[Interview: Kanye West & Charlamange Tha God]

Ye, how are you my brother?
I'm good.

Yes sir, I seen a lot of pictures of you lately out and about, you know.
Mhm.

So the, so the first question is how are you?
I'm feeling good.

The last time, uh, I think people heard about you in the news was Kanye West was having a mental breakdown. So, mentally, where are you?
I'm, I think I'm in a stronger place then I ever, then I ever was. After the breakdown, or I like to say the breakthrough.

What do you what do you think caused the mental breakdown?
Fear, stress, control, being controlled. Manipulation, like being a pawn and a chess piece of life. Stressing things that, that create like validation that I didn't need to worry about as much. And, uh, you know that just, this the concept of competition and being in competition with so many, you know, elements at one time. On a race against time, your age, oh Ye, you're getting old. Race against popularity on the radio, Khaled got this song, Drake got this song on radio, it's playing to death. Saint Pablo ain't playing. I could do that, man, take the whole, I could take the whole interview talking about, yeah yeah.

Yeah, you never, you, you've been the guy that has always created a flow, not gone with the flow. So it seems like you were a little upset that you weren't a part of the flow?
It was weird. I was looking at, you know, we're doing Saint Pablo and the cultural impact is incredible, but I'm looking for other forms of validation, when there's other frequencies and other currencies. So just because it's not playing on the radio, of course we had you know Father Stretches in the club and and on the radio a bit, like it went to number one, but... You know, to put that same amount, if not more work, into a piece of work and then you used to it coming out like Graduation where everything is everywhere... you know, it's frustrating. And really, ever since the Taylor Swift moment it just had never, it'd never been the same — the connection with radio. It's like whatever powers that be, it was much harder after that. Then also you know L.A. [Reid] leaving Universal like, you know he had that radio locked.

Mhm.
So, if you're an artist and you signed to a major label, you want to be on the radio. So basically if you, if you popular, if you poppin', you know, if you one of the most famous people on the planet and people love your music and all the best artists in the world are coming to your concert and all friends is like, you know Snapchatting themselves at the shows and you selling merch out like that. It seems like, "okay, radio should just be intact". It might've been just a piece of information that I was missing, that wasn't being expressed to me, that I didn't understand because at the end of day someone's controlling it, and I didn't understand it.
But the radio element was just one of the factors. There's like, uh, you know, the situation with my wife in Paris, and all of the elements of like you feeling like, you know, helpless. You feeling like what can you do? A thousand, you know, I had, I went to Paris on that trip to protect her, but not protect her, you know, physically but to go and just help her with her looks, because she's in Paris. So I'm like let me put my eye on it personally, while she's out in Paris and make sure she busts these n***as ass, blah blah blah. Just get fly. And one of the things that she said that she heard is that they were coming to rob her and they had to wait until I had left and when I finally, and that the people, had been strategizing and scheming on that for a long time. So when she probably got to Paris by herself, they're like, "Okay, this is our chance". Next thing you know, I get off on the flight the next day and they were like, "Oh okay, we gotta like fall back". And then you know, when I left a couple days later, I'm on stage and I hear that, uh, my boy Sky comes up to me and says, "You know, your wife was robbed". And I, at that point, I didn't know the whole element, or the whole story of what was happening. Previous to that you know, just one week before that, or two weeks before that, I had done a fashion show. And I was 45 minutes late. And they LeBronned me bro! Like, remember like when LeBron went to Miami?

Mhm.
They just killed him and burned his jersey, and all that. It's like, I had just done MSG! Young Thug on stage, you know and then go and plug in an iPhone with 16,000 people. Everybody in the audience, whoever you want to name and shit, you know streaming live and all this, like a breakthrough. Soon as I was 45 minutes late, I felt it was the fashion community getting the right to say "nigger" without saying it. To be like, "Yo, we know you come through stepping on necks and all that, and what you doing when you approaches things and stuff. But if you get out of line boy? We gon' roast you".
Mm.
And it affected me because I'm an artist, and it affected me emo—, like emotionally. It's like all these things were like almost set up to put me on meds. To break me down. The, the robbery, like I don't you know, I don't know where that you know where that came from. You know, was that a bigger plan? A bigger set up? You know. Also, just be on stage four times a night, I mean four times a week, you know, you get exhausted up there.

So you were mentally exhausted, emotionally exhausted physically exhausted, everything?
Yeah. Fine, yeah.

Did you go to therapy at all? 'Cause I feel like this is a lot to unpack. And I'm sure you're the go-to guy for a lot of people, so it's like who does the go-to guy go to? So I'm sure you had to go to some therapy or something.
Nah, I use the world as my therapy, as my therapist. Anyone I talk to is my therapist. I will pull them into the conversation of what I'm feeling at that point and get their perspective. Sometimes they'd be like "Damn I'm talkin to Ye, I'm not expecting to talk about this user you know I'll

talk through things anybody that I

Mariah and I put that as advice to

people it's like use people around you

as your therapist because they probably

know more about you like therapist is

like does a crash course in yeh and then

comes it's like I want to give you you

know some advice and I'm not saying that

the therapists are bad I'm just saying
that I like to just talk into

acquaintance friends family and you know


minutes at a time talking through things

it's like it's kind of narcissistic you

know talk about my problems using the

energy even like just then being a

sounding board and talking through it so

you know I guess mental health so to

speak you seem to be in a good space

mentally so how did how did you get

there you just talk to it with people or

was it music see returning to Twitter

now just getting these thoughts out
therapeutically yeah but I'm not even

the thoughts that I'm getting out on

Twitter right now and that you know I

think everything is therapeutic but I'm

not doing it as a you know a form of a

personal therapy it's just an innate

feeling I just I want to express I

decided to use this platform to express

some breakthroughs that I've had since

going to the hospital what if some of

those breakthroughs you know you said

something about the fashion world I mean


minutes late they tried to cut your head

off it's kind of the same thing with

Taylor Swift when you got onstage and

you know interrupted acceptance it's

like do you feel like whenever you're in

spaces where you're tolerated as opposed

to celebrate it they let they remind you

of that oh yeah you get reminded all the

time but uh the reminders don't mean

nothing to me anymore

I've broken it you know this is this is

a Hermes level existence at this point

you know like you look at a Birkin bag

the way it's made the more scratches on

it the more the more value it has you

know so all those things those pieces of

the story have created Who I am today

and I wouldn't turn down anything like I

always would be thinking about you as I

was recovering and always thought i'ma

go and talk to Charlemagne first and I

just wanted to say like there was

elements about going to the hospital and

having a breakdown or a breakthrough

that was fire it was incredible the

feeling wasn't quick you know well on

the song st. Pablo I said I'm praying an

out-of-body experience that happened so

people could see my light and know it's

not just rapid you had the context of

rap here go here go one related I want

to talk about rap pickle one related to

our saying about the fashion show so if

my name pops up in a publication and you

know today I don't want to use white

black the black man show all too much

about I want to modernize but I want to

speak about the concept of racism is

something that is something we're in is

something of the past is something will

break in the future so I say this you

know if it's a white publication if they

use the word rapper they not saying that

in a complimentary way they trying to

say that to not classify it in a Howard

Hughes Picasso's you know I'm just an

artist way yeah artists or just person

or something just who I am what I say

say my name and whatever just say my

first name or say half of my first thing

just say yeah whatever and whatever

someone takes from that

then cool and then say what happened I

just leave it there

don't put no extra sauce on it so when

they put the wrapper and then they'll

say something I'll say that's like

absolutely inspired but if they put it

in the something inspired in the wrong

context will come off as I don't want to

say crazy because I also want to change

the stigma of crazy and I want to change

the stigma of mental health period and I

have not done no extra study on it

we at the beginning of it at the

beginning a conversation but best

believe I'm gonna take stigma off the

word crazy but let's just say for now

people would take something that's

enlightened put it in different contexts

and then call it crazy to try to

diminish the impact and the value of

what I'm actually saying every Friday at


like Rafiki and The Lion King remember I

think he knew exactly what simply came

from you knew exactly whose symbol was

or what symbol was about but everybody

would say all right freaky is crazy he

stay away from him and when they roughly

he took that staff and hits them

overhead and said no you're crazy

because you don't even know who you are

look at this Lake and let me show you

where you come from I think you might

have forgotten that your kanye was yeah

cuz so many people was trying to read

trying to make you believe that you were

lesser than who you truly are

oh yeah if you hang around people who

act like you are who you are then you'll

forget who you are and I got a doper

wait I've read I've written it down and

I was walked over with yeah yeah tweet

you know we should just tweet tweet that

right now shit speaking of Twitter yeah

you know how does that feel coming back

to quit because I would say coming back

to Twitter because I would think that

the hardest thing for Kanye wasn't to be

quiet

yeah he was quiet for like a year I

didn't have a lot to say I had a lot to

learn and you know right now your

document where I'm at this is I felt the

need to speak at this point you know

when you when you look up at five years

from now

or ten years from now they'll be I'll be

even more I have more experience I'll be

in a I'll be in a better place than I

was today

but it's good for you to see yeah you

know there'll be mistakes there'll be

flaws and the way I communicate today

because we're human beings were flawed

I'm not media trained I'm not studied in

that I'm not trying to say the right

thing I'm just saying exactly what I

feel out of out of love the last time

Kanye West felt like he had something to

learn that's an interesting he says you

know Kanye the guy who seems to know

everything to know what's going on for

music fashion like was the last time

Kanye felt like he has something to

learn every day every day I'm trying to

learn something and every day I get you

know I get afraid I I'm I'm fearful of

things and I just use bravery to

overcome but I'm fearful of I mean the

quote it was so cool people always say

the wise man knows he knows nothing yeah

yeah I'm learning and now I'm expressing

some things that I felt and if they mean

something to you at this time then great

if not then you know don't don't use

them so you know a lot of you know I

think me and Jays issue my issue it just

came down to information I'm super

hungry for information I'm any

information more than I need validation

more than I need finance I need like if

I learn how to fish then I can feed my

family forever

so I'm just constantly looking for the

information information how do I set up

a factory so you feel like Jay was

tossing you money as opposed to give you

an information you know the hit finish

line on four four fours you know I gave




blinking


gave me that he gave me the money

that's what frustrated me because

actually the money was he got from Live

Nation he rag nation has managed me at

the time that's something normal that

someone gives someone a touring deal it

was a touring deal but the fact that it

was worded that it came from him I'm a

very loyal emotional like artist person

you know that made me feel like I owed

more than just the money itself for the

fact that it came from him you know it

just put me under a bit more of a kind

of controlled situation as I can I don't

I'm only acting out of love I don't need

to be controlled I just need to be

inspired and informed and I can be the

best yay in that way but if I have the I

gave you this on it and I don't have the

full information of how it happened now

that said I think there was some love in

that because on Jays part because he did

have to co-sign for it when the Live

Nation's and these different companies

wouldn't cosign for me and I was in debt

J did have to go up and say I'm a cosign

for yeh so the thing is this it's one of

those ones like have you ever done

something where you did something for

someone that's positive but it was

something about the way you did it they

kind of like blew the whole thing up so

Jay did something that was positive but

the fact that I didn't receive the

information in the right way I you know

because I always feel like man I'm out

here in Hollywood I'm not here like my

mom's past I don't know who I can trust

I don't trust nobody

and Jay was Big Brother Big Brother you

know I feel like y'all might have

reacted emotionally though meaning that

like you reacted emotionally when you

was on stage and you ranted and then he

replied in a record you know that's not

really his his character to do something

like that

to put out like this is what I did for

I mean yeah but he he he did it in a

brotherly way you know he could have

went all he could released an entire

record or something yeah it's just a bar

you know they go yeah could have went

crazy got every single piece of

information and possible all my life and

stuff no the finances are you know so

even like when I tweeted I was in debt

that gave me power that I took my power

back because it's like someone trying to

say like yo if you say this you're not

gonna be cool no more and it's like man

my financial situation don't make me

yeah I'm in debt now what and I'm still

yay yeah what you saying about myself

before somebody else can use it against

me yeah that's not called living your

truth to live your truth so you know you

live your truth nobody can use your

truth against you yeah you know what you

and Jay got now we're good you know we

tweeting I mean we texting each other's

positive energy have y'all seen each

other oh I haven't seen him but I I can

feel you know what keeps what keeps

brothers like y'all from just you know

come to the house man let's have a meal

let's sit down and talk face-to-face out

of hock and every time I you know see

him doing the interview whether they

would let him in whoever he's saying

that's that's my brother like I love him

like so what stops you off and just

face-to-face communication go do it

sometimes also like when you have like

such similar personalities and people

are you know creating their own

existence in their own world and their

own simulation or whatever you know they

need to do it on their own

you know when we were doing watch the

throne I was there you know in service

to Jay in service to myself too you know

but I was there where any idea the

Givenchy artwork on watch throng like

the first time you ever saw the Givenchy

dog was on ham was on a ham cover

you know the ODIs be the producers were

working with every piece of information

was a open source directly for you know

my idol for J and that's where we were

at that time and if that's the case then

you know yeah he's gonna be around more

you know if I you know went off and you

know started focusing on clothes and

building my company and my you know my

factory and my office and just focus on

my family all this and you know that's

wrap they said you went too far talking

about his family

do you feel like you go too far whoop

ends on how you look at it if we're

family if we're brothers and we are

family then is my family if we're

business associates and this then it was

too far you know respectfully you know

you know I got a say you know I was hurt

about I was heard about them not coming

to the wedding

I understand they was going through some

things but if his family you know you're

not gonna miss a wedding you know and

I'm not I'm not using this interview to

put any negative things but I got a

statement brother yeah I got a state my

truth like and then that one thing

happens and another thing happens

another thing happened other things

happen you just start come up with all

type of crazy ideas in your head and

stuff like why and it obviously it's me

I'm like wow our personality and stuff

I'm like the cousin you can't bring

nowhere all this type of stuff obviously

but if interested about the wedding

did they not come because it you know in

the press it was Beyonce has a problem

with

you know they don't like all the

kardashian reality-show

type thing about maybe now in hindsight

maybe it was cuz they had their own

issues that they was trying to work out

what do you think of what I'm not sure

I'm past it

but at the time I was heard about it did

you ask them I don't think I have asked

them that question directly maybe

talking through someone I work with them

and that kind of thing but yeah I think

you gotta address what bothers you yeah

I think that's what might be causing or

I'm what causes the breakthroughs you

know when you're not asking the things

that you want to ask like those are

questions you can get answers for like

some things you can't get answers for

but that way you can get an answer for I

don't think the answer fixes it true

true I want to go back to something you

said speaking about fixing something

like how did you as a man forgive

yourself for you know you said you feel

like you let your wife down cuz you hide

the security how did you get over that

cuz that's not your fault

that's chance I mean she wasn't here I

would never forgive myself you know it's

just bugged out when you're super a high

profile and this celebrity the concept

of celebrity you're like as famous as

the president but you don't have

national national guard with you you

gotta hire your own you got to make your

own like you know community guard this

is a constant thing basically the idea

of security and the rave relates to Fame

and this not all that it's like yeah

especially with you know social media

and all these different things and like

oh that's like my wife doesn't even wear

big diamonds anymore we don't keep no

jury no money in the house

no you know named high art none of that

we don't keep any of that any place you

know where our kids day

you know I wanted to think I talked to

my therapist about though because it's

it's a very vulnerable feeling being a

father and a husband because our job is

to protect and provide but shall we not


school right now like anything can

happen you know you're not with your

wife all the times on anything can

happen so it's kind of like a very

vulnerable feeling like you almost gotta

let go and let God

so to speak mm-hmm you know you think um

you think it's easy to be fearless when

it's just you that you have to worry

about but you know now being a husband

and a parent does it make you more

afraid to take more chances yeah but you

got to stay brave you have to follow

your gut feeling you know I have

everyone has a position in the universe

and you know I've been made and had the

experiences I've had for a reason

to be expressive to to to go through

going to the hospital to go through the

dynamics of you know family brother

working relationships you know I got to

follow my gut when I had that fear I

still have to be you know brave you know

I think is a interesting in this world

it's like looking for sound bites like

we talked about the J thing it's like

you know what I do love J and I don't

have all the answers for every issue

I've ever had I don't have a soundbite

for everything that's why yeah you said

sometimes a language is overrated form

of communication like words don't always

do it do it justice I saw something you

tweeted and it was to the effect of us

some things can't be explained something

just need to be experienced mm-hm

what'swhat's that respond I met a little

bit when you want to express yourself a

lot of times words can get in the way

just this innate feeling that we have

you know what someone's talking to you

trying to talk you into something with

something like that and you just like

look this just don't feel right you know

oftentimes people playing ball doing

karate whatever it is they and people

that they don't miss your karate since


you see a little karate films like but

it always be you know get out of your

head go from your gut go from your Chi

do what you feel and that's what I'm big

on stop strategizing so much stop

setting so many plays stop doing things

only based in fear like the universe

will assist you when you are acting in

love all right we did this thing I said

when you're acting in love you're like a

drop of water and you have the ocean as

your army when you act in fear it's just

you and your money now you could take

your money and put in a Bitcoin put a

credit form put in a cash or all your

cashed and then and then stand up to the

ocean and who's gonna win I'm

understanding I think your mind stayed a

little bit more like when you was on

stage and you'd be going into the ranch

hmm it was out of fear you were afraid

at that time I think those rents I think

to do the rents though were brave I

think we're in a place now where bravery

is more important than perfection

feeling is more important than thought

people get so they put so much thought

into it what's gonna happen so I

actually think that the rants came from

a place of bravery and I had enough of

the politics you know and that's the

world that we're in right now like

people are speaking that truth

you know people are expressing their

selves and you know I've been waiting

for this I've been waiting for this

moment because it's always been such a

you know just a political ear and you

know society and mentality that

everyone's been in and stuff like don't

do that you need to do this you need to

you'll need to hang out with them you

need to hang out with them you know all

this and like trying to please people

and all that stuff and I don't feel like

right now like people are trying to

please people the same way they trying

to please themselves that could be a bad

thing right because I feel like we're

all public servants at the end of the

day we're here to serve the needs of the

public we're all greater than ourselves

well we definitely touch on the word

back and the idea of good and bad things

just are it depends on what side you are

and if something is good or bad it

depends on what your agenda is but of

course we can speak in terms of that you

know we we haven't got our language

hasn't evolved to what either of us are

feeling at this point so both of us



that's when this is dropping so do you

always think the plaintiff played in the

future yeah I guess we don't I guess we

could be in the future people got to

catch up yeah you talked about the

politics you know you said on stage I

was saying that with the word bad top

students bad as a consequence people are

people

people are so raised on the idea of home

team away-team positive negative good

bad like I think negative gets too much

of a negative rap you know you it's life

is a balance I don't believe in any good

or bad experiences I feel like

everything's just a part of the process

of life yeah you know you think about

bad experiences that have happened to

you do you still look at them as just

bad or did you learn something from them

there's no bad and there's no enemies

even people want to kill you I'm not

your enemy

that's something I was gonna tweet and I

was like I feel this but I don't know if

people would take it in a certain way

I've got a lot of ideas that a Ford and

you know I'm just gonna keep building

like a mountain the mountain of like a

snowball snowball our ideas and just

keep getting more and more more more

expressive as I go oh but you know I

don't even know if it's a book it's like

stream it's all about streams everything

is straight that's why that's an amazing

work that's an amazing modern and

futuristic word streams streams of

consciousness streaming music everything

is just a stream Lakes the water you

know it's like exactly you know where we

will be we will be ultra light being

ultra light stream we will be all just a

stream

I feel like Kanye with the brand well

Kanye was the man in rebelling against

Kanye was the brain you know my email is

not act on us you are retired from

whatever that meant to be Kanye West I

think the spirit my spirit my attitude

is a representation of fighting for your

own truth will live like if I die

tomorrow they would live past me the

yeah it's like a hawk thing it's a

that's your name there's like Kanye West

yeah and it means the only one you know

one of the incredible things I thought

about when I went to the hospital is on

Kendricks album there's the skit what





my opinion mm-hmm

you know one of the things that was

incredible when I you know got out of

the hospital was I had lost my

confidence

Kanye was with no confidence I was like

Michael Jordan with no jumping yeah like

and you could see it that's what I was

saying sunken place all this stuff you

know it's like and Wow I never had the

empathy for people who lacked confidence

I had so much of it I didn't know what

it was like to be without it you mean

zero confidence you just was less

confident in usual

it just wasn't Black Panther Superman

level confidence it was you know it was

placed into the simulation and shit I

was like completely could be like molded

and controlled and everything if that

was the case if I was you know when I

wouldn't speak up you know I you know

I'm speak up and so I like where I was

and I got in the hospital

it's even when I did the next fashion

show you know it it got all these good

reviews yeah cuz I was less confident

because it's like they're there boy

that's exactly what we wanted I didn't

trade it I just didn't have I didn't

have me I didn't have my confidence so

that's superpower could never like if I

was like homeless any situation you

could take everything you could black

mirror me you could put shit on the

media and say yay fuck to go no doubt at

all this type of shit and you will not

take my confidence away what did the

acne decision what took Kanye's

confidence that's like that's literally

like somebody bringin kryptonite to

Superman that's what I don't know

exactly what it was it had something to

do I mean maybe a doctor could give an

explanation but I had to do or something

with coming

through the breakthrough I like to call

it the breakthrough and at the breakdown

uh coming through the breakthrough that

you know but also I think isn't it was

incredible because it was a forced

amount it was forced humility tonight

positive and negative I like a humility

it just is what it is but previously I

would have looked at humility is more of

a negative thing and even if you read

certain definitions it's it's kind of

got a negative vibe but as we said

before no positive or negative but also

that humility gave me time to to grow

and everyone just backed off a lot to a

lot of people depend on me they asked

for a lot of things they're like

Superman do this for me and you know one

of the things that the the irony because

people always heard about the sunken

place and yeah that I never saw the mean

but I could I could I get the picture of

it the funny thing about that is that my

wife like she's like I'm responsible

you like yeas mom has passed away I'm

responsible to take care of this

superhero and my mom might have had

these things where she made sure I never

took my Superman cape off you know I got

this wrap that say parents are the

strippers strip kids that he confidence

teach white dominance question your

common sense

I've been Washington tradition the

armrest hopped off the Amistad and made

I'm a god now when I said it I liked it

for this interview when I said it on a

song I don't like the frequency of it

because it felt dated because it touched

on race too much so it's not that not

that race them we definitely are dealing

with racism but I want to push future

concepts you know now I'm doing I'm

giving you two streams of constants in

one I want to talk about my wife I also

want to talk about Harriet


fucking he said I'm good

that was the moment that I wanted to use


bill

why it's like when you just see like on

the slave movies it's like why you got

to keep reminding us about slavery why

don't you show us but Michael Jordan or


with a slave who rebelled oh I heard

that turn in a different frequency

though they kind of were like you when

you say you didn't feel like being

controlled yeah you know what it's funny

like my boy Tremaine tweet it you know

picture of me and Virgil and he said

Malcolm X Martin Luther King and all

these people got mad like how can you

compare them to that man I know this is

gonna cause an uproar but certain

certain icons it's just too far in the

past and not relatable and that's what

makes them safe like they'll let you go

on the Grammys and talk about slavery

and all that and racism because it's not

talking about buying stock it's not

talking about buying property

yeah economic empowerment yeah it's not

talking about economic town you can

complain as hard as you want on that

platform and but it's not scary well

that's what ultimately got Martin King

jr. killed like it wasn't when he was

fighting for civil rights since when he

started talking about economic

empowerment he was planting things like

the the poor people's March which will

be the largest march on Washington with

people of all colors that would just

point us in franchise that's when he

took Martin uh Harry how the comparison

with birds Universal was saying that he

his he's more Martin I'm more Malcolm

but there is a civil rights element to

the ability to create your own industry

because even when we did wrap everything

we got basketball and rap are both

someone else's industry

so you're always a player it took

Michael Jordan a long time to become an

owner with that say because you

mentioned Virgil like he's not a

creative director for Louboutin

I feel like he went from being a owner

with off-white to not being a player how

do you how do you feel about that some

people have to do things just to prove

that they can be done and whether they

become the billionaire that other dial

on the other side of it you know Obama

went into that office as a public

servant in a service position and it

didn't matter the amount of money it

didn't matter the amount of ownership

the world the world needed to see that

this was a possibility

so for Virgil it's like the world just

needs to see things you know I was

afraid to speak the way I speak now I

was afraid to show you you know my my

office in Calabasas I was afraid to show


purchased that I'm building my first

community on my first five properties on

because you know I felt like it would be

shut down but it's not about me even if

I got killed tomorrow and they shut

everything down the fact that I put the

idea out is the Black Panther shit that

is a kid watching this in high school

and a kid in college because at a

certain point you know pop at a certain

point he just had some message and hand

the baton he's like I might not be here

I mean I changed the world

I mean fuck yes the seed and somebody

else that may change yeah and that's the

thing the problem is obviously

self-preservation is the first law of

nature but people won't

hand over coats completely to the next

generation out of just protecting

themselves like some of the stuff we

touching on is very scary and I'm having

to be brave to talk to you about it

there's so many elements in our life

that create an icon that you're supposed

to look you're supposed to feel like you

not as good as the icon mmm I have an

issue with that I'm just going to say

backlash whatever I have an issue with

ideas that are presented that make you

feel less for your entire life look at

human beings is more than men or more

than women yeah and then we need to do

something that's human yeah like oh

we've let let us down oh yeah bro when I

was in the hospital especially the black

people that worked at the hospital and I

was on that hospital bed and I felt like

they were like my family members and I

looked at him and there in their eyes

and I don't know it was like the tribe

or something like as much as I want to

say we're one race one humanity one

living organism you know there is an

element of the black celebrity in

America and when I was laid out on a

hospital bed looking through the window

and a black UCLA employee I felt like I

had left them down I felt like they was

looking at me like just shaking it that

just sad it's like oh that's Jane hey in

the hospital bitch that's our gay bro

like that's that's I da juice like he

can't like they can't they can't break

him is your tribe though I think I think

you know one of the one of the big

moments was when you met with Donald

Trump and I think that led a lot of

people down you know the funny thing is

I always think about that Dave Chappelle

skit of the was Benjamin Big C yeah

like they created you know some of the

blonde reasons right yeah the client

races and stuff like Clayton Bigsby

right it's like I felt like when I came

out and express what I said and when I

felt that was almost like a Clayton

Bigsby moment when everybody's head

exploded like my yay George Bush don't

care about black people connect in any

way this dude has to like dis Trump at

all point at all costs

everything about and it was some

dynamics to this so many people around

me said don't express your feelings why

your brand you're this you're that

you're that you said you would have

voted for that's the feeling you talk

about right yeah that feeling yeah

because people first thing they say is

racism they say well what makes George

Bush more any more racist than trouble

there's a question what my friend asked

me my response is well racism isn't the

deal-breaker for me if that was the case

I wouldn't live in America

that's original oh no as a rich yeah I

do racism I do it just basically in this

gated community above all accepted I do

it so

oh I got love for Obama I got love for

everybody every human being that ever

existed but I felt like Obama was

perfect he was almost like Nike or is

where if you saw or Nike when I was at

Nike that Nike that like when I was that

if you so in the good with everything

and you got your whole thing planned on

a strategize if you have like a rogue

character like me that comes in and says

we need to do this for Chicago we need

to do this to the dead you got to take

it with a grain of salt you're gonna be

cordial you're gonna be all you know all

that but you're like you're not really

gonna change anything you know night

when I was at Nike they weren't willing

to change anything they feel Knight who

have the most respect for I have respect


Parker you know I just got to speak out

as a parent you know and apologize to

this man forever speaking ill on his

name and his company because he gave me

that shot when we did the original easy

at Nike and he was there with me I was

on a plane with him I was sketching and

he said look at this schedule because

this guy a chance and he put me next to

Tinker Hatfield and it's me and Don C

making the first easy but Tinker

Hatfield in mark Parker

that was the squad that made the

original Nike easy so I just want always

wanted to express that as a father and

you know and when my karma comes you

know I'll accept it in real time

you know like Kill Bill you know when

that karma comes to get you people I got

a frustration sometimes yeah but I got

some karma waiting on me

so but I just wanted to express that

because we're putting into the universe

only good energy and every moment was a

great moment because if Mark Parker

hadn't given me that moment well then he

helped turbocharged me and the

combination Louis Vuitton doing Vuitton

sneaker and Nike sneakers come out the

same time so they helped turbocharged me

and I had a conversation with my friend

and Chris's house down the street and

you talk about some rich legacy I'll

tell you some just a regular man shit

that every man deals with my girlfriend

has a child we have a baby you make

decisions in your life based on

providing for your family

I'd love thank you I loved a Nike I have

to put the IDI on it for the

stockholders so but when I was you know

young I used to sketch the swoosh

everything you know so it was

heartbreaking for me to have to leave

Nike but they refused to allow me to get

royalty on my shoe and I knew I had the

hottest shoe in the world I knew Yeezy

was the hottest brand in the world if I

couldn't get royalties they just said


shoes and we'll give some of the

proceeds to your favorite charity but it

was nothing to build no now we building

factories they wouldn't let me build

anything they trying to create a

generational well yeah and just put out

more amazing ideas to the world both

things generational wealth more ideas my

friend

was that Chris's house and expressed to

me that he had received a royalty

because he was a store and I'm easy and

they wouldn't give me a royalty that was

like the final straw I was talking to

Puma and talking adidas the dude that

didn't

Puma definitely needs to lose his job

and so like I'm not gonna say his name

but he imagined so because you know with

that infrastructure and these ideas and

this connection I have it wasn't no way

it wasn't gonna be a unicorn you know

Easy's a unicorn billion-dollar company

we were at fifteen million two years ago

gonna hit a billion this year it's never

ever been heard of so that make you

anxious they give you okay it's what

it's supposed to be you know if I really

had some percentage that related to my

actual influence I'd be like a multi

trillionaire so that's fine no so I made

the decision and I left and I went with

someone that would allow me to build

something you know I can call the CEO of

Adidas directly I have a cell phone

Mark Parker wouldn't get on the phone

with me really I don't even think you

should be apologizing to him if you

can't even give you a courtesy call yeah

you know they'd say things like I don't

know why people like the easy and you

know Ferriss so and the funny thing is

look at Naik now literally all the

people that ever work with me are like

the hottest people at Nike now like they

gave them the deals because we left and

rip their heads off how did that make

you feel when they leave you to go back

to a place that stifle job basically who

you saying they even talk about like the

opportunity they got families bro you

know these corporations they provide an

opportunity these are my friends they

have families

if I'm not gonna provide on the same

opportunity I'm not gonna stand in their

way either but you are providing them

the same opportunity it's just more of

you fella building something as opposed

to something that already exists now a

lot of times people like the room the

space you know when you get such a big

corporation you could build up your own

brand next to it if you're really you

know close to me it's just gonna be my

brand so people you don't want to build

their own brand actually need to be as

far away from me as possible to just to

get out of the shadow kind of way

because you know you'd be a Kanye West

the heat that you bring heats them up

just enough like I wouldn't know a

Virgil

he hadn't been Kanye was his creative

director creative collaborator whatever

you wanted to call it yeah it's

interesting how all unfolds and you feel

different ways there's a lotta there's

mixed emotions there like all this is my

crew my crew was working for Nike

killing it you know I want my crew next

to me because like when I get on the

phone with Virgil that's my you know

that's my team he's mine he's like the

strategist I'm the emote ER I'm like

Tesla I'm thinking of all the ideas like

Nikola Tesla that I got the car and I'm

thinking of all these ideas and Virg was

able to take all of those ideas and then

architect them because he is an

architect like you had school for

architecture but also this is great

training you know people got a like I

heard Nike does stuff like sends people

to business school but they're still

like a Nike mm-hmm like best believe Don

Matt Virgil Jerry still Donda at the end

of the day Louis Vuitton is still Don

done at the end of the day so I know we

go we're going to head back to the

presidential thing so yeah I want to go

back to merge the two let's go back to

the president thing I'm still trying to

figure out what


it relates the truck see Obama came to

me before he ran for office and he met

with me and my mother to let me know he

was gonna run for office because I am

his favorite artist of all time because

I am the greatest artists of all time

you know it makes its you got a good

taste

yeah you got his confidence back no I'm

just saying that it's a flat statement

up to this point you know after after me

there will be greater you know but this

is this is yay like this is like past

anything that's happened up to this

point this is the best even the Michael

Jackson Prince Stevie Wonder whoever

else want to throw out there cuz I throw

out there I throw Howard Hughes in there

though Henry Ford or Walt Disney I know

Steve Jobs gotcha in there also so you

can't say it's a lock or something like

that is a matter of opinion

yeah and then a barbershop debate there

right it's not even a debate it's just

the truth this yeah it's man when you

when you when you the greatest is funny

man you know I mean like Ali lived a

great life you got to know who you are

absolutely you got to know who you are

so Obama looks like yeas like my

favorite artists I want you to support

the runner for office Michael this is

dope you know they'll get black

president

Stew's Mac who's from you know Chicago

then when I went on stage and it would

be good if this video didn't get out but

you saw the video we called you jack oh

yeah you know he never called me to

apologize just that the same person that

sat down with me and my mom I think

should have communicated to me directly

and then like yo yay

yo you know what he said I'm in the

wrong this is a joke you know what why

he said that though let me at that time

some words from Obama probably could

have helped ease the situation not a

little bit I mean as opposed to calling

you a jack I haven't pour more fuel on

the fight you know no nobody's perfect

I love Obama I'm sure yeah I'm sure

we'll hang out go to Richard Branson's

island or whatever you know me it'll be

cool I just think that we were in a

period where you know yeah it's so much

stuff to do what he couldn't deal with a

you know wild car like me I think that's

too unpredictable someone that wasn't

being controlled by strategy and

thoughts with someone who's acting or

feelings we knew that already up to that

point though I mean if anything when you

said George Bush talked about black

people on stage in front of millions

live people should have realized that

that woman we can't control that guy

yeah you think you think people would

have realized that wouldn't ya guess

they didn't

so in our counter I felt away a little

bit about Obama that I'm your favorite

artist you play touch the sky at your

inauguration and now all of a sudden

Kendrick and J and all these all the

people you invited to the White House

like now these yo favor rappers now and

I I got a problem with these rappers but

you know I'm your favorite but I'm not

safe hmm

but that's why you love me so just tell

me you love me that's all and tell the

world you love me don't tell the world

I'm a jackass I'm fighting hard enough

something about me going onstage was

similar to what you was doing

cuz I'm fighting to break the simulation

break the setup that didn't make no

sense

it's not that I'm particularly fighting

for Beyonce's video it was every time a

word show has ever done that just

fucking with artists we are HSP highly

sensitive

people artists that's what you love

about us so you're gonna line up a whole

bunch of artists and put us at some bum



ago and lined up trying to wait for a

gold statue and you gonna make us feel

like shit you know it's five of us that

you and four of us got to go to the

restaurant what our friends about hey

we're nothing fuck yeah fuck that I

remember you said that you was upset cos

Beyonce said she would refuse to perform

at the VMAs unless she won the award I

was one of their I think other

Sacramento you went on there right now

you know what I don't know if that's

true I don't I don't I honestly don't

know if that's the true thing I was like

an alternative fact now fake news you

put up there know if someone told me

that oh okay but I haven't heard that

from her and it's not confirmed there's

not an obvious truth so that showed you

like people put thoughts in your head to

separate you know it's people who play

both sides people also my switching

sides there's people who will literally

talk to you that I get a piece of

information drop a negative piece of

talk to other side get some of his meat

or drop- piece of information on both

sides and then I show up like what's up

you know so I don't know so I could talk

to I could talk to them directly it's

neither here nor there to me but at that

point when I was on my way to the

hospital that was that affected me

because I'm pure mm-hmm it's like you

don't appreciate pure it's like if you

don't appreciate pure this is like more

nobama thing like you know I appreciate

purity you know you don't understand

them amount of bravery that it takes to


America and famous like the amount of

great like Richard Pryor has this piece

where he talks about that he says like

there's no such thing as someone making

it and remaining pure like I'm talking


years old

got a family I'm famous I got a

billion-dollar business and I'm speaking

to you in a stream yeah that that

bothered me but I'm not saying I have a

problem with that I just want to put

this out to the universe just to just to

kind of give some people something to

think about

no it's interesting it's like a it's a

very Gemini thing you know you see the

traits you see the in you and in the

pockets like what's wrong with

expressing how you fail and I mean you

get to this point where you're Kanye

West's tuple start a brand and it's like

they want you to be everything but human

beings got emotions no one should be

everything but you but you yeah but were

you gonna say no this interview if you

feel the way about you know something

you heard that Beyonce didn't you feel

away about Obama calling you a jackass

you should be able to express that oh

yeah and then I also like had a problem

you know that Obama's from Chicago in

Chicago is the murder capital of the

world you know I had a number of things

that made me say just like how there's

races Trump supporters and there's

things where I'm like well maybe this

could make a difference you felt like

President Obama could have like waved

the magic wand and just got Chicago

right it's not a magic wand you know

what it's not his fault man you see my

gray hair on that man you don't know

what that man was doing I mean you could

only imagine but just it took everything

from everything in that man's spirit and

sold and that's a mention racism every

sentence this man was a Jackie Robinson

of politics you know he's the first

person to do it so you know we want to

be supportive and be aligned also but

this isn't like a an absolute soundbite

this is an opposite this is an absolute

opinion on either one it's complex it's

cocked this is complex because these are

voices I might be President one day

you know so I might be in that situation

where

it's harder for me to explain to the

masses why something isn't happening

that they feel that the concept of a

president should be able to fix so to

Obama I will say that I understand bro

like I understand I understand like JD

that coming to the wedding they just had

an altercation I understand but I have

my feelings also all right so it's

complex when I can't even spoke to Obama

was that the last time when he met you

in your mom we did a fundraiser a for

midterm for them in San Francisco and we

did a performance for them and right

before I went on stage someone let me

know that he had left didn't even get to

see him that day I saw beforehand for

okay

yeah he left right before you performed

yeah that made you feel the way I felt

way brother just told reach out to the

brother I'm sure just let him know like

I feel away history this interview all

right talk yeah I felt do it I'll be

filling away feeling I got feelings bro

he feeling away bro I'll be feeling love

you hey I'd be feeling a way because

these are people that you've assisted

and helped him maybe possibly get to the

point that they act and then when they

get there they don't give you that same

love and return a support and return

when you need it

nobody owes me anything but I'm still

gonna feel what I feel all right

and I understand that's the thing where

sometimes a conversation can help show

respect for a situation you know look I

couldn't do this because of these

reasons you know how it is see my gray

hair it's crazy I hear I'm the leader of

the free world yeah sorry for calling a

jackass

I appreciate your honesty

I appreciate your Gemini your to Pacus I

appreciate that somebody's gonna do it

because I'm friends I can't do it but I

appreciate that somebody it's still

willing to do it that's why I got the

interview with you

and I'm saying you go off truth you know

as you risk your life for your truth you

know in the in the feeling what was the

feeling that made you say you know what

I want to go meet with Donald Trump and

what yeah are we talking about when that

happened when that the yang with no

confidence we got the yeah who was kind

of figured things out what yeh was that

yeah but I'm not going back down at that

I'm gonna I'm not gonna let myself off

easy

mm-hmm by saying are met with Trump just

cuz I was going through something I am

gonna give the universe that mm-hmm no

I'm a face it and they gonna face me

this was the yeh that wanted to do

something to change something and I

would meet with him today and I would

talk about Chicago first talk about some

more things we could eventually get into

a lot of you know elements but we start

there

you think he cares about black people

what do you think nominated what hit you

with a question to your question I hate

when people do that are you

that's fire cuz you use the George Bush

quote against me about black people come

on honey all when you met with him he

hadn't even really been you know acting

president now he's got a yearand dog

belt

nothing good has come of Donald Trump

being in the White House other than

people starting to build their own like

he talked about when you left

Nike because Nike wouldn't allow you to

build your own but I think Donald Trump

is forcing us

to build a home it's a difference bro

I'm doing my landscaping the back of my

crib rich n***a shit right the before we

could put all the trees and add the

beauty you got to break some things if

you keep on getting just the beauty just

the perfect thing just the Obama walk

through the hard way it just see you

don't even why his feet don't even touch

the floor he just floating

you're very a handshake and all that you

know man you get all of these images

this is what it is this is what I wanted

to talk about the idea of black

perfection like a black person can't be

imperfect in the public eye that's a

form of control I'm here to show you

imperfection the beauty is in the

imperfection that this is possible but

I'm sitting there at the award show and

I'm like man this is the Staple Singers

they play ball here y'all gonna sit

through this and put this lit this my

manipulation tell you that you know

someone I you know I'm gonna put no

energy we're keeping a father it is you

like that that's what they used to say

about Morocco Morocco had to be perfect

because if he wasn't perfect and you

probably would never get another one

you know that's like the virtual

situation right you know I feel like I

feel like Barack's brother a little bit

you remember when Barack's brother was

talking a little bit before if I shut up

you know it's like because it's complex

with Louis Vuitton you know as me and

Virgil went and infiltrated fashion

which is what we did he started to learn

about it

he started I got this thing I'm a tweet

later into the road on my retreat that

was you know you look at this mountain

top and at the top of the mountain it's

all these tools for life

so you proceed you say I need these

tools in order to win it life so you

proceeded to climb up the mountain but

you you need tools in order to get up

the mountain to climb look you

collecting tools and stuff by the time

you get to the top of the mountain

you got more tools than ones at the top

and that's what I figured out about

fashion you know I talked to Virgil for

an hour you know I realized that the

concept of luxury and all this is what

did I love about Gucci what did I love

about louisvil Tom I love Tom Ford

I love the artist and Gucci created a

platform for the artist

I love Marc Jacobs and Louie Vuitton

created a platform for the artists it's

a battle the child won't know about

Francois Pino Bernard Arnault Francois

Pinot is Balenciaga and Gucci okay okay

Bernardo is the richest person in

fashion this is the head of the LVMH

group like I've been to his house before

I've shaken hands to do a deal before

with this man and he's one of my idols

just like jay-z he's cold

you know is he made culture before

culture there was culture because he set

the platform before there was an

Internet to hire John Galliano from st.

Martin's one of Louie soo it Wilson

students hire Marc Jacobs he had the

vision this man is a visionary you know

he is one of my idols

I love Bernard I feel as he loves me

also so this is how it works they have

two main main main schools that have

raised the fashion icons Parsons in New

York and st. Martin's in London Bernard

I know

and Pinot that's there recruiting you

know can't they go there and now the

breakthrough Virgil is now we have

someone who's come from Donda it's

comfortable school to Kanye West and I

hear people talk about all he and go to

school oh we went to school all right

head to school we was doing JPEGs and

Japan and we we were we were making

Photoshop so much and not making clothes

that we we started just joking about the

JPEGs like did you shrink my JPEG did

you did you did you dye my JPEG and shit

we because we couldn't figure out how to

actually make the clothes so we just do

it in Photoshop and Virgil became the

fastest Photoshop artist that I've ever

met in my life we'd be sitting in a you

know you know right before we went to

Fendi you know just photoshopping things

in definitely win if we endure a Fendi

but we ain't do shit bro we could do

nothing man I was just happy to have a

key card you know it upset you can you

said you have mixed emotions when Virgil

got the job did it upset you because

that's something that you wanted like

you was verbal about wanting in on one

of these fashion houses and being able

to create for Louie Vuitton or Gucci

what's the thing we said about you know

the the tools at the top of the mountain

you know in the process you gain all the

tools it's the journey and that journey

you gain everything you need now we got

factories we it's you know there is some

talk about validation need or not need

for validation there's some validation

and the fact that someone that I came up

with is now the head of Louis Vuitton

you know and I said you know honestly

you know that's that was a slight I

shouldn't have worried it like that

Virgil is the head of menswear Nicholas

Gasca is the head of women's wear

Bernardo is - hey so I just want a word

it straight straight up because every

time we say head it's like a little bit

of a slight - Nicholas and you know

Nicholas is the god like maybe the best

top top number one designer in the world

the original call

before you took the job because that was

something that you wanted to he call you

like you let me at least consult would

yeah oh asking if this time I should do

how do you hear about it on the internet

like the rest of us now he made the call

two minutes before he hit dinner but you

didn't know about the meetings or the

stuff that was happening beforehand no

no well we I was in the I was in Berlin

with rocky and he told me he's like you

know we're looking at I'm looking at

Louboutin I'm looking at Versace like he

you know you know like yeah I'm wow you

know me so it's all like the fact he had


my reputation is kind of like Devil

Wears Prada or something like that so

people are mindful in the way that they

gave me information too so he didn't he

didn't he was like I'm going to lose

like Versace

got this I got to kind of laid it out

then I showed him the season six

campaign I showed of Paris Hilton and

this laughs like we got to drop this and

we just doing music or rocky but he knew

he's going to baton at that time cuz he

did system magazine system magazine is

an LVMH magazine and whenever they're

about to prep up you know a new town

that they put them on system magazine

just to kind of put it in the ethos yeah

you know this is who we gonna you know

we gonna put here um as far as getting

the job or taking the job or is it cool

yeah bro like it's a cool job to have

they got that platform they got

thousands of stores they got you know

resources you know I have met with her

meds you know maybe a year and a half

prior to that I met with Bernardo know

we had a deal you know on the table that

we shook on I did some performances that

they museum and then three months later

the deal got dropped at the board and

that that that set me back in apparel a

bit when that happened because in order

for me to even negotiate the deal

just after I did season one with adidas

I had to go to Adidas and say okay I

know we had the best fashion show all

this but Louis Vuitton is

back you know easy in the kanye west

company and these guys are masters of

clothes so I need you to dim the father

parallel I got paperwork for it and

adidas say like all right okay cool we

cool would you do two shoes

so if you notice ever since then there's

never been a d dis easy clothing so when

I did so this happened right after the

fashion show in February I met with

Bernardo no in February we shook our

hands on the deal and then you know his

son called me and they said you know

it's dropped at the board we don't think

it's going to be profitable before we

run out of money they only wanted to you



you're making a new brand I know that

was a study talking but people need to

get higher ceilings the shit we got to

talk but this soon this is Diddy talk

you know me or no this is what Kylie be

talk about this is that you know so when

they pullin on the deal is I went into

season two we didn't have any production

partner and the collection never went to

market the first collection when adidas

had line ups and there was nothing to

fall back off on the second collection

mmm-hmm due to that negotiation so the

hurtful part of it was that's why okay

that makes it that's why you notice you

know clover yeah so the hurtful part was

they agreed to support my clothing and

guess who was one of my designers murder

Virgil then they didn't do the deal and

we're gonna have anything to do would

you say so Virgil didn't have anything

to do technically yeah I mean he was

doing all fight mm-hmm but you know at

that time we had our designers for

Virgil da Jerry fear God dem nah dem

lose a head of Lanciano

dem Noah's in the apartment it's me

Virgil

jerry in this apartment one by one

making season one I wore this big

sweatshirt that my sweatshirt I remember

you know some people say better men

right and then you know shortly after

it's not cuz I what sweatshirt either

but Troy after Timna went to Balenciaga

and now Virgil's you know at Louie

Vuitton so transitions in life you know

as a as a business owner

these things are hurtful you know when

you have like you're working with a

talent like dem nah you're working with

a talent like Virgil and you know

somebody comes through and says BAM I'm

gonna take Virgil I'm gonna take culture

explain to me this out a number of

fashion yeah so why would Virgil leave a

brand that seems to be successful

off-white it seems to be growing yeah

you know I mean why would you leave that

brand to go work for a Louis Vuitton a

brand that's already established like

why wouldn't you pool your resources and

try to make off light that next high-end



it's like taking the job as a president

mhm

you know oh you know Trump you see

Trump's name on all type of buildings

but he still took the job as president

you have like you know this

conversations about a creative director

role for me at adidas it's like okay I

got my brand is this billion-dollar

brand this unicorn company is growing

but to be able to go it'd be able to

direct adidas at all those stores is a

you know it's an another conversation

I'd be you know I'd be open to the

conversation of taking a job like that

how did that help Chicago though cuz I

you said you become president so now you


on this one that have all white growth

Amy hello yeah okay price off wait went

up soon as he went to Louie Vuitton Oh

yeah not the price with the value of it

the validation of it because Louboutin

Louboutin is the you know our man is

really the top luxury house where they

call luxury houses like anybody knows

about luxury anybody Bernard will say

Pervez it's the top luxury house

family-owned all that why do we always

need validation from white people rich

people because our Cape got taken away

when he's three years old we've broken

we in a simulation we want our BMW we

want our house that we want to pay all

our money for the house we want to buy

this dress for our wife we want to do

this one get our kids in school we want

we want this you know just championship

trophy we want this jewelry war all

these different things like people we

not monks we in the simulation we in it

you know said I can't talk nobody out of

wearing Gucci and you know this is me I

had to come out the other side of the

hospital and you know half like a

Russell sweatshirt on something like

that

that's me like people be calling me like

homeless all the time but like this is

my confidence where I don't wear

branding like that but worse than that I

but like I saw me a to so I can but

everyone like they have to have that

confidence like what I see when I see

branding I see insecurity you know I see

and I see people buying you know buying

security you know buying get back

through a brand you know protection of

badge don't don't mess with me at high

school I guess supreme or you know the

just to put the agenda for a second of

easy and of what we're doing out is our

mission and what we fought for is to be

able to take the best talents in the

world and you know land that price point

which we haven't done yet but that's

what's interesting about this interview

I like you get to see the steps you know

is that when you see early Jeff Bezos

you know there's gonna be Jeff Bezos you

know it's just like he's standing from a

warehouse but we're not interested in

the concept of high fat

you know the concept of luxury I'm

changing the idea of luxury I think

luxurious space

I think luxury is time as a luxury

friends are a luxury getting your vision

out is a luxury the ability to afford

something is the luxury not to not be

able to afford it to go in and be like

oh I can afford this that's the luxury

that's the yeah everybody fell in love

with though now yeah who was so human

and yeah who cared about things bigger

than brands no I hate you talk about

family night he talk about friends I

hate talking about time yeah those are

something we all have those are

valuables that we all possess regardless

of you know what our finances all mm-hmm

yeah and that's the thing that we had to

crack the COBE the reason why we went

into fashion wasn't to stay there or be

there just do you know cool high price

stuff it was actually to take the

incredible HSP highly sensitive people

that usually end up in a fashion house

and bring them to some place where they

could consistently connect with the

public

easy eventually will be you know closer

to like a relief company if there's like

a disaster we're gonna dress you know

we're gonna bring clothes and water you

know the same design perspective that


to give it and eventually that's who

we'll be you look up five ten years from

now and easy will be the biggest service

provider of apparel and one by one every

year we're going to take one two three

ten people that would have normally

ended up in a fashion house what Ann

went to Nike you wouldn't want other

places and we're going to Calabasas we

build in factories you know

I still you know I'm sitting there

listening you talking you know I feel

like Kanye from four years ago would

have taken the job at the fashion house

I don't feel like the Kanye I'm talking

to right now will take that job at the

fashion house I am in too good of a

position to take a job where I have to

be away for my wife and my son and my

daughters that just don't make no sense

for what family is your most important

currency I got a cousin that littered

the floor I flew flew out here I'm

trying to get as much family as close to

me as possible that's one of the reasons

why Kim won't end up in a hospital she

had a family close

you feel like you're in a position to

change things now which are like really

change things I always was you know it's

my place in the universe I've just been

distracted I've been distracted and

manipulated and I allow things that you

know my mama made me to never be

manipulated and gang stirred and pimped

and all that type of shit but somehow

stepping into the music industry it

happened you know like the music

industry is set up for you to have just

enough money to afford a car pay for

your kids a house and be on tour for the

rest of your life till you die in a

setup for you to literally go buy an

hour island like Phil Knight it ain't

set up for the artist the win it's like

boxing you know more more people end up

retarded than rich do you feel like when

you was in debt did that contribute to

your lack of confidence no I'm glad he

said it cuz that lets me that makes me

think like they have some money is what

made him feel confident nah that's why I

tweeted that because I knew I had to

power that's why I tweeted mark Mark

Zuckerberg and I tweeted the debt the

reason I treated to Mark Zuckerberg cuz

he wanted to meet with me and my hung

out with him a few times and I I got

respect for him

and but when I was talking about my

ideas there was really like not a lot of

follow-up to that and I always see these

uh these guys they'll go and support a

guy that's got like one idea that they

can capitalize off of and then you get a

guy that's proven and like done the

impossible and every single feel he's

ever put his mind to and I'm like yo

help me get a valuation right for my

company and it would be people who know

how to do that and I'm hanging with them

right and they don't show me how to do

that and it's like why are you keeping

me misinformed

I felt like learning the valuation of

just even the company or what I built

was like a slave getting a social

security number hmm it's like I got my

rights I know I'm worth this much and

everyone in Hollywood knows exactly who

yeh is every agent anybody they know

yeah is Jay in the hospital on stage

rent in debt or what a billion-dollar

company like the spirit is here and the

only thing that can hold me back is a

lack of information but information is

hard to define and you think it's secret

codes like even when jay-z gave a little


know that tweet it or were texting each

other like he's giving codes away he's

giving information but it's like yo this

is open source the basics yeah I like I

like it's cuz Elon Musk could be like yo

here's all my plans but he's the only

one I can pull it off I just you know we

work hard on that color palette right

now just tweeted it today like yo cuz

it's fire you know I'm saying I'm sure

there's gonna be some people that copy

it one by one that's great the idea is

out there hanging out with people and

you saying I want to do all these things

and it's just not taking you seriously

and it keeps you in a position to be you

know managed in a way so my my last and

final manager of Scooter Braun all right

I've had every manager she Roberson Jay

Brown is easy you just bought it what is

that about

I just can't be managed but was dope

about scooter dough at the end of the

day where you really got to give him his

props is one thing is he has a his

parents were adopted a black child his

brothers black so this is a Jewish guy

who understands business understands all

this but also understands how to

communicate you know on a personal level

what a black person like on a brother

level so me and scooter we just get on

the phone

and we talk to me for hours and that

information meant everything he was my

let me third person he was Calle OS

gateway drug to business because before

that it was always like you were artists

you a rapper we love you for the music

yeh don't don't think about nothing

think about business bah bah bah blah

and I would just you know the thing we

just talked about before we talked about

Obama and Trump in the other room we

talked about trust me like I would just

trust I trust the manager let them do

everything them handle everything let

them handle you know let them hire your

business manager or this and that you

get a manager or manager home manager

and then it becomes one big rocket where

it's like the tour guy is talking to the

label guy is talking to the manager is

talking to the guy that sold you the

house they talk to you provide and then

you're just trapped you you don't you're

not in control of your life anymore and

at that point you could be easily

manipulated you know a whole album what

Paul McCartney can end up becoming a

single for Rihanna because you know

you're trapped in this box of the idea

of your perception music industry this

that that so the funny thing I was I

know I want to say in this situation is

like Scooter Braun is Kanye West Kanye

West's gateway drug to business and

maybe the deaf of the music industry as

we know it really yeah why because

artists are businesses we're not just

artists artists shouldn't have managers

artists should have CEOs that's how I

feel I didn't put no thought in that you

know it's like you know says a lot of

people who's gonna have a problem with

that statement I'm gonna say how I feel

so that means okay how many kids are

going to business school right now

warden Harvard you think they like let's

take some I Travis Scott alright they

probably listen to his music boozy

somebody like that right how many Aziz

and Travis Scots are there and how many

business people are there right I'm

gonna think it's probably less Travis

gots an Uzi

then there are business people so

wouldn't you think a Travis Scott would

deserve the same amount of employees as

Dropbox in his first year so it's some


friend drew mm-hmm

just did with Dropbox but with artistry

and artists was the point where you IPO

everyone I want to talk to me about

getting out I'm out this to get out yeah


recognize artists as a business now now

we want a piece of all of their business



old slave shit so all this is yours yeah


and what you're gonna do with it I'm

gonna build five properties so it's my

first community I'm getting to

development I'm super anybody's ever

been to any of my cribs knows I'm super

into development homes it's just the

next frontier for me to the to develop

you can do the hiking Nikes is trash

behind but listen it's crazy though cuz


land you want to build a community on it

why does the Kanye West don't need

nobody should I go back when we was

talking about with Trump you need to

meet with Trump you you yeah you know

head of state of your own shit yeah I

feel that you know what

I love real change I love you no

challenge in the norm I love I love

people who don't love them I love the

fact that they speaking up and

everybody's just giving their opinions

and everybody's expressing themselves I

love I love that I've been waiting I

just like I've been waiting for this

moment in time it's just like a yay

moment in time and stuff for people you

know my dad is an activist and you know

my mom's activist recent marches and

stuff I feel like that energy all coming

to a head you know now I refuse to

believe that your mother would love

Donald Trump hmm I got differents

opinion for my mom

true true but what about when you see

like cuz you know that's watching this

right now and they're like yo you know

Donald Trump was getting our family

deported and you know like especially

you right now you've got this whole

economic empowerment thing going on but

you got a guy like him who's clearly

trying to marginalize and oppress people

people that look like you you don't want

to see people like you come up can you

still love a person like that

I know I don't have all the answers that

a celebrity's supposed to have but I

could tell you that

when he was running it's like I felt

something it's like the fact that he

want it's like it proves something it

proved that anything is possible in

America that Donald Trump could be

president of America I'm not talking

about you know what he's done since he's

been in office but the fact that he was

able to do it like remember I was gonna

run for president

I had people that was close to me

friends of mine like making jokes making

memes talking shit now it's like oh that

was proven did that could have happened

yeah so I get what you're saying

doctor not conventional you know me even

from what we're doing in fashion to me

being a kid with the pink polos to me

being outspoken to me being ostracized

because there's a Taylor Swift thing or

the George Bush thing or you know who

I'm dating who are marrying what I'm

talking about like all of this is like

an outsider thing you know so when I see

an outsider infiltrate I connect with

that so maybe I think you like the idea

yeah not necessarily

I do Donald Trump with the idea of an

outside of infiltrating yeah I liked it

it showed you that anything is possible

shows you that it doesn't even like

Virgil working at Louis Vuitton Trump

being an office it's a time for the

unconventional I'm very I'm not a

traditional think I'm a nonconformist

mm-hmm you know so that relates to the

nonconformist part of me now you know

but I'm also I'm a producer I like the

segue things I like to take ODIs chop it

up do it like this what so what's the a

version the a version to be the Trump

campaign and maybe the Bernie Sanders

principles that would be my mix and

stuff but I think both had you know you

know I need it you know I hit the glass

ceiling you ever seen a bird fly into a

window oh yeah they don't know it's

glass that was me when I hit the

hospital that was a bird flying into the

window and you know I could have you

know not made it out of it but I

survived and shit but it's um

are you scared of that happening again

you having a breakdown I'll break

through no no I'm happy it happened I'm

happy to see have gone to the other side

and back you know there's some fools

when it happened I do want us I want to

speak on I I want to point out the

moment when you're in the hospital bed

and you're next to your friend and you

tell them don't let this person leave my

side and they put you inside of an

elevator and take all your friends away

from you that was the scariest moment of

my life he was gonna drug you or kill

you I was gonna get killed and you know

my wife wasn't in town so I told my

mother wait Don I'm awake I like don't

leave my side until my wife gets here

and they have this moment where they're

forced to leave your side that's

something that has to change you know

it's like if a pregnant woman is you

know delivering a baby guarantee whoever

the people are sisters the dad they get

to stay next to them till the baby is

delivered not leaving my way from that

situation yeah HSP you you were paranoid

everything you don't believe nothing

you're just seeing through all of the

simulation

everybody's phony everybody's an actor

all the shit and then they make your

friends the only people you believe in

leave your side I can't express to you

like how traumatizing that moment is and

then you waked up drugged the fuck out

hmm so they put you on medication

yeah are you still on any now almost

definitely why were what they got you on

I'm gonna say does the medication help

you know I mean you you don't want to

tell us what to do but does it help

it's an imperfect solution just call me

down but there's a lot of ways to calm

down I don't want to call me yeah we're

gonna call me a fool Davey yeah yeah

would you feel like that takes a little

bit of your superpower weight off all

this power in being controlled and calm

you know x-men really understanding how

that really uses a power or Superman

that's me this is like what's the

Kryptonite it's gone I got the

confidence everything is possible

building acres raps stating of tours

designs companies ideas to ignite the

next generations like everything is

possible you know and I'm just a vessel

and that's my job in the universe as a

servant to the world I have to be me I'm

not as good of a servant if I'm that yay

you are you know almost definitely you

know you are yay and I mean like uh I

guess what I kept asking like well first

of all talk about something that I know

it's therapeutic for you music yeah I'm

looking at all of this this wild

outdoors this wilderness is that why you

went to Wyoming yeah you know for what

I'm doing and and I played you some of

the music and you see where I'm going

yeah I want to create music that's

therapeutic you know like I feel real

friends in the in the territory of what

we're creating do you feel like the

lifestyle of your you know your wife the

mother-in-law like that whole family do

you think that plays a role and in how

you were feeling like did it get to be

too much cuz you already a superstar but

then you take that superstar element in

adding that is just like when do you

have privacy

it seemed like paparazzi's always around

yeah paparazzi catch it

it can't stress you out but

it's all in the inner piece that you

could find you said you said you don't

trust people do you trust do you trust

your in-laws because they see you know

we look at the world and it seems like

everything's a storyline you trust that

they won't turn your life and what

you're going do it to a storyline and

you know of course I'm gonna give you a

slick answer on that because like right

now we writing part of the story just by

even doing this - speaking I like the

way that my wife communicates it

documents things you know as an artist

you know I think it's good to document

ourselves document on now see if we

could recognize ourselves again in a

different light and a different life

what would um what would what would

college dropout Kanye he was looking at

pictures of of Kanye now what would he

say

I think he'd be happy satisfied and he

would believe it you know if he was said

I wouldn't believe it I always believed

it I always know what it is you know

this documentation right now this is


college dropout yay we're standing on my


gonna be one of the biggest real estate

developers at all time like some what

Howard Hughes was two aircrafts and what

Henry Ford was two cars and just the

relationships that I have architects my

understanding of like space and sacred

proportions just as vibe this new vibe

this new energy like I'm tired of the

McMansions all the Spanish move homes

and stuff like that like that's shit

whack row like everybody house why it's

trash I don't go to the selfless is like

an hour back in or something it's like

the one of the few architects that I

like their homes I was gonna ask you

what's next

cuz yeah he's always predicted what what

he was gonna be so that's what that's

that's the goal yeah we're going to

develop cities