Kanye West appeared on episode #1554 of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on October 24, 2020, discussing his Birthday Party presidential campaign, which appeared on 12 state ballots with write-in eligibility in 17 additional states. West declared "I believe that my calling is to be the leader of the free world" and "I'm definitely 100% winning in 2024," while criticizing America's electoral system, particularly noting how "the electoral college was based around slavery." The three-hour interview covered his September 2020 posting of Universal Music Group contracts on Twitter, which he characterized as "made to rape the artist," and his plans to "buy Universal" valued at "thirty-three billion dollars." West detailed his Sunday Service initiative begun in 2019, explaining his religious conversion occurred four months after starting the choir project, and described his Donda design company focusing on "food, clothing, shelter, communication, education, and transportation." He addressed his mental health diagnosis following his controversial 2018 TMZ appearance, rejected conventional psychiatric framing, and articulated his Christian pro-life position while proposing reformed orphanages "to the level of like the Amman Giri and Disney World had a kid."
The interview showcased West's distinctive improvisational speaking style, which he described as "a symphony of ideas" rather than "a rant," allowing him to connect diverse topics from his Gap partnership to his educational initiatives at Yeezy Christian Academy emphasizing physics and practical self-sufficiency. West provided detailed commentary on Star Wars, defending George Lucas's prequel trilogy and drawing parallels between Lucas and himself, while criticizing Disney for avoiding creative risks. On race relations, West explicitly stated "in America, black, white, anything, there's a systemic white supremacy" while challenging media representation and political expectations for Black voters. When questioned about military leadership, West emphasized combining expert advisors with faith-guided decision-making and advocated for international healing "not just selfishly for America." Joe Rogan characterized West's thinking style as having a "150 watt charger" compared to conventional thinkers' "20 watt charger," concluding that the conversation revealed dimensions of West "that I don't think anybody's ever seen before."
Kanye West appeared on episode #1554 of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on October 24, 2020, where he extensively discussed his presidential campaign as the founder of the "Birthday Party." West explained how his presidential ambitions began in 2015: "It was something that God put on my heart back in 2015, a few days before the MTV awards. It just hit me in the shower and when I first thought of it I just started laughing to myself, and all this joy came over my body through my soul." He recounted announcing his intention to run during his acceptance speech for the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. During the interview, West confirmed his candidacy appeared on 12 state ballots with write-in eligibility in 17 additional states for the 2020 election.
"I believe that my calling is to be the leader of the free world," West stated repeatedly throughout the conversation. He criticized America's electoral system, specifically mentioning that "the electoral college was based around slavery" and "the idea of slaves being three-fifths of man." West explained this historical context: "Three-fifths of man was created by the anti-slaves in the North as a compromise," connecting historical political structures to contemporary issues like gerrymandering that "are redrawing the lines to affect the vote to this day."
When discussing his political future, West declared, "I'm definitely 100% winning in 2024," positioning his 2020 campaign as groundwork for a subsequent presidential run. He compared his leadership potential to visionaries like Walt Disney and Steve Jobs, stating: "I'm the person that you actually call when things are not going so well," referencing his business turnarounds as evidence of his problem-solving abilities.
A substantial portion of the Joe Rogan interview centered on West's campaign against recording industry contracts. In September 2020, West had posted pages of his Universal Music Group contracts on Twitter, which he referenced throughout the conversation: "I posted my contract, I had 10 contracts that kept on putting me inside a labyrinth." He characterized these agreements in stark terms: "The contracts are made to rape the artist," comparing industry practices to systematic exploitation.
West specifically targeted Universal Music Group: "I'm going to buy Universal," which he valued at "thirty-three billion dollars." This declaration followed his explanation of being "$53 million in debt" despite his Grammy wins and industry influence. He connected his financial struggles to structural problems: "The music industry has people going to the exact debt of the house that they think they're going to buy after the tour is over. And it's, and it's, it's strategized."
The artist detailed his conflict with label executives, stating: "If I would put myself in harm's way to get my masters, they would put themselves in harm's way to stay the master." He linked these music industry struggles to broader societal issues: "There's a complete parallel to the way the music industry works and the way the world currently works." West advocated for increased artist representation in corporate leadership: "The next walls are the boardroom," criticizing the industry's expectation that artists should "play basketball and, you know, rap and make clothes" but not have decision-making authority.
West provided comprehensive details about his Sunday Service initiative that began in early 2019: "As we left from 2018, going into 2019, I said, I'm not going to let one Sunday go by without starting this church." He explained his initial creative challenge: "I completely stopped rapping because I didn't know how to rap for God. All my raps always had like nasty jokes on it." Sunday Service eventually made the album "Jesus Is Born" with Kanye West being the executive producer.
The musical entrepreneur described the choir's formation: "It like quickly became the best choir of all time because all the best singers moved to California. A lot of them grew up in the church." He characterized Sunday Service as "a tithe for me to fund" and noted his personal religious conversion occurred four months after starting the project: "I was four months in before I gave my life to God. I wasn't saved, it's just I had a calling saying, just go make this church."
West credited Pastor Adam with encouraging him to create gospel-influenced hip-hop. He described the pastor as "expository," explaining this preaching style "is like one-to-one by the word" unlike preachers who "get up, they have the Bible in their hand, then they close the Bible, and then they just talk for two hours." According to West, it was Pastor Adam's son who requested "an album about Jesus, a rap album about Jesus," which inspired his 2019 release "Jesus is King."
This spiritual transformation fundamentally changed West's worldview: "Before I found Christ and gave my life to God, I would try to lean on my own understanding." He conceptualized his Sunday Service music as preparation for "the future gospel university that I'm creating," envisioning "a 200,000 seat stadium circular with a hundred thousand gospel singers" comparing this concept to the intensity of "soccer chants."
During the October 2020 podcast, West detailed his design company Donda, named after his mother Dr. Donda West, explaining: "Donda is a design company that I formed around 10 years ago." He described its prestigious alumni: "Some of the people that worked at Donda are now have went on to become heads of fashion houses like Virgil's the head of Louis Vuitton and he was the head of Donda at a certain point. Another guy that worked at Donda is now the head of Givenchy."
West defined Donda as "my version of like a cyber extension of my brain" with comprehensive focus areas: "Now our focus is food, clothing, shelter, communication, education, and transportation." He described it as "an organization created to guarantee the future of the human race," comparing it to "Edna was the designer in the Incredibles."
Regarding architectural projects, West outlined his vision for self-sustaining communities: "I'm building this, you know, 120,000..." before stopping himself, explaining he wasn't supposed to reveal details of a soundstage development. He described working on "fully sustainable communities" including monasteries with "full, sustainable energy." West detailed specific agricultural initiatives: "We call NASA, we call different places about this hydroponic vertical growing garden," emphasizing the importance of self-sufficiency: "from A to Z, you have to be able to make your food right there, fully sustainable, right there on your land."
West expressed strong preferences about energy sources, stating: "I don't like solar panels. I feel that they're part of still of what Edison's idea was. I don't feel like they're really in line with what Nikolai Tesla really wanted to do with alternative current." He criticized Thomas Edison for suppressing Tesla's innovations that "would have brought more simplicity and happiness to our society."
West directly addressed his mental health experiences, claiming he was medicated after his controversial May 2018 TMZ appearance: "They told me I was bipolar and I remember going on TMZ and saying, you know, slavery is a choice and they medicated me for saying that, for having that opinion and saying it out loud." He clarified this statement was misinterpreted: "As I put those contracts up, I'm saying this is a choice."
He described being prescribed medication that "made me gain a lot of weight" before being offered an alternative that wouldn't cause weight gain. West characterized this experience as "trying to kill a superhero slowly, trying to kill genius, trying to make me not feel like I could run for president." He stated the medication "destroyed my confidence" and "made me this shell of who I really am. It like grayed over my eyes. It, it, it made me, it made the Mustang that buck anymore."
West rejected conventional psychiatric framing of his thought patterns: "I think very three dimensionally, I don't think in the black and white lines that I've been programmed to think in... When I talk, it's not a rant, it's a symphony of ideas." He elaborated with a culinary metaphor: "We enjoy food that has multiple seasoning in it. We enjoy music that has multiple instruments."
The artist made controversial claims about everyday products: "We're all on medication right now. Did you use toothpaste with fluoride today? It blocks your pineal gland and they put children on it." He suggested these substances create "a disconnect to God," reflecting his view that conventional mental health treatments interfered with his spiritual connection.
Throughout the Joe Rogan Experience interview, West addressed racial dynamics in America, explicitly stating: "In America, black, white, anything, there's a systemic white supremacy." He criticized media and cultural narratives about race, particularly regarding historical representation.
West specifically challenged Black History Month as "programming" that shows "us getting hosed down, reminding us that we were slaves." He compared this to a hypothetical "remember when I cheated on you month," suggesting it creates a feeling of being "depleted and defeated." West advocated for moving beyond racial categorization: "Racism doesn't end until we get to a point where we stop having to put the word black in front of it."
On media representation, West criticized Disney's "Black Panther" film: "When Disney makes Black Panther, now, when you look it up, you don't see my dad protecting his neighborhood or snatching a mic out of somebody's hand while they're lying... you see this character that's made for black people to idolize that was designed by a white person and put out by a white company." He contrasted historical figures: "They're going to show you Harriet Tubman. We're not going to show you Nat Turner."
West challenged political expectations for Black voters: "One of the most racist things that liberals who pride themselves on not being racist have said to me is like, you're going to split the black vote." He rejected the notion that "only Black people will vote for me," describing this perspective as "the nuance of institutionalized racism" and opposing the expectation that "Blacks have to vote Democrat."
During the October 2020 podcast, West articulated his position on abortion: "I'm Christian, so I'm pro-life," while acknowledging, "when I go into office, I'm not changing laws because I realize we live in an imperfect world." Instead, he proposed creating alternative support systems through reimagined orphanages and foster care facilities designed "to the level of like the Amman Giri and Disney World had a kid."
West cited statistics: "There are 1,000 black children aborted a day," adding, "more black children have died since February than people have died of COVID." This connected to his July 2020 campaign event in South Carolina, which he referenced indirectly: "I don't even like to say out loud what I said in South Carolina." West alluded to considering abortion when his wife Kim Kardashian was pregnant with their first child: "There was a possible chance...that Kim and I didn't make the family we have today."
On healthcare, West emphasized preventative approaches: "There's preventative measures that can help us from getting sick. Like our diet, our locations, our jobs." He criticized pharmaceutical companies: "For capitalism, that's not the best medication to actually cure people. Capitalists want to keep people... they want to treat them." West referenced "The Sixth Sense," comparing modern healthcare to the nanny "putting stuff in the porridge for the child" to keep them sick.
Regarding economic policy, West expressed confidence: "I'm completely confident that I will figure out how to get America out of debt." He questioned the nature of money itself: "How much does the earth cost?... We couldn't make enough money to buy the earth... So that means we made money," suggesting financial systems exist primarily for "keeping poor people poor and rich people rich and keeping people in their place."
When Rogan directly questioned how West would handle military conflicts as commander-in-chief, West paused to say a prayer before providing what Rogan later characterized as "one of the most interesting and impressive answers to any question."
West emphasized combining expert advisors with faith-guided decision-making: "I would have the greatest professionals on the planet, the most skilled people that have all the experience that would present the information and I would make the most sound, rational decisions and I would follow God's will in my approach to dealing with these other countries."
He suggested authentic leadership creates more productive international relationships: "There's something about our president's personality and the leader of North Korea's personality where there's a level of common respect and that's the reason why they were able to talk." West contrasted this with transactional diplomatic approaches from leaders "just taking a check or part of a bigger conglomerate."
West advocated for international healing: "We need healing internationally, not just selfishly for America," emphasizing his approach would be characterized by "love, dignity, the responsibility to our country, the coverage of our families, of our soldiers. And in full service to God and to the American people."
He traced his personal evolution from youthful behavior ("running around hopping on trains or hopping turnstiles and stuff and stealing from cars") to family responsibilities to religious commitment, suggesting this progression prepared him for leadership: "When it's in God's will that I become the leader, I will become the leader that I need to be."
West provided extensive background on his relationship with Gap, beginning with his teenage employment: "At age 16, I worked at The Gap, and I got fired for stealing." He specifically admitted stealing khakis because "I wanted those khakis that bad," creating a meaningful full-circle moment with the June 2020 announcement of his Yeezy collaboration with Gap.
"I always saw The Gap as being the apple of apparel," West explained, adding, "I always felt like I was the Steve Jobs of The Gap." He referenced the brand's aesthetic under Mickey Drexler's leadership, noting "how clean it was" and "all these commercials" that influenced his design sensibilities.
West explained the spiritual significance of the partnership through the Christian concept of "standing in the gap," describing how designing T-shirts for Sunday Service prepared him for this opportunity: "I literally was designing T-shirts for Sunday Service like David working out in the field, tending to the field." He compared this preparation to the biblical story of David, who "had to fight a lion and had to fight a bear" before defeating Goliath.
The Gap collaboration, and Adidas partnership represented market validation for West, who cited specific financial impacts: "We hit the street like you never ever saw it before," noting the stock "jumped 45 percent" following their partnership announcement. He claimed the impact was "two billion dollars in two hours," with Gap's market capitalization increasing from "three billion dollars" to "seven, eight billion dollars" despite no products having been released at the time of the October 2020 interview.
Throughout the three-hour Joe Rogan Experience interview, West provided detailed commentary on the Star Wars franchise. He emphatically defended George Lucas's prequel trilogy against Disney's sequel films: "They said that George Lucas's prequels are worse than the corporate made Disney Star Wars." West disagreed strongly, stating, "Revenge of the Sith. We saw how Darth Vader was made... Those early movies were pure. They were pure."
West mentioned watching "Revenge of the Sith" "like 10 times during COVID," specifically referencing the climactic battle: "Don't jump Anakin. I got the high ground." He connected this appreciation to broader criticism of corporate creativity, explaining that companies like Disney avoid taking risks on original concepts: "Every time it's a new idea, they call it like an unproven idea. So they'll get to Toy Story 800,000 and Frozen Trillion before there's a new concept."
He drew explicit parallels between Star Wars creator George Lucas and himself, observing: "What's the main character in Star Wars' name? Luke Skywalker. Who created Star Wars? George Lucas." This observation illustrated his point about artists embedding themselves in their work, countering criticism of self-referential creative approaches.
West's cultural analysis extended to other media influences, including the television series "Black Mirror," referencing the episode featuring mechanical bees that attacked online commenters: "Anyone who made a comment, the bees came to go get them," using this as a metaphor for social media accountability. He also referenced feeling "stuck in a loop, like on Westworld," comparing societal constraints to the scripted existence of characters in the HBO series.
West outlined his educational initiatives during the October 2020 interview, focusing on his Yeezy Christian Academy. He described his pedagogical approach: "Kids need to understand early how real life works," rejecting simplified educational approaches: "I don't like this, the kids version thing."
He emphasized physics as "one of the anchors of the school that I'm creating," explaining how scientific understanding was crucial for his design projects: "If I had known physics, I wouldn't have been screaming at my engineer" when discussing water-powered community designs. West mentioned consulting with NASA about implementing "hydroponic vertical growing garden" systems at his academy, emphasizing practical self-sufficiency: "from A to Z, you have to be able to make your food right there."
West criticized conventional education for failing to prepare students for real-world applications, comparing unfulfilled educational potential to architect Victor Gruen's unrealized community designs that were reduced to shopping centers: "People were like, oh, we're just cool with the shopping center. That's all we want." He referenced his own early education in "computer programming when I was eight years old," explaining how this led to his music production career through programming on an "Amiga computer that had 4,096 colors" in seventh grade.
He suggested current educational systems would soon be obsolete: "The things that we're learning in school right now won't even apply to people when they're 30 years old," especially regarding technology. West proposed his educational model would better prepare students for future challenges through practical applications and foundational understanding rather than memorization or theory divorced from practice.
The October 24, 2020 interview represented one of Joe Rogan's longest and most significant episodes of 2020, running approximately three hours without commercial interruption. The podcast format provided West with an unedited platform to express his views without the time constraints of traditional media appearances.
The interview allowed West's distinctive improvisational speaking style to fully manifest, which he described as: "My thoughts are like these clouds in Mario Brothers. And I'll jump to this, and I'll see another one." This stream-of-consciousness approach covered diverse topics from music industry reform to architectural design to political philosophy, all connected by West's vision of cultural transformation.
Rogan characterized West's thinking style: "When I talk to anybody about you, they say, well, he's all over the place. And I say, I think that he's got a different power source," comparing conventional thinkers' "20 watt charger" to West's "150 watt charger." West endorsed this description, explaining: "When I talk, it's not a rant, it's a symphony of ideas."
In the concluding minutes, Rogan praised West's authenticity, particularly regarding his response about military leadership: "That was one of the most interesting and impressive answers to any question." Rogan suggested the interview revealed dimensions of West previously unseen in media appearances: "This conversation exposes a side of you that I don't think anybody's ever seen before... You're not saying it like a politician."
The podcast concluded with information about how listeners could write in West for president in the 2020 election, with a video guide available through West's Twitter account. West's final statement reinforced his political ambitions: "I'm definitely 100% winning in 2024," positioning his 2020 campaign as the beginning of a longer-term political strategy.
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Kanye West appears on Joe Rogan Experience October 2020
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Kanye West is a rapper, record producer, fashion designer, and current independent candidate for office in the 2020 United States Presidential Election. @kan...