Between performing records from his catalog of studio albums at the Yeezus tour stop in Brooklyn this week, Chicago rapper Kanye West also took it upon himself to share what he referred to as a “stream of consciousness” with fans.
During Kanye’s latest rant, which was recorded by Real Talk NY, the G.O.O.D. Music emcee referenced singer Bruno Mars, Oprah Winfrey, and major corporations.
While speaking on Bruno, Ye recalled a phone call he received from Rick Rubin encouraging him to leave this year’s MTV Video Music Awards after he performed. He then commented on Bruno winning a majority of the awards and stated that recognition in the streets trumps any award an artist can receive from a network.
“When I went to the MTV Awards, Rick Rubin hit me, he said ‘Are you performing at the MTV Awards,’” said Kanye. “I said ‘Yeah.’ He said ‘Look man, just do your mothafuckin song and leave. Just do your song and leave. Just do your song and leave.’ Cause sure enough I’m sitting down trying, I’m trying to enjoy mothafuckas performing and shit…And then they start giving out awards and shit. And Bruno Mars win all the mothafuckin awards and shit. You know, I was just thinking about what Rick Rubin told me cause I don’t give a fuck about no TV show. But what I care about is if you an artist and you work hard as fuck and the streets say that you deserve that shit then can’t no mothafuckin networks try to gas everybody up. So, they can sell some [product] with the prettiest mothafucka out.”
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Kanye later touched on a sit-down he had with talk show host turned business mogul, Oprah Winfrey, who informed him that others are “scared of” him, to which he says he responded “they should be.”
“And I sit down with Oprah and she say, ‘They scared of you, Ye. They scared of you, Ye,’” said the rapper. “She didn’t say I wasn’t the most talented. She just said ‘You gotta learn how to fail.’ I said ‘Oprah, it’s a new day.’
“These major corporations they wanna control you,” he added. “And they take us as musicians…to hold that mothafuckin product up and that’s what they show you. But fuck that. Fuck that that’s old school. Fuck that. Fuck that that’s old school. And Oprah said ‘They scared of you Ye.’ Well, of course they should be…That’s why I’m turning up. That’s why I’m turned up. Cause I want my turn. These guys got fed off it and I want my turn.”
Following the launch of Kanye’s Yeezus tour last month, the multi-city tour has garnered the spotlight on a number of occasions. Ye received criticism for the appearance of a man dressed as Jesus during his tour performances, and also the tour’s merchandise, which included a t-shirt with the image of a Confederate flag on it.
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In addition to criticism over those two tour elements, Kanye was also forced to reschedule a handful of tour dates due to damaged equipment.
