Nice striker Mario Balotelli has slammed Kanye West after the rapper described slavery as a "choice" in a recent interview with TMZ.

The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker took to Instagram to respond to the 40-year-old American (h/t Robin Bairner of Goal): "What kind of bulls--t coming out of your mouth? Really? Slavery was by choice? Brother, seriously, who brainwashed you?"

West's comments have understandably received widespread criticism.

He told TMZ: "When you hear about slavery for 400 years...for 400 years? That sounds like a choice. You was there for 400 years and it's all of y'all? It's like we're mentally imprisoned."

He later attempted to clarify his comments by tweeting: "Of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will. My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved."

Balotelli, 27, was born in Italy to Ghanaian immigrant parents before being adopted at the age of three by an Italian family.