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BKyle: Okay, what’s up Kanye. We’re gonna start off with a real standard type question and that is … What old school artists inspire you the most and if you haven’t already, any plans of working with any of them in the future?
KW: EPMD, MC Hammer, Kid n play, Salt n Pepper, A Tribe Called Quest, Eazy E, LL Cool J. I’m already working with Consequence from Tribe, so be on the look out for that. One of the things I try and do with my beats is to try and bring that Tribe Called Quest style of production back to Hip Hop. I’m very inspired by them.
BKyle: There were a lot of questions about your production, so let’s get to some of them. What is your approach toward working with different artists? When you are listening to a beat you are developing, do you say to yourself “so-and-so will sound good rhyming over this” or do you just have a library of beats that you have finished that you kind of just tailor to whichever artist you are working with at the time?
KW: For the most part, if you take the best of the best of one of my beats, any artist or any rapper could sing or rap on it. So I just try and make the best beats I can. Any rapper could’ve got on “Lucifer” and could have made a half way good song. I’m not saying it would have been as good as a Jay-Z song, but any rapper woulda loved to have that beat. Any rapper, singer woulda loved to have “Guess Who’s Back.” Any rapper, singer woulda loved to have “H to the Izzo.” Any rapper, singer woulda loved to have “Get By” … or the Alicia Keys beat for that matter. I don’t wanna just be bringing beats that are just for one person specific. That’s the reason why I think my beats are so universal, ‘cus I make beats that one person may get on but it still relates to so many people. The thugs, the hip hoppers, the girls, the critics, ya know?
BKyle: Do you have any plans for releasing an instrumental album? Not just the instrumentals from all your hits compiled but more of an in-depth instrumental masterpiece?
KW: Yeah. Mos Def’s been trying to talk me into doing that. I might go and do that because I have a couple beats that I think are phenomenal that people say are hard to rap to. Some of my beats I might go in and add like 100 tracks worth of instruments. I have to sometimes make sure I leave spaces for rappers, I’ve been learning to do that. But like, I could put it together where you’d be listening to a series of my joints all the way through but its hard for me cuz I get like 90,000 dollars a beat. It’s hard for me to just go and do an instrumental album and give up 10 of my beats. That’s like giving up 900,000 dollars (laughter) and then nobody wants to pay 90,000 dollars for a beat that was already on an instrumental album.
BKyle: Right, for sure. People want to know what it is you’re listening to. If we were to hit play in Kanye Wests’ CD player right now, what would we be hearing?
KW: You would hear “By The Way”, by Red Hot Chili Peppers
BKyle: What is it about “By The Way” that has you listening?
KW: The lyrics, the music, the arrangement, the production, the mixes. Everything, it’s very inspirational. The lyrics to “Can't Stop”… (sings it) “can’t stop the spirits when they need you”. If you think about it, my lyrics are very Red Hot Chill Pepper esque. I might be giving away some of my secrets by saying that. You know, it’s like when Jay said “people gonna try and make The Blueprint II before me” …I know there’s gonna be rappers and producers out there trying to make “The Late Registration” before me. So I don’t want to give away too many of my tricks of the trade as far as my whole thought process. The second somebody gets your thought process, it’s like knowing the code or knowing the blue print.
BKyle: You know there are a lot of Common fans on our site. People are wondering if you could give some insight as for as how it’s been working together. One fan asks: "I read an interview where Kanye said that Com's new album was the most important album he was working on.” What did you mean by that?
KW: I meant exactly that.
BKyle: How has that experience been so far?
KW: Man, it’s one of the greatest experiences of my life. Nobody, there’s nobody … and I’ll bet … all the money in the world … there’s nobody out there who can rap better than Common.
BKyle: What is it that you feel Common can bring that other artists can’t?
KW: Man. You can’t even put a finger on it. Some people are just blessed. Rhythm wise, insight wise, knowledge, voice, charisma, history … you know what I’m sayin’, the fundamentals.
BKyle: So not including Common, who should we be keeping an eye out for in 2004?
KW: Of course you have to keep your eye out for me ‘cuz I’m gonna be number one. …And that’s my quote. And my team, GLC, Consequence, and John Legend. But also in 2004, mannn, I heard Kweli spitting some crazy shit on his new album with ill ass patterns. Um, who else gots some crazy shit. … Young Chris. You know Young Chris is sick. I ain’t even heard any of Young Buck’s shit, but that’s my new favorite rapper, Young Buck.
BKyle: Where’s he out of again?
KW: Isn’t it New Orleans? It’s Young Buck from G-Unit.
BKyle: Yeah, that’s right. Cash Money from back in the days. What’s some advice you may give to up and coming producers as far as trying to get put on and be heard.
KW: Man, if you want to get a CD into an artist’s hands … just put it in a pretty young ladies hands and let her approach him.
BKyle: It’s all about the tactics … the packaging. Presentation is everything.
KW: Wait ‘till you see my album packaging.
BKyle: Are we ready for this?
KW: I’ll just let you know .. that I’m not on it.
(laughter)
BKyle: Well we’re looking forward to it.
KW: You know people, of course, they got they version of the demo that I did at my crib. … of the demo that I got signed with. But we out in LA right now workin’. Me and Common going into the studio tonight. We’re not finished with this College Dropout yet.
BKyle: Tell us which are some of your favorite tracks you’ve worked on.
KW: My favorite Jay-Z song I ever did of all time is “Take Over”. My favorite Kweli song is “Get By”, which is one my favorites period. Um, my favorite my song is … hmm, either “Never Let Me Down” or “Jesus Walks.”
BKyle: What is it about those tracks that make them stand out as your favorites?
KW: What is about that them that stands out? Have you heard ‘em?!
(laughter)
BKyle: Yeah, but people don’t wanna hear what I’m talking ‘bout. I can talk on Okayplayer all day about what I like and love but this is the Kanye West hour.
KW: Yeah, and that’s the Kanye West answer.
(laughter)
BKyle: There was a question about ghost production. Can you share with us which beats you may have ghost produced, or maybe you can give us some hints?
KW: All right, but this is your last producer question … ‘cuz I’m rappin’ now. Anybody who ain’t respecting me as an artist right now, mine as well just bash their heads into the wall just for being stupid. I say, just kill yourself ‘cuz if not, it’s gonna kill you for how much you about to hear me.
BKyle: They ain’t ready.
KW: I don’t know if they’re ready or not but like Mase said … like the greatest rapper of all time Mase said a long time ago, “If you ain't ready seen Mase in the gold 8 I really think it's time that you relocate.” And that’s what I’m saying in regards to me.
BKyle: Would you be able to share which tracks you have ghost produced?
KW: I did “Ghetto”, on Mad Rappers album. I did “My Life” for Foxy Brown. I did “Poppa was a Playa” for Nas. I did “Heart Breaker” for ‘Lil Kim. …… I did six tracks on the Mad Rappers album.
KW: Y'all don't wanna ask me any questions about the Bleek thing?
BKyle: Naw, well we didn't want to bring up any stories about beef especially when we don't know how much validity there is to what we see people saying on the internet. But folks were definitely asking about that so if you want to say something, feel free to speak out.
KW: I came into the Roc-A-Fella family making beats. I was just a broke brotha on the train and that's how people were first seeing me. I guess it's hard for people to see you in another light from how they first saw you. For me man, now I am just trying to work hard and make the ROC proud.
BKyle: Questlove wants to know, how do you feel about being the pioneer of 'Chipmunk Soul'?
(laughter)
KW: But the thing is I’m not at all. What about … So RZA never sped his shit up? It’s like me and RZA use the same sound except for my shit is just more sped up and my drums are a little bit more clubby. Now that I think about it, he and Pete Rock used to do shit like auto tune they shit to make it go down and make it sound somewhat realistic. One of the dopest samples of all time is that (sings) “I gotta love, I’m like telling you straight on up”. Now that I really think about it, Pete Rock and RZA had the soul but my shit is just really really sped up. This is my realization that it is actually a different sound than RZA's cuz I always give credit to RZA. Ey shit. It feels pretty good. God works in wonderful ways. I now have opportunities to go out and do other shit that I wanna do. Like I wanna design album packaging, co-direct videos, rap, start a label, put a lot of Chicago ni@@as on. God has allowed me. He didn’t just have me walk out that accident* for a reason, you know what im sayin’. Im helping’ Twista out, I’m helpin’ Common out, I’m even helpin' Jay out with what it is that I bring to the table.
BKyle: What do you love and what do you hate about Hip Hop right now?
KW: Man, I love everything about it. Do you know I am the happiest person, the happiest artist? Do you know that I am the most anticipated rapper and do you know everything I’ve went through to get to this point? … To get to the point where I am the number one priority. I love everybody right now. Right now I’m just so happy, you know? God is working in my life in wonderful ways and anybody around me is definitely gonna feel this love and we gonna try and make things happen for everybody. A lot of times I say “make money for the black man” but everybody, every race, every culture, this is the beginning of a new generation of hip hop, of music, of soul, of the fans, of the artist, of the industry just turning around. Of them playing a video that cost $35,000 and getting it added to MTV. This is the beginning.
© Okayplayer.com 2003
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