Kanye West participated in a talk, “Translation: Technology, Culture, and Consumer Adoption: Learning to Read the Cultural Landscape” held at the Palais des Festivals during the Cannes Lions Creativity Conference and revealed the pressure he feels to always have and work with the number one. Check out the interview below. –joi pearson @joiapearson
West said:
“Throughout my entire life because of the way my parents raised me, I was like ‘I have to work with the number one.’”
That even applies to his music:
“I can’t work with anyone but Jay Z because that’s the number one.’”
…and his fashion:
“I can’t represent any company but Louis Vuitton because that’s the number one.”
…and his love life with Kim Kardashian:
“I can’t be with any girl but Kim because that’s the girl I look at her pictures the most, I get turned on the most.”
He went on to explain what his life would be like if he were unable to access the best.
“It’s like Michaelangelo told he’s not allowed to carve with marble but told he’s got to use cement or something like that.”
In regards to that access, he likens it to a step forward for civil rights because as a black man, he has access to such things.
“Before Obama, there was Jesse Jackson, there were different people, talking about blacks particularly in America that were not allowed to drink from the cleanest fountain, to work with the best resources.”
During the talk, he mentioned that it took four days for him to edit his wedding photos and how hard it was to convince Kim to wait before uploading them.
“I still want my wedding photos to look like Annie Leibovitz’s photos.”
“Can you imagine telling someone who wants to just Instagram a photo, who’s the number one person on Instagram, “We need to work on the color of the flower wall,” or the idea that it’s a Givenchy dress, and it’s not about the name Givenchy, it’s about the talent that is Riccardo Tisci — and how important Kim is to the Internet. ‘And the fact the number one most-liked photo [on Instagram] has a kind of aesthetic was a win for what the mission is, which is raising the palette. ‘It was a long time…”
