Summary
Industry Struggles and Creative Freedom
In this extensive 2015 BBC interview with Zane Lowe,
Kanye West delves into his frustrations with corporate limitations on his creative expression beyond music. He articulates how, despite his success as a musician, he encountered persistent resistance when attempting to expand into design and fashion. West explains that numerous companies dismissed his ideas with the attitude that as a celebrity, he should "wear a red leather jacket and shut up" rather than participate in product creation. He emphatically describes himself as a "product guy" whose vision was continuously rejected by companies unwilling to grant him creative control.West recalls specific encounters that exemplified this struggle, including a meeting in Paris with an executive from Kering Group (parent company of Puma) who dismissively "leveled" him when West attempted to showcase his design work with A.P.C. In stark contrast, West praises Hermann Deininger, a former Adidas executive who has since passed away, as someone who genuinely believed in his broader creative vision after seeing West's seven-screen
"Cruel Summer" film installation that was shot in Qatar. West credits Deininger and Jon Wexler for ensuring the Adidas partnership became reality, despite other companies like Disney and Universal rejecting his creative concepts.
Adidas Partnership and Design Philosophy
West elaborates on his successful
collaboration with Adidas, highlighting the global Yeezy Season 1 launch that was simultaneously streamed to 42 locations worldwide. He emphasizes that his motivation wasn't personal wealth or "a bigger house, a faster Lamborghini," but rather creating moments that empower people. He specifically highlights his decision to feature diverse models, including a "5 foot 3 girl" as the star of his fashion show, challenging industry norms and conventions.When discussing his clothing line, West explains that his assistant once told him the clothes made her "feel powerful," which he describes as his "main goal" in design. He references his song lyric from
POWER, "no one man should have all that power," clarifying, "No one man should have it. Everyone should have it." This democratization of power and style forms the foundation of his design approach.West articulates a profound design philosophy, stating: "I believe that the world can only be saved through design." He quickly clarifies that he doesn't mean fashion specifically, anticipating criticism from "snarky classist editors," but rather "the mentality behind design." He creates a distinction between art and design, stating that "art is to be free. Design is to fix." West also sharply criticizes the concept of "exclusivity" in fashion, controversially calling it "the new N-word" and comparing it to segregation-era "colored-people fountains." He argues that "nothing should be exclusive" and that "everyone should have the opportunity to drink from the same fountain."West explains his evolution in design thinking, from wanting to "sculpt with marble" to realizing the importance of accessibility. He references learning from Le Corbusier's cement lamp that was "made for Zeus, so he made it for everyone," illustrating how high design can use humble materials. West acknowledges that while his Season 1 collection remained at higher price points, his ultimate goal is to achieve "H&M, Zara type concept" pricing through Adidas.
Music Evolution and High-Profile Collaborations
The conversation shifts to West's upcoming music, which he describes as finding "beauty from the struggle" and "joyful noise unto the Lord." He draws a parallel to the hymn "Amazing Grace," which emerged "out of the worst pain possible" to create "the most beautiful song possible." West notes how relieved he felt after his New York fashion presentation, happily flying to shoot the
"Blessings" video with Big Sean and
Drake the following morning.West discusses his collaboration with Paul McCartney, whom he ranks alongside Ralph Lauren as "the greatest of their field, period. Of all time." He describes the contrasting dynamics between them—West's tendency to approach sessions with "lists of complaints" versus McCartney's positive attitude ("It's all cool though! How bout we make a song?"). The result was a productive partnership that yielded multiple songs.West and Lowe discuss
"FourFiveSeconds", the collaboration with Rihanna and McCartney, with Lowe praising it as "one of Rihanna's greatest vocal performances period." West agrees, noting Rihanna was "killing that." Lowe describes the track as having a "70's FM American rock, sort of country-rock radio vibe," while West reveals that despite McCartney's traditional chord progressions, "the whole cadence was trap" and he "started singing in trap" as soon as Paul began playing. West emphasizes that "fusion is the future," referring to the productive mixing of different musical styles, cultural ideas, and "the two lunch tables working together."
Personal Reflections and Emotional Growth
In one of the interview's most vulnerable moments, West speaks emotionally about Louise Wilson, the renowned fashion instructor from Central Saint Martins whom he calls "the baddest professor of all time of any fashion school, ever." He credits her with pushing students beyond mediocrity to excellence, citing how her mentorship shaped designers like Phoebe Philo (Céline), Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, and Alber Elbaz (Lanvin).West recounts their final dinner at Hakkasan restaurant in London, suggesting Wilson might have known she was near death and wanted to impart final advice. She told him how many students don't give their all because "as soon as they do anything halfway good, when they're 2 years old, 3 years old, their parents clap." Her parting wisdom to West was simply: "Kanye, don't clap"—encouraging him never to settle for mediocrity. This memory causes West to become visibly emotional during the interview, requiring a brief pause, marking the first time he's had such a reaction during an interview.When addressing his
controversial Grammy moment where he approached the stage during Beck's Album of the Year acceptance speech, West demonstrates personal growth and humility. He admits he might have been wrong in his assessment of Beck's artistry, saying, "maybe I might've been wrong!" after later hearing Beck's music while "ironically having dinner with Taylor Swift." He compares attending the Grammys to seeing an ex-girlfriend: "Soon as you get in a car with them, you wanna go right back home."West openly embraces his contradictions, stating: "People say I'm a hypocrite... Yes, I am. 100%. I'm a human being. I'm super hypocritical. I can feel something one time and completely a different way another time." This self-awareness extends to his fashion choices, where he demonstrates his rapid decision-making, claiming it takes him only "3 minutes. 2 minutes. Bars" to get dressed.
Social Commentary and Future Vision
Throughout the interview, West addresses broader social issues, particularly class divisions. He asserts: "Class is the new way to discriminate against people," arguing that financial status has become a means of "holding people down" based on factors like "where their kids go to school, how much money they make, what they drive, where they live." He emphasizes that "all lives matter" and that everyone deserves equal respect regardless of their position, stating his doorman is "more important to me than any head of any company" because "he keeps us safe."West describes the front row at his Yeezy Season 1 presentation, with its juxtaposition of different social classes, as representing "the fusion and the future" and "the glass shattering of the class system." He positions his work as fighting against the separation of people based on "what you came from, your race, financial background, education, talent level, beauty."The interview touches on West's connections with other visionaries like Elon Musk, whom he describes as having an "absolute inability to be restrained by boundary." West reveals they discuss "the fut'" (the future) and mentions advising President Obama to meet with Musk and visit China together. West positions himself as someone who sees things others don't: "I wasn't going crazy, I was like the only person that wasn't crazy."On innovation, West shares wisdom from Johnny Ive (whom he calls "the world's greatest living designer" ahead of even Elon Musk) that "people are so concerned at being first as opposed to being better." He suggests that "innovation almost gets too much credit" and cites Steve Stoute's advice that "there's no money in the innovation" but rather "the money's in the repetition" and "making something of better quality for more people."The interview concludes with West praising Drake's recent music releases, comparing his own performances to "a visual extension of what he's doing sonically." West offers generous support to Drake, telling him to "run, fly, go as fast as you can" and offering assistance with "a beat, verse" or even "confidential design advice with the shoes you doing over at the other company." West emphasizes collective creation: "anything that we can collectively do to deliver more awesomeness to the world as a team."
Family and Personal Life
On a personal note, West briefly discusses fatherhood and his daughter North (referred to as "Nori"), who was around 18 months old at the time. When Lowe asks if he plans to give his daughter siblings, West humorously responds: "Oh, I'm practicing really hard. I try as many times a day as I can. Nori this one is for you! You need a sibling!" He also mentions his wife (Kim Kardashian), noting she sometimes takes "5 minutes, sometimes longer" to get dressed because "I mean she's a woman."The interview also references West's song
"Only One", which Lowe describes as creating communication between "different generations of your life and of your family...through one another, as a portal." West expresses his desire to "perform 'Only One' as many times as possible," highlighting its personal significance.*There may be errors on this page.