(AllHipHop News) Kanye West does not do interviews, but when he does he gives more information than five of the average rap interviews. From revealing that “Blood on the Leaves” was supposed to be the intro to Yeezus to denouncing Nike’s lack of support for his Yeezy’s, BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe gets one of the most extensive Kanye West interviews ever.
2013 has seen a few rambunctious Kanye West rants against corporations, Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie” and in support of Pusha T’s My Name Is My Name album. According to Kanye, his rants are motivational speeches and compares himself to Micahel Jackson:
I’ve reached a point in my life, my Truman Show boat has hit the painting and I’v got to a point that Michael Jackson did not break down. I’ve reached the glass ceiling. As a creative person, as a celebrity. When I say that it means I want to do product. I am a product person. Not just clothing but water bottle design. Architecture. Everything you can think of.
Kanye spoke on his plight for acceptance in the fashion industry and bemoaned about not getting backing for his Yeezy sneakers from Nike after it appeared on eBay for over $80,000:
You can not create that on your own, with no support and no backing. So when I say ‘clean water was only served to the fairer skin’ what I’m saying is, we’re making products with chitlins. T-Shirts. That’s the most we can make. T-Shirts. We can have our best perspective on T-shirts.
The man who wants to “be anchor of the first trillion dollar business” said he never liked “Gold Digger” from Late Registration, but made it ‘Cause I always knew I’d be paid for ‘Gold Digger.'” He even goes on to discuss how the negative reaction to his song “I Am A God” statement derives from a history of racism:
When someone comes up and says ‘I Am A God’ everybody says ‘who does he think he is’. I just told you who I thought I was. A god. I just told you, that’s who I think I am. Would it have been better if I had a song that says ‘I am a gangster’? Or if I had a 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 especially when you got shipped to the company you are in and your last name is a slave owner’s..how could you say that? How could you have that mentality.
Kanye also revealed that Jay Z provided protection for him in New York City during his early years at Roc-a-fella Records:
If it wasn’t for Jay Z’s blessing, cosign and his protection when I was in New York City, dolo, I would not be here. Through the category drug dealer filled rap game, me as Kanye West, a young revolutionary from Chicago, would have not made it as far without Jay Z being my big brother and watching my back.
Check out the full hour interview below and a video excerpt: