adidas.
“The old me, without a daughter, might’ve taken the Nike deal because I just love Nike so much, blah blah blah, but the new me, with a daughter, takes the Adidas deal, because I have royalties, and I have to provide for my family,” West said.
