Words by Alyson Robinson
Kanye West recently visited Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show where he lived up to his usual controversial nature calling out the industry. Kanye spoke about how a creative, such as himself, may be stifled by an industry that isn’t welcoming to innovation from a black man.
“We got this new thing called classism; it’s racism’s cousin. This is what we do to hold people back. This is what we do. And we got this other thing that’s also been working for a long time, where you doing have to be racist anymore; it’s called self hate. It’s works on itself; it’s like real estate of racism,” West explained.
The G.O.O.D. Music founder talked about the expectations that people have of a black rapper, saying that when he calls himself a god people are upset, but they seem to be okay when a black rapper calls himself other black-associated names.
“Would it been better if I had a song that said, ‘I am a n***er?’ Or if I had a song that said, ‘I am a gangster?’ Or if I had a song that said, ‘I am a pimp?’,” he questioned.
Kanye also addresses how people are ok with a rapper extending his creativity to making T-shirts, but if they venture elsewhere, they’re shunned.
“We’re making product with chitlins, T-shirts, that’s the most we can make, T-shirts. We can have our best perspective on T-shirts, but if it’s anything else [hand clap], the Truman Show boat is hitting the wall.”
Kanye, who calls Rap music the new Rock n’ Roll, also talked about his highly discussed sixth studio album, “Yeezus” and it’s artistic difference from other rap albums.
“I’m not here to make easy listening… easy, programmable music…”I’ve got to a point that Michael Jackson did not break down. I’ve reached the glass ceiling as a creative person, as a celebrity,” West explained. “I’ve been at it for 10 years. And I look around [and] I say, ‘Wait a second. There’s no one around here in this space that looks like me, and if there are, they’re quiet as f**k.”
Check out part 1 & 2 of the interview.
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