Short Summary
In September 2013,
Kanye West's four-part interview with BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe at Abbey Road Studios captured West during his transition from musician to multidisciplinary creative force following the release of his sixth studio album "
Yeezus." The conversation gained widespread attention for West's candid expressions about his artistic vision and frustrations with industry limitations, particularly in fashion where he referenced his rejected leather jogging pants concept for Fendi and restrictions at Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent show that inspired tracks "
I Am a God" and "
Black Skinhead." West positioned himself as a cultural innovator in the tradition of Michael Jackson, addressed consumerism through his concept of "
New Slaves," introduced "classism" as "racism's cousin," and articulated his broader creative ambitions beyond music to include product design and architecture, while crediting his relationship with Kim Kardashian for providing stability and expressing determination to change celebrity-paparazzi dynamics for his daughter's future—the interview remains historically significant for its raw emotion, intellectual depth, and remarkable prescience, with many of West's predictions about digital media, fashion trends, and cultural shifts materializing in subsequent years.
Long Summary
Introduction and Context
In September 2013, following the release of his critically acclaimed sixth studio album "
Yeezus,"
Kanye West sat down with BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe for what would become one of his most revealing and passionate interviews. This four-part conversation, filmed at Abbey Road Studios in London, captured West at a pivotal moment in his career as he transitioned from being primarily known as a musical artist to positioning himself as a multidisciplinary creative force. The interview gained widespread attention for West's candid expressions about his artistic vision, frustrations with industry limitations, and ambitious goals beyond music.
Yeezus: Creative Direction and Musical Evolution
West described "Yeezus" as a deliberate departure from conventional music structures and radio expectations. Unlike his previous works, particularly "
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" which he characterized as "perfect," "Yeezus" represented his desire to "crack the pavement and make new grounds, sonically and society, culturally." The album's minimalist approach and abrasive sound reflected West's intention to challenge listeners rather than create comfortable, easily digestible music.The production process involved significant collaboration with artists including Daft Punk, who helped create the aggressive electronic sound on tracks like "
On Sight." West revealed that the opening track was originally a 14-minute piece that was distorted and edited down. He emphasized the importance of Rick Rubin's contribution, calling him "a reducer" rather than a producer, who helped refine and focus the album's sound.West explained that "Yeezus" was born from frustration with creative limitations: "This is what frustration sounds like." He noted that the track "
Blood on the Leaves" was initially intended to open the album, which "psychologically... would have changed certain Yeezus naysayers about the album," but he chose a more aggressive opening to signal the album's confrontational nature.
The Fashion Industry: Barriers and Aspirations
A significant portion of the interview focused on West's ambitions in the fashion industry and the barriers he encountered. He recounted specific experiences that fueled his creative direction, including being restricted at Hedi Slimane's first Saint Laurent show in 2012. This experience directly inspired the creation of two tracks on "Yeezus": "
I Am a God" and "
Black Skinhead," both produced in collaboration with the same producers who created music for Slimane's show.West expressed frustration at not being taken seriously as a designer despite his decade-long passion and dedication. He cited specific examples of his rejected concepts later appearing in high fashion: "Brought the leather jogging pants 6 years ago to Fendi, and they said no. How many motherfuckers you done seen with a leather jogging pant?" This rejection exemplified what West perceived as systematic barriers to his creative expansion beyond music.West articulated his vision for democratizing high-quality design: "What happens is for real people, the democratic public – the people who have a normal amount of money that work everyday, that like nice things, we'll just make these same cuts well by and provide this at a democratic cost." He compared his aspirations to Nike and Apple's approach to product design, noting how those brands create products that enhance rather than diminish the consumer's self-image.
Cultural Impact and Social Commentary
West positioned himself as a cultural innovator in the tradition of revolutionary artists like Michael Jackson. He stated emphatically: "There would be no Kanye West if it wasn't for Michael Jackson," drawing parallels between Jackson's struggle for recognition as a Black artist and his own fight for acceptance across creative disciplines.The concept of "
New Slaves," both as a track title and thematic element, allowed West to address consumerism, materialism, and racial dynamics in contemporary American society. He acknowledged his own participation in materialistic culture while expressing a desire to transform it: "I'm 100% a part of it, I'm 100% in it, and 100% I want to overcome it." He discussed how both consumers and artists can become enslaved to possessions, expectations, and fear of breaking convention.West introduced the concept of "classism" as "racism's cousin," describing it as a modern mechanism of social control. He connected this to "self-hate," which he characterized as "real estate of racism" that "works on itself." These observations formed part of his broader critique of societal limitations placed on Black creativity and ambition.
Creative Vision Beyond Music
Throughout the interview, West articulated his frustration with being limited to music when his creative vision extended to product design, architecture, and fashion. He compared his situation to being in "The Truman Show," stating, "I have reached the glass ceiling – as a creative person, as a celebrity," with his "boat hitting the painting" – referring to the moment in the film when the protagonist discovers the boundaries of his artificial world.West emphasized his desire to create tangible products beyond music and fashion, expressing ambitions to design water bottles, architecture, and various consumer products. He framed these aspirations in terms of societal impact rather than personal gain: "I just want to help, from day one, I just wanted to help." He connected this drive to his parents' legacy of social activism, mentioning his father's work with the Black Panthers and his later foundation to help ex-drug addicts, and his mother's achievement as "the first black female chair of the English Department."West's collaborative approach to music production evolved from his earlier solo work to a more communal process. He stated: "I can't do it by myself... I have no interest in sitting down in the studio by myself and making a track." He cited projects like "
Watch the Throne" and "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" as examples of successful collaborative efforts that brought together various creative minds including artists, producers, and designers.
Personal Growth and Family Life
West credited his relationship with Kim Kardashian with providing stability and emotional support: "She gave me everything. She gave me a family. She gave me a support system. She was in a powerful enough situation, where she could love me without asking me for money, which is really hard for me to find." This rare glimpse into his personal life highlighted how his expanding family priorities influenced his perspective and creative motivations.He expressed determination to change the relationship between celebrities and paparazzi for his daughter's future, advocating for a more regulated approach with proper compensation for image use. West envisioned telling his daughter: "You see all these checks that you're getting at age six, because people taking your picture? You don't have to worry about thing, a thing ever again just because people want to take your picture, like and I made that happen."
Digital Revolution and Future Vision
West positioned himself as a futurist who understood the transformative power of the internet before many of his contemporaries. He described the internet as "our sky" – the new frontier that replaced the "flying cars" futurists once imagined. He emphasized that society had only "barely scratched the surface" of the information age that Steve Jobs helped usher in by making "the internet usable."With remarkable prescience, West predicted that his statements would be validated by future developments: "They will play this interview in five years. They will play this interview in ten years and say, he called that, he called that, he called that, he said that was going to happen, that was going to change." He described himself as "a postmodernist, as best as a career. I'm a futurist, mentally."
Artistic Identity and Self-Perception
West addressed criticism of his self-confidence and perceived arrogance, particularly around his declaration "I am a god" on "Yeezus." He challenged the discomfort with his self-identification: "Would have been better if I had a song that said, 'I am a nigga'? or if I had song that said 'I am a gangsta'? or if I had song that said 'I am a pimp'? All those colors and patinas fit better on a person like me, right? But to say you are a god?"He articulated his belief in unlimited human potential: "I always felt like I could do anything. That's the main thing people are controlled by, thoughts, their perception of themselves. They're slowed down by their perception of themselves. If you're taught you can't do anything you won't do anything. I was taught I could do everything."West described his music as "codes of self-esteem," emphasizing that fans of his work are "not a fan of me. You're a fan of yourself. You will believe in yourself. I'm just the expresso. I'm just the shot in the morning to get you going, to make you believe that you could overcome that situation that you are dealing with all the time."
Legacy and Impact
The interview concluded with West reaffirming his dedication to creating meaningful change through artistic expression and innovation. He positioned his work as part of a larger struggle for creative freedom and economic empowerment, connecting his personal battles to broader social issues affecting his community and culture.His comparison of himself to the character Vanellope von Schweetz (the "glitch") from Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" illustrated how he viewed his role in disrupting established systems. Like Vanellope, who was ostracized but ultimately revealed to be an integral part of her world, West saw his disruptive presence in fashion, music, and culture as essential rather than aberrant.West's statement, "So just watch the next ten years," served both as a challenge to skeptics and a promise to supporters that his vision would continue to unfold in ways that would transform culture. The decade following this interview would indeed see West expand his influence across music, fashion, architecture, and even politics, validating many of the ambitions he articulated with Zane Lowe in 2013.*There may be errors on this page.