Kanye West ditches Nike deal for rival Adidas

Kanye West has scrapped his business deal with sportswear company Nike in favor of a partnership with rival organization Adidas.

The rapper has held a long relationship with Nike, including his collaboration with the company's designers to create his own line of popular sneakers, Nike Air Yeezys, which proved to be one of the most in-demand collections in Nike's history.

But now the Stronger hitmaker has turned his back on the company, confirming to New York radio station Hot 97 on Monday (25Nov13) that the main factor in his decision was to provide for his family, including fiancee Kim Kardashian and their five-month-old daughter, North.

He explained, "The old me might have taken this 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 daughter... I'm going to be the first hip-hop designer, and because of that I'm gonna be bigger than (U.S. mega-store) Wal-Mart."

The night before (24Nov13) the interview, West took his Yeezus tour to Brooklyn, New York, where he ranted to the crowd that Nike bosses were not good business partners.

West's partnership with Nike was the shoe brand's first non-athlete full collaboration. Since 2009, two editions of Air Yeezys have been released, with only a limited amount manufactured.