In case you missed it, there was quite the high school fight between Kanye West and Jimmy Kimmel recently following an admittedly not-so-funny sketch the late-night talk show host aired imitating a very raw, somewhat odd interview the rapper gave on BBC Radio 1 a short while before. It’s definitely worth catching up on.
So when Kimmel invited Kanye onto his show last night, sparks were bound to fly. Except they didn’t. Rather than a back-and-forth airing of grievances against each other, Kimmel respectfully embraced Kanye’s appearance on the show with a semi-apology, a gesture Yeezus seized as an opportunity to clarify the more contentious points of his BBC interview while further selling his own brand. It was tame, to say the least, but there’s always something to take away from a Kanye West appearance.
Here are some of the quotes we found value in:
“I’ve never done a publicity stunt in my life.”
– Dismissing any thoughts that the Kimmel-Kanye feud was staged.
“I’m not running for office. I’m here to make music.”
– Justifying his free reign to say what’s on his mind regardless of the backlash.
“My intentions are always positive. I want to help the world; I want to make people’s lives easier.”
– Expanding on his ambition to create something bigger than himself.
“I could care less about any of these cameras. All I care about is my family, protecting my girl, and protecting my ideas and my dreams.”
– There’s a very real life to account for beyond the celebrity life.
“If I told you I wasn’t a genius, I’d be lying to you and to myself.”
-The first step to success is believing in yourself.
“You’re gonna love me, or you’re gonna hate me, but I’m gonna be me.”
– Don’t let the opinions of other deter you from your goals.
“As soon as you’re a celebrity, you’re not allowed to say anything anymore.”
– Kanye revels in his ability to not abide by this common sentiment.
“I do everything I can do break media.”
– Many forms of media exist to break down creative people and breed discouragement. Kanye is personally leading a fight against those efforts.
“Fashion isn’t always practical. It’s more about emotion, it’s about swag.”
– Responding to Kimmel’s confusion about leather jogging pants, which was initially part of his attack against Kanye.
“I’ve got ideas that could mean something if I put the right production around it.”
– Talking about branding, getting a fair chance in industries beyond music.
“Who do you know that’s known more for clothes than me?”
– Highly debatable opinion (there are tons of people more known than him), but he’s restating his general cultural influence.
“It’s not about racism anymore, it’s classism.”
– On the snobbery that persistently deters outsiders from making it within closed circles.
“I’m only 36 years old, I have other goals. I’m going to use every platform and say ‘I want to make something.’”
– On his potential for the future and what he hopes to achieve through his creative agency, DONDA.
“My mother made me believe in myself… I refuse to follow those rules that society has set up and the way that they control people with low self-esteem.”
– On resilience in entering markets where traditional barriers still exist.
“The only luxury is time – the time you spend with your family.”
– No argument here.
“When I compare myself to Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, David Stern, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Jesus, whoever it is, these are my heroes. This is the type of impact I want to make on the earth.”
Imagine, all of that in just 20 minutes. While it’s hard to separate the words from the individual, there’s certainly something meaningful every young professional can take away from Kanye’s outlook on life, careers, stardom and family.
