Kanye West: ‘I got discriminated in fashion for not being gay’

Kanye West believes that his heterosexuality has held him back in the fashion industry.

The American rapper-turned-fashion mogul made the comments while shooting a two-hour live interview with fashion website SHOWStudio for their ‘In Camera’ web series.

“I feel like I got discriminated in fashion for not being gay,” he said. “In music, you definitely get discriminated in music if you are gay. It takes amazing talents to break down barriers. Everyone thought that when Frank Ocean dropped that it was going to be bad for his career. I feel like it’s so cliché to speak about him as it relates to this subject, but there are people who broke the ground and he broke the ground. The people that break the stereotypes make history.”

Discussing the issue of prejudice within such creative industries, West said that it takes ‘amazing people’ to break down these barriers, citing Eminem as a pioneer for white rappers before drawing attention Caitlyn Jenner.

Kim Kardashian previously said West had helped her open her mind about Caitlyn’s transition. When discussing Caitlyn with SHOWStudio, the College Dropout star claimed that he was ‘proud to be in a family that has so many people breaking ground for generations to come’.

West has previously spoken out against homophobia within the music industry, citing his own ‘ignorance’ towards gay people while growing up in Chicago way back in 2007.

Words: KEIR FORDE