Kanye West is riding a high right now, his latest album (that I am picking up TODAY don't judge me for being late I was broker than the MC Hammer in 97 #anywaydoe) My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is one of the years most anticipated albums of the year and from what I've been hearing from the album and from users it has lived up to the HYPE! Kanye is a musical genius there is no other way to put it, hate him or love him the man is a marksmen at his craft!! Anyway Complex Magazine's Noah Callahan-Bever caught up with Yeezy in the studio in Hawaii where he sought refuge and fine-tuned his creativity...
"Did you look at my eyes?" asked Kanye West over the phone. He was calling from Milan. It was the middle of October 2009. It had been over a year since the completion of his last LP, 808s & Heartbreak, but this conversation was my first glimpse of what would become My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. "I mean, really look in my eyes in the ‘Run This Town' video. If you do, you can't tell me you're surprised by what happened. It was all there in my eyes."
He was, of course, referring to "what happened" at the 2009 VMAs, one week after the video shoot. Kanye and I had exchanged emails days after the Taylor Swift incident, but between him being inundated with criticism and my own personal distraction—a recently discovered brain tumor, of all things—this conversation, a month later, was our first real catch-up. And yes, Kanye West and I do periodically catch up. (And yes, I know how that sounds. Believe me.) Which is why, when I finally got around to explaining my condition over email, I received this concerned phone call from Milan, like, four minutes later.
After I hurried through the uncomfortable explanation of where I was at, the commiserating naturally turned to the major event in his life. Besieged and apologetic—but defiant—Kanye explained the fragile, overworked mental state that led to the outburst, his disgust with the ensuing media storm, and why he'd suddenly, and seemingly indefinitely, gone full ex-pat.
Head over to COMPLEX to read the entire interview!!
LV
