RH Columns  / Interviews Tuesday, 11 November 2008 13:17

Kanye West: White Tee Ready

Kanye West

Earlier today, Kanye West participated in a conference call hosted by The Best of Both Offices.  I was in on the call in which Mr. West speaks on the concoction he calls 808's & Heartbreaks,  chasing Jimi Hendrix, and coming to grips with his fame.  

"It's kind of settling in being this super famous alien where every where I go someone wants a f**kin' photograph.  It's hard when you're not really a celebrity, but you're a real person that just ended up being famous for your craft.  What's good is that it's therapeutic for me, and it's a better option than suicide to just keep putting out music and art," he said live via the UK.   

Kanye also shuts down the rumors that he'll be releasing a new album in June, and gets ready to unveil 808's latest leak, "Amazing" featuring Jeezy.   "Jeezy came down to Hawaii with us because anytime I'd write a chorus or write any type of hook, I'll be like, 'what would Jeezy do?'  You know how people have stuff that say What Would Jesus Do?  I say, What Would Jeezy Do?  What would he say on this record?  At the end of the day I make my s**t white tee shirt ready at all given times."

Check out Kanye's full statement below.

I just want thank everybody for their support.  I'm at a listening session playing my joint for people in the UK.  I love doing listening sessions cause I feel like Christmas Day where parents get to see kids opening up their gifts. Cause I feel like I try to give people good music.  This album has been like basically based off the devastation and the hurt that I've felt within the last year with all the losses that I've gone through.  It's kind of settling in being this super famous alien where every where I go someone wants a f**kin' photograph.  It's hard when you're not really a celebrity, but you're a real person that just ended up being famous for your craft.  What's good is that it's therapeutic for me, and it's a better option than suicide to just keep putting out music and art.  Of course I got a lot of backlash for my medium that I wanted to do this in.

I created a thing I call Heartbreak.  It's like a mixed drink of auto tune, distortion with a little bit of delay on it, and a whole bunch of life that I put onto records.  That's what I call my heartbreak, and that's what every record basically has.  I'm delivering what I feel is art and that's what I want to deliver at this point from now on.  With records like "Love Lockdown", it might not have high hats and s**t like everything else has, but when I go out and be listening to Jimi Hendrix and the Stones and Lenny Kravitz, and they won't play no Hip Hop records in that.  I feel like n***as be giving up on trying to make records on a Quincy Jones level.  On this record I'm trying to improve my craft, and trying to push it to a level that no n***a has ever made it to.  No n***as have ever rocked 50,000, 100,000 people stadiums ten years after their records came out.  And for anybody that saw the tour, you know my goal is to take it a whole other level.  Today we're about to drop one of the records that everybody's talking about, "Amazing" featuring Jeezy.  It's definitely one of those joints in the club that's gonna go crazy, that's gonna send it up like with did with "Swagger", like we did with "Put On", and like we always do it this time.  This is what my job is.  My job is to give y'all s**t that has the model b***hes running crazy, and has n***as bobbing their heads crazy like "Can't Tell Me Nothin'" and "Flashin' Lights".  Of course I always hit them with a curve to start off with.  Y'all know that "Heartless", that's straight n***a s**t.  The whole album you can rap over at the end of the day, but I'm trying to put on those Phil Collins' melodies.  I feel even if I'm harmonizing, it's still from a n***a perspective.  I ain't making no, 'girl, your nails are the perfect nails, you the perfect-' naw, this ain't none of that.  This is still that rap perspective music with melody. 

I came on this call to thank everybody for their support on "Love Lockdown" it sold over 100,000 on itunes thus far.  B***hes love it and n***as love to watch b***hes dance to it...This album is really from my heart.  It's an art project and I really appreciate everybody.  For the people who are mad that I'm not rapping right now, thank you very much for allowing me to sit on this very therapeutic couch while I let this one off and get out what I need to get out.  There's rumors that there's another album coming in June, I'm not going to put that pressure on myself.  I'll probably come with another tour in June though.  That's where I'm at in my life right now, and I really wanted to release this music and I forced L.A. to give me this release date.  I was like, 'don't f**kin' wait months and months to try to set it up.  Just give people the music.'  I'm constantly making music.  We're almost finished with Jay's album.  We were almost finished before I even started making my album.  Jay's album is coming in February, the new Wayne special packaging before Christmas.  We got a new record on there together, so we still got a bunch of s**t coming.  But I just said all of that to say thank you, and that's about it.

The label moved the [release date] up to get more Thanksgiving sales, and they called and told me to say I moved it up because of all the excitement.  But I don't do that s**t.  The label moved it up to try to get more sales and s**t.  I'm excited about the album.  Also, I gotta say "Robocop" is completely different on the album.  "Anyway" is different and I did not leak those.  I did not leak the "Heartless" video.  The only s**t I leaked is "Heartless" and "Love Lockdown", those are the only joints I actually put out.  I don't know who it is, but basically the label moved it up.  They're trying to get more sales and s**t.  If I get the sales, cool.  If I don't, hey.  I'll share the burden cause I've been a cocky motherf**ker and talked my s**t and all that, and people would love to see me not sale, but that's the way life is.  Hopefully I can sell.  We've been doing pretty good with the singles we've been dropping.

I got Jeezy on ["Amazing"].  Jeezy came down to Hawaii with us because anytime I'd write a chorus or write any type of hook, I'll be like, 'what would Jeezy do?'  You know how people have stuff that say What Would Jesus Do?  I say, What Would Jeezy Do?  What would he say on this record.  At the end of the day I make my s**t white tee shirt ready at all given times.  So he came down and helped out, but he actually helped out with other records.  So there are straight singing records that have Jeezy lines on it, and you'll feel that energy throughout the entire joint. 

Comments (10)add
Wow.
written by Mintsavvy.com , November 11, 2008
Kanye's "Open Minded like A Pothead"
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: -1
...
written by richard brea , November 11, 2008
really GOOD article. thanks for posting. very interesting. good job man. thanks a lot for the article. im even more excited for the album now. lol.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Dope
written by Shine , November 11, 2008
Quick transcription, you guys are on point. Kanye sounds really honest in this conference call. Its good to know hes totally focused on delivering honest music.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Good Job
written by Benny Rocs , November 11, 2008
All congrats goes to my partner in crime RTC...Good Job fam...He killed it as soon as he was off the phone...The power of the internet...Ye is an inspiration to all artist...
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
hmm
written by Daredevil , November 11, 2008
Hmm he shoulda gave sum love to Kid Cudi, I bet he had more impact on this album than Jeezy, just listen to it
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
...
written by cease , November 11, 2008
yeah, i was skeptical when i first heard love lockdown after the vmas, and then hearing that it was autotune and singing, but from what ive heard im looking forward to it. kanye's one of the few guys i check for in hip hop, guys like him, and jay-z who continuously reinvent themselves and push the envelope further. i love it. keep it up kanye, sometimes i think your crazy and sometimes i think its genius, i guess they go hand in hand....
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
this guy is...
written by real deal holyfield , November 11, 2008
...really full of sh*t. he has turned emo and turned his back on his real fans. i wouldnt be surprised if he comes out of the closet soon. so far what i've heard is girly/gay garbage.

this dude is a fraud.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
WTF?
written by Foekist , November 11, 2008
'rap perspective music with melody'. Eh? lol... ok then Mr. West.... I can't wait to here this, 'ART'!!!!
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Do ya thing 'ye
written by Eighty's Baby , November 11, 2008
I aint mad at Ye, he's really trying to be true to his art. I may not always understand it, but I certainly respect it.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
A Statement After Graduation
written by K Rocks , November 28, 2008
Graduation basically was the end of "the old Kanye." A lot of folks are blogging that they want the "old Kanye" back. He is still the same artists but as people, we graduate, we grow, we gain perspective ... I admire what he has done. My one complaint about this interview/ conference call is that he really seems to be "racializing" the music which is bogus ...it's for the people period, whether hood, emo, pop, you name it.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Write comment
smaller bigger

busy

 
Soundscape Recordings