Kanye West DJ Akademiks Interview March 2025
Summary
Ye (formerly Kanye West) spoke with DJ Akademiks about his thoughts on other artists, his family, the music industry, and his personal beliefs. The conversation revealed Ye's strong opinions on what he sees as betrayal by others and control within the entertainment business.
Ye talked about feeling betrayed by many people in the music industry. He mentioned problems with Jay-Z, who he felt didn't help him during family troubles. He also expressed anger toward Playboi Carti for talking with Kim Kardashian and mentioning his daughter North, which Ye found disrespectful. Ye also discussed issues with Travis Scott, claiming Travis took him off songs and replaced his vocals with other artists. He named former workers like Virgil Abloh, Don C, Jerry Lorenzo, and Matt Williams as people who he believed were disloyal by leaving to work elsewhere.
When discussing Drake, Ye described their relationship as complicated, comparing it to "family members that you don't fuck with." Despite their conflicts, Ye acknowledged Drake's cultural importance, stating that "Drake is a million times better than Kendrick and a million times more important."
Ye repeatedly talked about what he called "invisible hands" controlling the music and entertainment business. He suggested that record labels and executives manipulate artists' careers and how the public sees them. He made several controversial statements about Jewish control in the entertainment industry, defending his choice to wear provocative symbols as a way to expose power structures he believes exist.
Ye showed deep worry about his children, especially his daughter North. He said he felt he didn't have enough control over his children's public image, stating that despite having joint custody, he can't properly control how their image is used. He mentioned stopping North from appearing on Playboi Carti's album, seeing this as protecting her from industry exploitation. Ye framed many of his public statements as efforts to shield his children.
During the interview, Ye expressed concerns about what he called "hospital threats," which he considered worse than death threats. He alluded to previous experiences with hospitalization and fears of being placed under conservatorship. When DJ Akademiks suggested that someone might try to do "the Wendy Williams" to him by taking his phone and limiting his communication, Ye responded with concern about potential involuntary hospitalization "for talking." He mentioned that "it almost happened before," likely referencing his 2016 hospitalization.
Throughout the talk, Ye portrayed himself as someone brave enough to speak truths others won't. He repeatedly claimed to be better than others in many areas, especially music, calling himself "10 times stronger at music than anyone living" and "the only king." He mentioned that with the song "Moon" on Donda he ended Frank Ocean's career.
When asked about why he said "Fuck Virgil" after he passed, Ye simply responded, "I'm evil." He also stressed how important having a platform to speak freely was to him, saying he wouldn't give up this freedom "for his life."
Ye talked about his experiences in fashion, including problems with Nike and Adidas. He described how people who worked with him on fashion projects later started their own careers with competing brands, which he saw as betrayal. He mentioned money disputes, including someone from his Sunday Service team allegedly trying to charge him two million dollars. He described these as examples of people trying to take advantage of him.
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Event Date: March 30, 2025
