Kanye West appeared on “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” this morning, where he expanded on his actions at The Grammys and some of his controversial remarks that followed.
After Beck was announced the winner of Album of the Year, the final award of the night, at last weekend’s Grammys, Kanye rushed the stage but stopped himself before he reached the mic; a far less dramatic stunt than when he famously interrupted Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs. Still, many think Kanye’s intentions were disrespectful, especially as he said, “Beck needs to respect artistry” during an interview after the Awards. He now tells Seacrest his comments were misguided–“obviously Beck is one of the most respected artists and respects artistry.”
‘Ye says he was beckoned on stage by a voice in his head and stopped short because he didn’t want to take away any of Beck’s spotlight. He goes on: “Beck is one of the nicest guys and one of the most respected musicians in the game.” It should be noted that, apparently, Beck wasn’t dismayed by Kanye’s actions, telling US Weekly: “I was just so excited he was coming up.”
Kanye tells Seacrest that racism played no part in his actions: “I also wanted to stress to people that it’s not a black or white thing at all … We are one race. We are the human race, period.”
Surprisingly enough, Kanye says that Taylor Swift, the woman who’s spotlight he stole in 2009, approached him after the show and said he was right to rush the stage in protest of Beyonce’s snub. What’s more, he says he and Taylor are planning to make music together: “…we’re definitely going to go in. Any artist with an amazing point of view, perspective, fan base, I’m down to get in the studio and work.”
In non-Grammy related talk, Yeezy spoke on working with Paul McCartney, as well as on the upcoming release of his adidas Yeezy Boosts. There will be a fashion show accompanying the release, which will be streamed in 40 locations across the world. Adidas will initially release 9,000 pairs of the shoe.
Read more of the interview here and listen to the full audio below.
