In an interview in this month’s Spin, our favorite Venetian-blinded rapper spits about race and MJ, among other things. It’s a discussion MC Sasha Frere-Jones would love. Via Spin:
SPIN: You made a conscious effort to shape Graduation for the next level of mainstream success?
KANYE: A conscious effort to take it to the next level in every form of success. More black people bought this album than any I’ve made.SPIN: Does that make sense to you?
KANYE: Uh-huh. Because I made the album blacker.
Things get blacker still after the jump.
SPIN: You think Graduation is blacker than The College Dropout?
KANYE: Way blacker. “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” — how hood is that record? “Good Life” is straight Steve Harvey, all day long. “Flashing Lights”? I never had a record that was that black. But it’s white at the same time. Certain things are so good it doesn’t have to be white or black. That’s what Graduation is. Take “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” It’s a white sample, but everything I do to it is to make it as black as possible. So I’ma make the bass as black as possible; I’ma make the lyrics as intense as possible.SPIN: Are these choices strictly artistic, or are you thinking as a marketer, too? Can you separate those roles?
KANYE: I can’t. I’m a pop enigma. I live and breathe every element in life. I rock a bespoke suit and I go to Harold’s for fried chicken. It’s all these things at once, because, as a tastemaker, I find the best of everything. There’s certain things that black people are the best at and certain things that white people are the best at. Whatever we as black people are the best at, I’ma go get that. Like, on Christmas I don’t want any food that tastes white. And when I go to purchase a house, I don’t want my credit to look black. [Laughs]SPIN: And what foods would fall into that category?
KANYE: White-people food? You know what it is. You never ate fried chicken and said, “This tastes white.” It’s America. People know the stereotypes. I play to the stereotypes. I believe in the stereotypes. And I submit to them. [Affects a black, Southern accent] “Man, black people sure can cook some chicken! And I’ma get some black chicken.”SPIN: Some of the samples — Elton John’s “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T.” — must not have been cheap. Could you have afforded them on the first two albums?
KANYE: I’ll tell you one thing, as a black person: We have no problem breaking ourselves for what we want. But it’s not just affording it; it’s getting people to want to clear something for you.SPIN: You were only seven when Thriller peaked. Was Michael Jackson on your radar when –
KANYE: [Stares incredulously] Was Michael Jackson on my radar?! I’m black.
Jackson might’ve been on ‘Ye’s radar, but he didn’t do Mr. Collapsible Nose any favors with that bland-ass “Billy Jean” “remix.” In the interview he goes on to revisit his beef with MTV, who likes Justin Timberlake better ’cause he’s white, yadda yadda …. Hey, Grammy people, please award this dude something, so he can stop with this shtick. Cool? Harder, better, stronger in ’08, ‘Ye, you whiner. Wait, unless this is another SNL skit.
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I used to be all about him but Kanye is like a month away from being on my last nerve.
Props for sending me to the dictionary to look up “miscegnation.” However, this isn’t quite it.
OED:
“The mixing or interbreeding of (people of) different races or ethnic groups, esp. the interbreeding or sexual union of whites and non-whites; a theory which advocates this as being advantageous to society; marriage or cohabitation by members of different ethnic groups. Also: an instance of this, and in extended use.”
I don’t care about what color he is, or how his food tastes. I think his music is pretty good.
This is absurd, though. It’s very off-putting.
Was that too white a thing to say?
i guess he doesn’t realize that white girls go apeshit over his tunes too
oh, i get it…kanye is black.
thanks for clearing that up.
Listen to Lupe Fiasco instead.
he needs to go away.
He’s such a pop enigma!
Kanye West hates white people
miscegenist wasn’t in any dictionary I went to, and it took some googling to find out what it meant. however, seeing as how this is winter break, I protest the way gum has forced me to learn something new, and I will promptly go about forgetting this word immediately.
i hope he jokes on a chicken wing and dies
@ David:
I knew what the word meant, and I get your point. But if we’re going to nitpick over trivialities, then the corect use of the word would have been the adjective “miscegenistic” and not the noun “miscegenist”.
I am officially making this comment thread whiter. Suck it, Kanye.
I don’t know what the draw of this guy is……yeah his beats are novel, but seriously his rhymes are HORRIBLE…..are people not listening to lyrics anymore or they just don’t care? Are the beats the only thing that matter? ……….And on top of it all he’s a complete jack ass. I just don’t get it, maybe I’m showing my age (26)
For a kid that grew up on Erik B & Rakim, EPMD, Public Enemy, NWA/Ice Cube, Gangstarr, De La Soul, WU-Tang, Nas, Tribe etc……I just don’t understand the state of hip-hop today????? As NAS said hip-hop is DEAD……
DO yourself a favor and go checkout blue scholars……
I think it’s more “poor food” and “rich food.” Poor white folks eat plenty of fried chicken too.
Yes. He needs to shut up and stop acting like he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread (Wonder bread)
You’ve got it tough Kanye.
But Paul Karason’s got it tougher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa2OpNTX9Ck
Kanye is a taste racist. He segregates trends, genres and styles based on some whack superiority scale unique to his own pea brained mind, then cherry picks the best bits to call his own.
Nothing but a grade a, top shelf Dbag.
And I like fried chicken just as much as the next person. And I’m white and not poor.
David -
Miscegenation in a music context means combining elements from different origins and traditions. Kanye’s WEAK mixing of Daft Punk’s “Harder Better Faster Stronger” with his grating flow is an example of this.
A recent article about a lack of miscegenation in music:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2007/10/22/071022crmu_music_frerejones
So, according to Kanye, in order to be black you have to be poor and eat fried chicken? In other words, Kanye’s a racist. Kanye’s never been a good rapper, but he does get a few decent producers for his albums.
I’m with Ty. If you’re looking for good hip hop, check out Blue Scholars… and Common Market.
I’ma shut him up!
Seriously, there are all these artists out there who are music the way they make it because they like the way it sounds and they don’t care if the people who listen to it or black or white, in fact they don’t even bother thinking about something like that.
And then here’s Kanye West, trying to make that more black people will want to listen to, but NOT TOO black or the white people might not want to listen to it anymore. racist.
umm, “tastemaker?”
i think he means, “taste-taster.”
Woo polo shirts, woo.
I like how people can just throw out the word “racist”. Actually, some theorists believe that if you are in the minority you cannot actually be considered racist due to the inability to demonstrate discrimination against the majority.
Do you guys really swallow the stuff that is coming out of Kanye’s mouth? Like he said, he is playing a stereotype and it has made HUGELY successful.
I think the “Racism” that occurs stems from the fact that if he actually were to go beyond his stereotypical role and play himself, perhaps he wouldn’t be as popular.
It is not Kanye West that is the problem, he’s just a pop star for god sakes. It is not his responsibility to fix an entirely acerbic caste system.
He sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher, except instead of “Womp-womp, wooooomp-womp” it’s “Black-black, blaaaaack-black.”
“Actually, some theorists believe that if you are in the minority you cannot actually be considered racist due to the inability to demonstrate discrimination against the majority.”
Uh-huh. So if you’re black in America, you can’t be racist against Asians, and vice versa. Good thinking, “theorists.”
um, actually, he sold this album by appealing to a whiter (including indie) market. Any album with collaborations from a guy who rose to fame playing sensitive acoustic rock (John Mayer) and a couple of french dudes who dress up like robots and play dance music (Daft Punk) is PRETTY FRIGGIN WHITE.
@ Jim
Depending on where you’re going with “Racism”, you can only be racist if you are in the majority.
Racism is not something that everyone agrees on, that’s all I am saying.
But most people can agree that it’s not a good thing, I think.
“Depending on where you’re going with ‘Racism’, you can only be racist if you are in the majority.”
That is the dumbest thing I’ve heard in at least 3 days. Racism is judging somebody by their race. No race is exempt from it.
And to think, this guy might be (with the possible exception of Jay-Z) the most important rapper of the decade.
Kids, the word of the day is “black.”
Of course you can be racist and be in the minority; what’s difficult is oppressing the object of your racism, unless they happen to be another minority.
Kanye sees everything in terms of race: he’s a racist. But he’s not exactly oppressing anyone. He’s just a talented narcissist with a one track mind.
It’s just too bad that there are plenty of kids out there who will think that his musical skill gives him some special insight into humanity…
I don’t even know what he’s talking about because i don’t see color, I only see people…. As long as they vote republican.
This is definitely the wrong way to use the word miscegenation, Stereogum. How your readers couldn’t know the definition of that word is beyond me, but on to Kanye: time to shut up, son. And there was a time when I really liked you. Now you’re just sounding awfully stupid.
I did read somewhere that he wiped out most of Jon Brion’s contributions at the last second…maybe cause Jon is white?
whatever, this was full of laughter and happiness for me. thanks for transcribing and posting it.
You ever notice that rappers are always credited as being more “innovative” when they use “white” samples?
“Of course you can be racist and be in the minority; what’s difficult is oppressing the object of your racism, unless they happen to be another minority.”
Then use “racist oppression by the majority,” if that’s what you mean. It’s not so difficult to use the words we’ve been given. Saying racism”Of course you can be racist and be in the minority; what’s difficult is oppressing the object of your racism, unless they happen to be another minority.”
Then you’re not talking about just racism anymore, are you?
fuck you Kanye
Seriously!? I am baffled. How can anyone hear Kanye speak and not think he is a complete tool?
And just for the record, I hated Kanye before it was cool.
I honestly believe that Kanye West is full of shit, but he knows he’s full of shit. He’s a talented producer, average rapper, but a big part of his success comes from the “controversy” he courts. Without all the self-hype and grandstanding, he would have stayed a behind-the-scenes guy.
And it works: SPIN seems to be paying attention, and so is Stereogum. And so am I, for that matter!
SPIN: You were only seven when Thriller peaked. Was Michael Jackson on your radar when –
KANYE: [Stares incredulously] Was Michael Jackson on my radar?! I’m black.
HAHAHAH I LAUGHED SOOOO hard. The interview was soo amusing. Kanye is a jackass. Everyone knows this.
harder better faster.. thats not a white sample, its a black sample, sampled by white guys, then resampled by an asshole. the next person that samples it has to call it an asshole sample. so the bass was always black. or maybe not, it could have been mahogany
I wonder if this interview was done before or after his mother passed. If after, then NOTHING will stop him from saying shit like that.
I also love how the SPIN guy, or gal, initially added fuel to Ye’s fire by asking that food question, then realizing how ugly things could get, tried to change the subject with the next 2 questions but it was too late.
my gosh!
is this kanye west a CRAZY person?
well, no matter, all i know is that was surely the blackest thing i’ve EVER read. black blackity black!
Jim;
I’m honestly not sure what your point is. I am using the word as intended. Racism is dividing the world’s population into race. If what you mean is that an oppressed minority racist can’t be an oppressive majority racist, then I agree, but I’m afraid it’s your job to use the extra words to give the finer shading…
Merriam-Webster anyone?
Racism
1: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2: racial prejudice or discrimination
So of course anyone can be racist. People are even racist against their own race, sometimes. (much like Kanye’s comments about credit ratings)
I am gonna mail Kanye a douchebag. I always thought this dude was all hype.
So the last decade had shitty rap in the shape of the Fresh Prince.
This decade has “Carlton”.
-G.
Get off this mans di@k already. His name is not Dr. Kanye Luther King! He’s not the national spokesman for black people, he is speaking for Kanye West. He’s a 30 year old black man living in a country that was built and sustained on the ish he is talking about.STEROTYPES!
Any of you seen any of those GHETTO AZZ BOOST MOBILE COMMERCIALS???? The ghetto tone used as the man says “WHERE YOU AT”? wHO DO YOU THINK THOSE ARE TARGETED TO???? IT SURE IN THE HELL AINT WHITE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!KANYE did not create this ish!! He also did not sign up to be a damn representative for our entire race!! WTF do you want from him?? Just agree to disagree with his ideas, but is it necessary to say all this callous evil ish about him??? You really want him to choke on chicken and die?? WORD?I have even said some bad ish about him in the past, but i see him more clearly now, and my opinion has changed. He says what the pfuck he wants to say. He tells you things like, he’s an asshole, and that gives the CHOICE to be a fan or not. At least he’s not a fake!!!
If you all would just fall the pfuck back for a minute and look at the whole picture, he’s just a young black man trying to find his way like the rest of us. He does not have all the answers. He’s just trying to do what he loves, make music!!!
Check yourselves, raise your own kids instead of letting the t.v., video games and music raise them. Be a role model for your kids instead of expecting celebrities to be them. And find your own truth instead of riding this mans di@k about what he believes to be true.
CHURCH
I work in a music store in nyc and when graduation came out. When the line was formed it was definately mixed, with a whiter shade.
I find it amusing how much some people on here are obessed with how much Kanye obesses over himself.
I’ve found that the best way to insult egotistical people is to ignore them. Really, if you don’t like what Kanye West has to say, no one is making you listen or agree with him. If you hate him, congradualations–join a club or something.
It’s pathetic to waste some much energy on the opinion of someone you claim to dislike or hate anyway. I’m personally trying to figure out what’s the big deal about what he said in the first place. But that’s just me I guess.
“I don’t even know what he’s talking about because i don’t see color, I only see people…. As long as they vote republican.”
hahahaha! Good job Steven Colbert wannabe.
Best. Malapropism. Ever.
I hate that Kanye feeds bad stereotypes about black people. Im black and i love to wear ralph lauren but that’s not black i should being wearing baby phat and apple bottom its ridiculous no he didnt sign up to be a spokesperson for black people but his ignorant comments are felt by the black community because we all start to look ignorant to some all he ever does is pull the race card and now its just really annoying
It’s whatever. Kanye AND his music lost political and general significance a long time ago, anyway.
kanYe is the shit. Everyone calling him a racist are the fuckin idiots. Realising that someone is black or white isn’t racist, its when u start giving them grief for being a different race. the world wud be boring if no one ever noticed people’s differences. go on his blog and you will see loads of articles about white people. sure his views are often singleminded but who the hells aren’t sometimes? it is only more noticable than other famous people because he speaks his mind. he has my favourite artist since college dropout but that doesn’t mean i am going to start believing everything he believes and i’m only 15. if other people do then thats their own fucking problem and they deserve to be told what to believe cause they’re retarded. his beats are always awesome and his lyrics are hella inspirational. much love from a WHITE guy.
lmao. oops i just made out that God is white.
In a recent interview by Yahoo, he considered himself to be the voice of the ?generation, of this decade??WTF?Kanye is full of himself and a lot more. He also noted that he is a living a ?Catch-22? because he has sacrificed ?real life? in order to share his ?art.? Wow?what a super load of sh*t is he talking about. Kanye didn?t become a ?celebrity? because he had no other choice, he wanted to be in the spotlight ?and please read the book–Kanye before you make arguments that your life is like a catch-22. Making such erroneous and grandeur statements only belittles your image even further.
RMS2000
He wears white people clothes, he hangs out with an equal amount of black and white people, his music appeals equally to white and black people — his lyrics are obviously black biased, he says things like this.
I think it’s all marketing. I think Kanye might be one of the smartest celebrities in America. Who do the clothes appeal to? White people. Who do his comments and lyrics appeal to? Black people. Who does his music appeal to? Both.
This interview I think was a hook for any black-supremacists to like Kanye more, and yet he still gives white people a cookie with the credit comment. He’s trying to balance something extremely delicate here. He really isn’t doing too bad of a job.
am i the only person that finds him hilarious??