Rapper Pusha T is finally speaking out against the recent antics of longtime collaborator and mentor Kanye West. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Monday, Pusha, real name Terrence Thornton, defended his creative partnership with the controversial musician. “Creatively, Ye has meant freedom to me,” Pusha said. “He always saw me for who I was and knew how to take it to the next level.” But West's recent string of antisemitic comments and his hobnobbing with far-right figures have put Pusha in a difficult position. "It’s definitely affected me. It’s been disappointing,” said the Bronx-born rapper. “As a Black man in America, there is no room for bigotry or hate speech. So yeah. It’s been very disappointing, let’s talk straight.” West signed Pusha to his label GOOD Music back in 2010. In 2015, West appointed Pusha as the head of the imprint, which was distributed by Universal’s Def Jam until last year. West also produced much of Pusha's latest album, It’s Almost Dry. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May.