Kanye West/Charlamagne Tha God Interview: Key Takeaways

Before we attempt to unpack Charlamagne Tha God’s interview of Kanye West in its entirety, one thing must be stated. Charlamagne needs to be exalted for the manner in which he conducted this piece. There are more than enough journalists and radio personalities who would have attacked Kanye because they disagree with his views. In fact, Charlamagne himself has been known to verbally abuse guests, throwing shots at them while challenging their viewpoints. Instead of talking AT Kanye, Charlamagne spoke WITH him. He asked ‘Ye the questions that everyone wanted the answers to in a method that was respectful, intellectual, and vulnerable. He could have spoken about Kanye’s mental health condition disparagingly, yet instead, he compared it with his own visits to therapy. He could have torn ‘Ye down for his tweets about Trump, instead, he phrased the concern in a more introspective manner. This is what happens when objectivity meets passion.

Outside of his music, ‘Ye was the most vulnerable and open than he’s ever been during this interview. "Charlamagne interviews Kanye" could have easily turned into "Charlamagne versus Kanye." For two men who enjoy raising their voices a lot, this was a rather docile one hour and forty-five minutes. It is clear that ‘Ye is in a much better place mentally than people would assume. His confidence is exactly where it’s been for most of his career, so anyone shocked to hear him call himself the greatest is either sensationalizing a statement we’ve heard for over a decade or literally clueless. West did not need to reveal the scariest moment in his life, or the inadequacies he felt after his wife was mugged. Nor did he need to reveal that he is on medication for his mental health, or that he was hurt when Obama called him a “jackass.” Rather than pointing a finger at Kanye’s cocky comments, which we’ve heard plenty of times before, we should be focusing on something the Chicago rapper rarely does outside of his music. Admits he has flaws, put those flaws front and center, and opines about them without getting belligerent. No one would have been shocked if Kanye hid his insecurities under a mask of machismo. Instead, he displayed his flaws and for the first time in years (if ever) Kanye was almost speechless when thinking about the answers to Charlamagne’s questions. 

But then, as we all know, this happened. Sigh.

Kanye admits that Taylor Swift incident impacted this career negatively. He has come to understand that his “I’ma let you finish moment” has caused a disconnect with radio and that the “powers that be” stifled his growth after his stage crash.

 “I use the world as my therapy.” Kanye avoids traditional therapists, and opts to use his close friends and family for guidance instead. He admits that he’s on drugs for his mental health conditions, although he does not state exactly what the doctors have put him on. He admits that the meds are not a perfect solution, and is obviously not a fan of them. 

Before Kanye speaks about “white publications,” he states that racism is a construct of the past that it will be broken down in the future. He wants to use terms of race (white, black, etc.) sparingly, because he does not want to bring energy to it. Kanye goes on to state that, in the category of fashion, when “white publications” write “rapper Kanye West,” they are speaking down on his name. By adding “rapper” to his name in this sense, they are reminding the fashion industry that he’s an outsider.

“Everyday…. The wise man knows he knows nothing. I’m learning.” Kanye admits that he is still learning and that he has made mistakes. That statement alone shows evolution in the thought process of a man who once never thought he could do any wrong. 

Kanye and Jay-Z have both stated that they are still family after the feud that sent a rift through their friendship. He addresses the shot that Jay-Z took at him on “Kill Jay-Z.” “The money… he got it from Live Nation,” says 'Ye of the 20 million Jay claims he gave him. While West does admit that Jay’s co-sign got him the money to propel his project, he wants to dispel the idea that Jay went into his own pocket to pay for the project. Record label’s pay for things their artists need, that’s how it works most of the time. Kanye references Jay as both his brother and his idol, but he feels a type of way that Jay missed his wedding. He does reveal that he’s aware Jay and Beyoncé may have been going through something at the time, but he still got his feelings hurt when they didn’t show up. His comments against Jay were propelled by a lack of communication and immature emotional reactions.

 “Kanye West with no confidence?,” states Charlamange surprised. West reveals that after leaving the hospital he lost his confidence. He asserts that he learned to have empathy for people who lack confidence because of his own breakdown, which found his most infamous personality trait tarnished, basically. 'Ye feels like he can relate to people without confidence for the first time in his career.

After Kanye compares himself to a superhero, he says that his wife has taken on the responsibilities that his mother once had. In essence, Kanye has never been the same since his mother passed, and looking for that nurturing nature of his mom in another woman is a rational, even if it may be flawed. 

Kanye claims that he’s Obama’s favorite artist and that the former President came to him before the presidency asking for an endorsement of sorts. It sounds like ‘Ye is really in his feelings on this one, because he calls Obama the Jackie Robinson of politics, which is quite a compliment. He then admits that he was hurt by Obama calling him a "jackass" and inviting other rappers to the Oval Office without reaching out to him personally. 'Ye has love for Obama, but his ego was hurt, which forced him to make questionable comments. Charlamagne believes the two men should talk it out. 

Kanye feels like Donald Trump winning against the odds is something that he can relate too. He continues to state that racism isn’t a deal breaker for him supporting Trump. “If racism was a deal breaker for me, I wouldn’t live in America.” He defends his point of view by saying that he has love for Obama, but his fascination with Trump lies within his obsession with people telling someone they can’t do something, only to pull it off. When Charlamagne tells Kanye that his own mother would not respect his views on Trump, ‘Ye is left speechless for a moment. A rare sight. He then says that he’s allowed to have different views than his mother, although you can tell the statement deeply affected him. 

Kanye states that when he was in the hospital, he was forced to be alone. His friends were not allowed to accompany him at certain points, although he begged them to be by his side for the whole time. In that moment, ‘Ye was scared for his life and felt the most vulnerable he has ever felt. Hearing Kanye speak about truly being afraid that someone was going to kill him is scary itself, because when have you ever heard 'Ye really admit to being afraid of another man?

What did you guys think was the biggest takeaway from the interview with Charlamagne? Let us know in the comments, and share your thoughts on what followed - the controversial and polarizing comments about slavery via a TMZ office visit.