Skip to main content
  • News
    • MTV News
    • Trending News
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Taylor Swift
    • Kim Kardashian
  • Music
    • Music Highlights
    • Music Videos
    • Charts
    • Playlists
    • EMAs
    • MTV PUSH
    • Artists
  • Shows
    • Latest Shows
    • The Charlotte Show
    • Geordie Shore
    • Ex on the Beach
    • Just Tattoo Of Us
    • Teen Mom UK
    • The Royal World
  • Movies
    • Movies Highlights
    • New Movies Coming Soon
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Trailers
    • Moana
  • Travel
    • Videos
  • Style
  • Life
    • Life
    • MTV Breaks
    • Sex
    • WTF
    • SRS
    • Travel
    • Fitness
  • Pictures
  • Win
  • MTV Play
  • TV Guide
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Search
  • Pictures
  • Win
  • MTV Play
  • TV Guide
Home
  • News
    • MTV News
    • Trending News
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Taylor Swift
    • Kim Kardashian
  • Music
    • Music Highlights
    • Music Videos
    • Charts
    • Playlists
    • EMAs
    • MTV PUSH
    • Artists
  • Shows
    • Latest Shows
    • The Charlotte Show
    • Geordie Shore
    • Ex on the Beach
    • Just Tattoo Of Us
    • Teen Mom UK
    • The Royal World
  • Movies
    • Movies Highlights
    • New Movies Coming Soon
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Trailers
    • Moana
  • Travel
    • Videos
  • Style
  • Life
    • Life
    • MTV Breaks
    • Sex
    • WTF
    • SRS
    • Travel
    • Fitness
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Search

Kanye West

  • Main
  • Videos
  • Pictures
  • News

Kanye West: "I'm Minimalist In A Rapper's Body"

Power hitmaker talks new album Yeezus & working with Rick Rubin...

  • Share to Facebook
  • Tweet to Twitter
  • Share to Google plus
Wednesday, June 12, 2013 - 10:59

Kanye Westhas opened up about his forthcoming album Yeezus, addressing its "minimalist" sound in an interview with the New York Times.
 
The rapper - who previously revealed that Daft Punk, Kid Cudi and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon feature on the LP - said of the recording process: "Architecture - you know, this one Corbusier lamp was like, my greatest inspiration.
 
"I lived in Paris in this loft space and recorded in my living room, and it just had the worst acoustics possible, but also the songs had to be super simple, because if you turned up some complicated sound and a track with too much bass, it's not going to work in that space. 
 
"This is earlier this year. I would go to museums and just like, the Louvre would have a furniture exhibit, and I visited it like, five times, even privately. And I would go see actual Corbusier homes in real life and just talk about, you know, why did they design it?
 
 
"They did like, the biggest glass panes that had ever been done. Like I say, I'm a minimalist in a rapper's body. It's cool to bring all those vibes and then eventually come back to Rick [Rubin], because I would always think about Def Jam."
 
Speaking of his work with Rubin, West continued: "For him, it's really just inside of him. I'm still just a kid learning about minimalism, and he's a master of it.
 
"It's just really such a blessing, to be able to work with him. I want to say that after working with Rick, it humbled me to realise why I hadn't - even though I produced Watch the Throne; even though I produced Dark Fantasy - why I hadn't won 'Album of the Year' yet."
 
As for the record's stripped-back sound, Kanye revealed: "This album is moments that I haven't done before, like just my voice and drums. What people call a rant - but put it next to just a drumbeat, and it cuts to the level of, like, Run-DMC or KRS-One.
 
"The last record I can remember - and I'm going to name records that you'll think are cheesy - but like, J-Kwon, 'Tipsy'. People would think that's like a lower-quality, less intellectual form of hip-hop, but that's always my number one.
 
"There's no opera sounds on this new album, you know what I mean? It's just like, super low-bit. I'm still, like, slightly a snob, but I completely removed my snob heaven songs; I just removed them altogether.
 
"It's like trap and drill and house. I knew that I wanted to have a deep Chicago influence on this album, and I would listen to like, old Chicago house. I think that even 'Black Skinhead' could border on house, 'On Sight' sounds like acid house, and then 'I Am a God' obviously sounds, like, super house."
 
Kanye West's Yeezus is due for release on June 18. 
 
Picture: © Instagram / @KimKardashian

SEE 101 OF KANYE’S MOST FAMOUS LOOKS HERE!!!

Latest News

we just launched the ULTIMATE fitness workout series with ultra-babe danielle peazer!
Cara Delevingne And Pretty Little Liars Star Ashley Benson At Paris Fashion Week
Cara Delevingne Deletes A Tweet Claiming She’s Broken Up With Ashley Benson
Miley Cyrus Has A New Tattoo And People Think It’s Directed At Liam Hemsworth
Kim And Khloe Kardashian Have Threatened To Fire Kourtney From KUWTK
People Think Justin Bieber Copied Shawn Mendes With His New Neck Tattoo
Jordyn Woods Took A Lie Detector Test About The Tristan Thompson Scandal
Camila Cabello Just Revealed Why She Doesn't Kiss Shawn Mendes Onstage
Kylie Jenner and daughter Stormi Webster on snow trip in December 2019
Kylie Jenner Shares Adorable Videos Of Stormi Snowboarding
Noah Cyrus Says She’s “Just Friends” With Tana Mongeau Despite Dating Claims
Harry Styles ‘Will Interview Ex-Girlfriend Kendall Jenner’ On The Late Late Show
Tana Mongeau Announces Social-Media Break As Jake Paul Reunites With Ex Alissa Violet
Get To Know The Swoons
Get To Know: The Swoons
Camila Mendes And Charles Melton Are ‘Taking A Break’ From Their Relationship
James Charles attends Met Gala and Billboard Music Awards in 2019
James Charles Is Being Accused Of Editing His Body In A New Make-Up Advert
Tana Mongeau Just Referred To Noah Cyrus As Her Girlfriend In A YouTube Video
James Charles Fans Are Fully Losing It Over His Sensational Ten-Year Glow-Up
YouTuber Alissa Violet Has Made Allegations That Ex FaZe Banks Cheated On Her
Zendaya Has Been Spotted Hanging Out With Rumoured Boyfriend Jacob Elordi
Kendall Jenner ‘Wants Ben Simmons Back’ Amid Rumours He’s Dating Maya Jama
Hailey Bieber Responds To Rumours She’s Pregnant With Justin Bieber’s Baby

More From Kanye West

Kanye West - Follow God - Music Video
Kanye West
Follow God
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in July 2019
Justin Bieber Slams Trump As Kim Kardashian Tries to Free A$AP Rocky
Kim Kardashian West attends The Met Gala in New York City
Kim Kardashian Reveals Biblical Name of Fourth Child, Psalm West
Did Kim Kardashian Just Reveal The Name Of Her And Kanye West’s Newborn?
Kim Kardashian And Kanye West’s Surrogate Is In Labour With Their Fourth Child
Kim Kardashian Reveals Kanye West’s Politics Caused Problems In Their Relationship
9 Of The Most Iconic Performances Of All Time
The Most Iconic Performances Of All Time
Taylor Swift and Kanye West at the 2015 GRAMMY Awards together
Did Taylor Swift Just Call Out Kanye West For “Straight-Up Revenge Porn”?
Did Kanye West Just Return Kim Kardashian's $14 Million Christmas Present?
Celeb enemies you never thought would be BFFs again.
Celeb Enemies Who Became BFFs Again: Including Kim Kardashian And Paris Hilton
Including Cardi B And Nicki Minaj: 8 Boring AF Celebrity Feuds We Never Want To Hear About In 2019
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
Kanye West Confirms He’s Expecting A Fourth Child With Kim Kardashian

Trending Articles

People Think Justin Bieber Copied Shawn Mendes With His New Neck Tattoo
Jordyn Woods Took A Lie Detector Test About The Tristan Thompson Scandal
Camila Cabello Just Revealed Why She Doesn't Kiss Shawn Mendes Onstage
Miley Cyrus Has A New Tattoo And People Think It’s Directed At Liam Hemsworth
Cara Delevingne And Pretty Little Liars Star Ashley Benson At Paris Fashion Week
Cara Delevingne Deletes A Tweet Claiming She’s Broken Up With Ashley Benson
Kim And Khloe Kardashian Have Threatened To Fire Kourtney From KUWTK
Harry Styles ‘Will Interview Ex-Girlfriend Kendall Jenner’ On The Late Late Show
Life
Record-Breaking Sex: 10 Sex Records That Will Make You Think WTF
Tana Mongeau Announces Social-Media Break As Jake Paul Reunites With Ex Alissa Violet
Kylie Jenner and daughter Stormi Webster on snow trip in December 2019
Kylie Jenner Shares Adorable Videos Of Stormi Snowboarding
Hailey Bieber Responds To Rumours She’s Pregnant With Justin Bieber’s Baby
Noah Cyrus Says She’s “Just Friends” With Tana Mongeau Despite Dating Claims
  • Contact Us
  • Access Services
  • Website Terms
  • Mobile Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • MTV Jobs
  • MTV Press
  • Anti-Slavery
  • Global Tax Policy Statement
Hit us with some keywords!