Kanye West wowed Madison Square Garden Sunday night – but interrupted the concert for yet another 20 minute rant against the fashion industry calling himself “The number one rock star on the planet.”
West went on a bizarre diatribe about Lenny Kravitz – not realizing that a cringing Kravitz was actually sitting there in the audience.
In front of a crowd that included Leo DiCaprio, Idris Elba, Busta Rymes, journalist Touré and John McEnroe, “Its so funny when people compliment me and they say the word genius, as if that somehow separates me from rappers in some way..And what I need you all to realize is Jay Z is a genius, and I need you all to understand that Drake is a genius. I need you all to understand that rap is an amazing way to express genius….we are the modern day poets, obviously.
“But why are so many of writers so condescending to the rappers? Why do they try to classify us as musicians as being ignorant in some way. Why do they try to classify us as far as the classes go – you know how it goes, right? It’s like a battle of art and architecture at the top. And if you are an artist or an architect, you look down on the fashion designer, and if you are a fashion designer, you look down upon a musician, and if you are a musician you sign a deal with a corporation to get a (bleep)ing bigger house…and when you go in the studio you watch your (bleep)ing mouth so you don’t lose this house. But when they write the history books they are not going to write about the house you had, the money we made, they will talk about the impact we had.
“We watched Hunger Games today, it was very inspiring. It was almost like a mimic of my exact life, I said [to Kim] ‘Baby we’d better be on that mood board when they are writing this (bleep)’.
“And I saw Lenny Kravitz. There wouldn’t be no song called ‘N****rs. in Paris’ without Lenny Kravitz, because he was the first n****r. in Paris..Black rock star, what is interesting to me, is that I have started hanging out with people in Paris. Lenny Kravitz has the best taste and the dopest crib in Paris, and I don’t know if you know this but he designs furniture…and he had been working on a clothing line for a long, long, long time.
“The designers would love it when Lenny showed up at their fashion show. ‘Hey Lenny promote us the best you can’. ‘Hey Kanye promote us the best you can’ …I mean any of you n*****s promote it the best you can. I said, ‘Wait a second, I gotta dream of doing a clothing line’. You know what they told me while I was in Paris, you know what the billionaries told me, when I told them about my dreams? They said Lenny Kravitz wanted the same, same thing. Like its a muther (bleep)ing joke. There wouldn’t be no Kanye West if it wasn’t for Lenny Kravitz. The only difference between me and Lenny Kravitz is I turn up on those n****rs, I don’t give a (bleep) about looking cool or being cool, and this is no disrespect to Lenny…nobody want to look like a fool.
“Has anyone read a piece of press that tried to make me look like an idiot, like I was actually stupid, like ‘what the (bleep) was wrong with him? Have you heard anyone talk (bleep) about Lenny Kravitz? He’s a nice guy, he’s so well mannered. I envy manners, I envy people who are extremely likeable, I’m like, ‘Damn, I wish I could be likable like that’.
“I don’t give a (bleep) about fashion, I care about talent. I care about talent I care about creativity, and it just so happens that it happens with the advent of Louis Vuitton bag, fashion rise to the top and stole all of the creativity to only work for its small box and sell it back to you at a higher price. Thats what the (bleep) fashion is to me .
“I care about dreamers, I care about heart, I care about soul. Not those who are marginalized. So when you think about someone like McQueen, instead of being forced to make t-shirts with a (bleep)ing skull on it, why wasn’t he allowed to make movies? But they marginalized him as a fashion designer…coz you got to stay in your tier, in your section.
“But you know who (bleep)ed it up for everyone? Marc Jacobs because he gave two people a shot, me and Pharrell, he (bleep)ed the whole game up. The same guy that is creative to make all of this [me] that has worn Jordans his whole life, got the chance to create a sneaker for Louis Vuitton…And I called later, it was sold out and they said I am sorry Mr West you are not going to be able to create anything else again.
“And back then I was scared, I thought that if I just went to the fashion show and sat down like a good n****r., they would let Lenny Kravitz get a shot, they would let Pharrell get a shot. But No! No! No!, (Bleep) you n****r. (Bleep) you n****r. (Bleep) you n****r.. Is that offensive enough for you? Because that’s what it is: (Bleep) you n****r.
“And what about [Saint Laurent’s ] Hedi Slimane. I thought Hedi Slimane was my friend and that’s why I am so hurt. How many names people called me for wearing his tight jeans, I am the n****r wearing those (bleep)ing tight jeans. Then he had his fashion show and I was so happy for him. And he told me, you can come to my show, but you can’t go to Riccardo’s [Tisci} show and you can’t come to Phoebe’s [Philo] show. But he wouldn’t say that to Anna Wintour, and he wouldn’t say that to Emmanuelle Alt.
“He’s trying to tell the number one rock star on the planet where the fuck he can go! So you can sell your muther (bleep)ing ten thousand dollar pair of jeans. (Bleep) fashion, what is the worst they are not going to do not help me again? Tell me I can’t go to their show again? Tell me because I’m a musician I don’t have any ideas for clothing again? What is the worst thing they are going to do marginalize me again…and never let Pharrell get a shot, and never let Lenny get a shot? I am going to tell you right now. I am the 2Pac of this kind of (bleep).
“Let’s get all the creatives together. And we aint going to steal people’s ideas like H&M and we aint going to steal people’s ideas like Zara.
“I am so sorry I went on so long tonight, I know you just want to hear another muther (bleep)ing hit song tonight. Lenny give me another hit song tonight.