Mr. Robocop

Friday

Mr. Robocop

Kanye West For December's Fader Magazine.

For this issue, we’re talking to the people who inspire us, who give us something to talk about every issue. You, of course, do that, but also, by pushing the things we love to the masses, you’ve become almost like an ambassador for us. Yeah, I just think about when Jay-Z would be like, “I do this for my culture, I do this for the hood.” I’m doing it for that. I’m doing it for where I came from being the only dude in my class that dressed in a certain way, and then finding there’s other people who think like me too, they just weren’t in my school. And I think that’s what the FADER kids are made of, people who were different or wanted something better than what was the norm. But I had to come to the realization, it wasn’t just the search for something different, but something better, a better solution. I never forget that. I just don’t want people to think that because I’m big I’m not into the same things I was into that made me big. For y’all to put me on the cover, it’s kinda dope. It feels like I’m on the right path.

Getting back to the idea of purity, you finished this album in three weeks. Are you creating without thinking about it as much now?
Yeah, but when you say don’t think about it... People say, “He’s a pop singer now,” and I’m like, Yes, correct! They’re like, “It sounds like he wrote this in five minutes,” and I’m like, You’re right, it took me five minutes! Is something better if it took five years than if it took five minutes? I feel like all the words are in you, you’re just blocking yourself, you’re blocking your creativity. Society has put up so many boundaries, so many limitations on what’s right and wrong that it’s almost impossible to get a pure thought out. It’s like a little boy, looking at colors, and no one told him what colors are good, before somebody tells you you shouldn’t like pink because that’s for girls. Why would anyone pick blue over pink? Pink is obviously a better color. Everyone’s born confident, and everything’s taken away from you. So many people try to put their personality on someone else. Especially me, they try to suggest what I should do. What I want people to realize at this point is, I don’t give a fuck. That’s why I made this album. I’m using Auto-Tune because I don’t give a fuck. I like the way it sounds. This is the way I’ma put my shit up, this what I like the most. You can’t deny me, you cannot deny Wayne, you cannot deny Pain. T-Pain taught me a lot. He just brought a whole vibe and energy when he came down to Hawaii, he was constantly expressing himself.

Did you have an epiphany about singing on the new album?
I never even thought about it like that, I just thought about what I wanted to hear when I was making music, just like hook after hook after hook after hook after hook. It’s the musical version of an Obama speech.

What do you think about “Swagger Like Us,” along with MIA’s “Paper Planes,” and “Love Lockdown” all hitting people together?
Such a great time. It’s like, Why does that happen? I’m like a vessel, and God has chosen me to be the voice and the connector. I can’t be responsible. I’m good, but I’m not that good. So my job is just to be in the studio and do videos, and I just stand here and let God do the rest. I was super scared and shit, like the MTV joint [the debut performance of “Love Lockdown” at the Video Music Awards], but afterwards it was the best response I got on any performance. People were like, “It’s so good, you did so good,” and I was like, Word? Just being nervous, that’s the childlike shit again. Why put yourself in the situation to be nervous again? You gotta just be confident the rest of your life? I mean, be confident, but I think it’s just a level of adventure and craziness and delusion, delusions of grandeur, like Hey, maybe I can fucking sing! Maybe I can’t, it doesn’t fucking matter, but it’s exciting.

Be an astronaut.
Yeah, it’s fucking exciting. I’m really excited about this album. When I was sitting in the studio in Hawaii and I asked somebody for the number to the hotel and they were like, “808-duh duh duh” because Hawaii’s area code is 808. And we just randomly do the whole album in Hawaii. I’m not trying to be all weirdo, connect the constellations like that, but this shit is too meant to be. Therefore, let’s put it out, okay. It’s kinda good!