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Kanye West Talks Mental Health, Loss of His Mother, Jay-Z & Drake in David Letterman.
Kanye West Talks Mental Health, Loss of His Mother, Jay-Z & Drake in David Letterman Interview
Season 2 of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman finally landed on Netflix Friday morning (May 31). The first episode subscribers will see is an interview with Kanye West, as many clips and tidbits had already found their way into the hands of publications and onto social media.
The nearly hourlong conversation is mainly from their live sit-down, but other scenes thrown in find West giving Letterman a tour of his Calabasas mansion and his YEEZY-filled closet, which he uses to style the former late-night host from head-to-toe. "I think I use art as a superpower to protect myself in a capitalistic world, and then I give it to other people," the Chicago native explains
Other topics West sheds light on throughout the introspective interview include the loss of Donda West, his mental health, being just as self-centered in his lyricism as Jay-Z, his favorite Drake lyric, feeling inspired by Andy Kaufman when it comes to the media, Donald Trump and politics, plus more.
West also refused to back down when it came to showing support for Donald Trump by wearing the MAGA hat, but also maintained that was just to prove a point about free thought in America, rather than the president's actual policies. "This is my thing with Trump: We don't have to feel the same way but we have the right to feel what we feel and we have the right to have a conversation. A dialogue, not a diatribe, about it," West says of his belief that liberals "bully" Trump supporters.
When the conversation turns to medication, Yeezy and Letterman exchange stances on the pharmaceutical industry and the benefits versus disadvantages of taking meds. West also admits that he hasn't taken any medication for his bi-polar disorder diagnosis in the last eight months. "There's people who can't function without medication," he says. "I'm not advocating. I'm telling you my specific story."
The 41-year-old rapper shares that he felt like meds would hamper his creative process when it came to music. "Yeah, that's just the reality. If you guys want these crazy ideas, crazy stages, crazy music, and this crazy way of thinking, there's a chance it might come from a crazy person," he quips.
Lastly, the G.O.O.D. Music boss invited Letterman out to Burbank, Calif. to take in the healing sonics from one of his Sunday Service sessions that took place earlier in 2019. "We were really light on even giving it a name. It was just an idea we had to open up our hearts and make music that we felt was as pure and as positive as possible. And have something where people could just come together and feel good with their families," West detailed of the Sunday Service origin.
Watch the entire episode on Netflix.
