Kanye West
Can You Dig It?
When Kanye West’s favourite rapper, Kanye West, isn’t calling out President George W. Bush on national TV or sporting flashy prep threads that have landed him on best-dressed lists, the Chicago native stays busy in the studio, juicing up beats and laying down raps.
West took home a Grammy for his tune Late Registration last year, and since then he’s been lending his Midas touch to the likes of John Legend, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, GLC, and Common, who are all on his record label GOOD. Having just gotten engaged to his pre-fame girlfriend Alexis (sorry, gold diggers), the 29-year-old is celebrating by touring with a little group called the Rolling Stones. And his third CD, Graduation Day, could be out before you know it.
Here now, a few gems Mr. West has been (gold) digging lately:
Directing videos
“I really want to learn and get into directing. It’s my new hobby, the new thing that’s exciting for me. It’s just like back in the day when I knew I wanted to be a rapper and I met Jay-Z, or I met Souls of Mischief, or anybody I really liked a lot. Common, back in the days. And my heart started beating fast. (I just wanted to ask them questions.) ‘How did you do it? How are you so great? I can’t imagine ever being as good as you.’ I had all these feelings (when I met directors like Hype Williams and Michel Gondry).”
Improving his rhymes
“My level of skills in comparison to Jay-Z’s, let say, three years ago, I was (weak) in comparison to him. I was in the slow class in comparison to where Jay was. So for people to mention me and Jay in the same breath is like someone on the Special Olympics being put on a team with (Michael) Jordan. So imagine how that feels.”
Edutainment
“I can sneak in a little education with the entertainment. I’m always entertainment first. I’m kinda like the Spike Lee of (music): you go to a movie that’s all entertaining, but he throws little pieces of information. Or maybe the Dave Chappelle of rap — the way he touches on racial issues, social issues. But we laugh to keep from crying. Like, the ‘Gold Digger’ song is serious. Dead serious.”
Popping name-brand tags
“Wearing Polo was a slap in the face. Louis Vuitton and all that? Me wearing a lot of Louis Vuitton, in my eyes, is comparable to like the blacks sitting in the whites-only section. That’s what it means more than me just showing off that I got money.”