Summary
Background and Personal Transformation Journey
In this in-depth interview with BigBoyTV,
Kanye West discusses his album
"Jesus is King" and chronicles his spiritual evolution. The conversation begins with reflections on their previous interview from approximately ten years earlier, where they had discussed "tuition into the school of experience." Kanye acknowledges this "lifelong tuition" as part of God's plan for him. He recounts how his life experiences, including public controversies and mental health struggles, were instrumental in shaping his current perspective and spiritual awakening.Kanye details his
2016 hospitalization for a nervous breakdown, framing it as a divine intervention that gave him experiences necessary to "cast a wider net" when God was ready to use him. Rather than viewing his mental health challenges as a liability, he sees them as making him more relatable to others who struggle with various health issues. He compares his mental health journey to athletes who sustain physical injuries, stating "we don't make Kobe's legacy be about one torn ligament," arguing his legacy shouldn't be defined by mental health struggles but seen as an occupational hazard of operating at his level of creativity and business.
Cultural Identity, Political Views, and Racial Expectations
A significant portion of the interview addresses Kanye's controversial political stances and his criticism of expectations for Black Americans to conform to certain ideological viewpoints. He references his infamous statement that
"George Bush doesn't care about black people" during Hurricane Katrina, contrasting the support he received then with the backlash he faced for
wearing a "red hat" (MAGA hat). Kanye passionately argues that being told to vote for specific candidates based on race is itself racist, declaring, "The most racist thing a person could tell me is that I'm supposed to choose something based on my race."Kanye challenges the concept of doing things "for the culture," questioning what culture means when Black Americans don't own or control their own cultural expressions. He states, "We are orphans, bro. We are cultureless. We don't have our own culture. We sign to culture vultures." He cites examples including high fashion, pushing foreign cars, and being on social media as aspects of culture not owned by Black Americans.He openly criticizes Democratic policies he believes have harmed Black families, specifically mentioning "Democrats had us voting Democrats with food stamps for years," "guns in the 80s," "taking the fathers out the home," "Plan B," and suggests these policies were designed to "lower our votes" and discourage Black births. When BigBoy suggests Kanye might be siding with "the slave master" by supporting Trump, Kanye responds he'd "rather deal with somebody who calls me the n-word to my face than a person who signs me for a lifetime deal," comparing political alignment to restrictive music industry contracts.
Media, Social Media, and Cancel Culture Criticism
Kanye expresses strong criticism of social media and its psychological effects. He compares the dopamine-triggering mechanisms of Instagram to those of games like Angry Birds and dating apps like Tinder, noting these platforms are specifically designed to be addictive, particularly to women. He argues social media is "doing more to hurt families than to help families" and criticizes people who base their actions on what will perform well on Instagram rather than authentic expression.Regarding cancel culture, Kanye states he was "canceled before they had cancel culture" but maintains his career and business have thrived despite public controversies. He cites
Yeezy as "the number one Google search brand on the planet above Louis Vuitton, above Nike, above Adidas" despite his reduced social media presence, noting its most recent valuation at "three billion dollars." He uses this success as evidence that God is "showing off" in his life after he committed to Christianity.
Religious Transformation and Sunday Service
Kanye provides detailed insight into his religious transformation, describing how he was previously "caught up in my own ego, my own strategy, my own ideas" and trying to "hold everything in my own brain" before letting go and putting everything "back in God's hands." He characterizes 2019 as "the hardest year of my life" following his public embrace of Christianity.He recalls writing down "start a church in Calabasas" during his hospital stay, which eventually manifested as
Sunday Service. Kanye explains the evolution of Sunday Service, including how it initially focused just on music until a friend pointed out they needed "some solid food" (referring to scripture and teaching). Kanye mentions an argument with his father about the importance of including "the word" in their services, acknowledging his father was right.When discussing his musical evolution, Kanye contrasts his 2004 song
"Jesus Walks" with more explicit songs like "I Love It," which he now describes as fitting "right in with whatever else we got to deal with opioids" and systems that perpetuate "mass incarceration." He suggests he made such music because he was "asleep," "drowned," and "lost."
Career Reflections and Future Direction
Regarding his musical legacy, Kanye confirms he will likely never perform his old explicit songs again, though he might repurpose the beats with new, Christ-centered lyrics. When performing "Jesus Walks," he now changes lyrics from "we ain't trying to turn atheists into believers" to "we are turning atheists into believers." He views his current work as being "in service to Christ" rather than self-serving.Despite criticism that his new direction might harm his career, Kanye emphasizes that his focus is now on God rather than commercial success, stating "I told you I'm only afraid of God. I'm only afraid of my daddy God." He discusses his business accomplishments, mentioning Yeezy's $3 billion valuation and suggesting potential buyers value it at $6 billion.Kanye expresses a desire to use his platform and success to help communities, mentioning work on hurricane-proof homes in the Bahamas with Rick Fox that could also benefit Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He encourages students at MIT and other prestigious universities to think bigger and focus on solving world problems rather than "working on things that are too small."
Reflections on Sin, Repentance, and Service
In the latter part of the interview, Kanye discusses the concepts of sin and repentance, explaining that once a person is "delivered," everything they do becomes "a service to Christ," and anything that isn't a service to Christ requires repentance. He admits he needs to "repent more" and constantly evaluates whether his actions are "self-serving or in service to Christ."Kanye argues that silencing African American voices "at this level is a form of slavery," suggesting that speaking out on political issues is part of his service to God rather than contradicting it. He connects modern record contracts, publishing deals, and management deals to Biblical concepts of slavery, arguing that true liberation requires ownership.The interview concludes with Kanye emphasizing that despite his imperfections, he now works for God. He acknowledges there will be "ups and downs" in his journey but maintains that his focus remains on seeking God's validation rather than public approval, stating "I'm not looking for your validation. I'm only looking for God's validation."*There may be errors on this page.