Everything Kanye West Said About Celebrities In Akademiks Interview

Diddy

Ye is probably the only person to publicly stand up for Diddy that isn’t a family member or part of his legal team. The Vultures artist likened his treatment for branding the swastika to the controversial mogul’s legal battle with Diageo and how he was subsequently sued for rape, sexual assault, and more. “You’re leaving with nothing; we have to destroy you,” he said, quoting what he believed the powers that be said about the Bad Boy co-founder.

He also spoke on the 2016 video of Puff assaulting Cassie and how that made it even easier for the industry to demonize him. “Puff’s a woman beater so he’s the devil, he needs to be in jail,” he said, again quoting what he thought those in power felt about Diddy. He doubled down on his belief that domestic violence is common, saying, “I don’t know anyone who hasn’t gotten into an altercation with their girl.”

He expressed his sympathy and support for the “I Need A Girl” artist’s children, who had to live through Kim Porter dying and now their father being public enemy No. 1 and behind bars. “Puff more like my twin,” he said, again likening them to one another. And even though they have feuded in the past, Ye said that it was all love because “We family, we can get into it.”

Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington

Ye didn’t stay on Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington for too long, but he did suggest that there was more to the story with his 2017 death. The late singer was ruled to have committed suicide via hanging, but West said he “got killed for expressing these same truths.” There were a lot of “truths” that Ye shared throughout his interview with Akademiks, so it is unclear which specific ones he and Bennington may have aligned on. Nonetheless, the coroner’s report remains what it was in 2017, so this may be a theory that just goes into the void.

North West

One thing that was abundantly clear in this interview was the fact that North West’s potential collaboration with Playboi Carti, and Kim Kardashian seemingly permitting it, really set Ye off. Couple that with the fact Kim K is seeking sole custody of their children after he ignored the terms of their custody agreement and put her on a song with Diddy.

The multi-time Grammy winner revealed that he does not own his kids’ names or likenesses and questioned how either member of the former couple could claim that they had joint custody. He called his ex-wife a “white woman” who had “ownership” of their children and declared war against her because he believes Kardashian was sent by Jewish people to take him down. “The Jews think they’re too powerful,” he said.

Ye expressed his fear that his children will get sucked into an “Illuminati system,” does not want his daughter to get into the rap game at all, and said that despite what Carti and Kim K tried to do, North stands by his side through it all. Anyone who he has a problem with, she has a problem with, according to him.

Jay-Z And Beyoncé

Ye’s tweets suggesting that Jay-Z and Beyoncé had a child with special needs and suggesting Hov would send people to kill him have likely harmed what was left of their relationship beyond repair. His commentary on Hip-Hop’s royal couple came off conflicting, as he claimed that it hurt him to make those comments, but then he was also upset that he had to delete the tweets. He mostly went on the offensive against them, though, calling out his former friends for not helping him when he was having issues with his kids. He also called them out for not attending his first wedding — which the couple addressed on 2018’s “Friends” from their joint album, Everything Is Love.

Ye claimed that Jay-Z uses his influence to maneuver political chess pieces behind the scenes and uses people, such as booking Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show this past February. The Chicago producer also claimed that Hov never wanted to sign him, but Dame Dash did, which is ultimately why he got into their circle. He said that Hov makes more money from his catalog than he does and questioned the Brooklyn rapper’s relationship with the NFL.

Jerry Lorenzo

Jerry Lorenzo didn’t get too much of Ye’s time in this interview, compared to his Instagram post where he called out Adidas for stifling his independent YZY website. Nonetheless, he did call out Lorenzo multiple times for stealing designs from him and called him the same homophobic slur he threw at other rappers and celebrities.

Playboi Carti

Playboi Carti. If there was any question of who Ye’s new biggest rival is, he answered it in this interview. Whilst discussing Diddy, R. Kelly, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar, the father of four put the Atlanta rapper in the category of known “woman beaters” who has been able to continue being successful, such as being the No. 1 guy at Rolling Loud. He also believed that Carti was sent by Jewish people to take him down.

His biggest issue was the fact that he was removed from Music, calling it “fa**ot a** [Travis Scott] sh*t.” West extended a collaborative hand to Carti countless times over the last few years, thus adding some context to the fact he called Carti’s betrayal the “final heartbreak.” That, coupled with the fact Carti attempted to do a song with his daughter North West and rapped about Skims. “If you my dog – what actual person who calls their daughter my niece would reach out to a woman I got issues with obviously? That’s some fa**ot shit,” he said.

Someone named Lou reached out to him mid-interview and said that the “Timeless” artist wanted to sit down and speak to him, but Ye wasn’t looking to make amends. “You mention my daughter so now I get to end the movie. And I’mma end the movie with somebody for sure,” he said.

West also claimed that he was in the studio with Carti working on “Wheels Fall Off” and they discussed making a mixtape together. He claimed that Carti leaving him off of Music and having so many features was him “doing favors” because he is so hot right now. Through all of his vitriol, he admitted that he views the enigmatic artist as a genius in his own right, but a 30-song album has to be carefully navigated; for Carti, it was too ambitious. All of that said, nobody got it worse than Carti, but he seems to be doing okay without Ye for now.

Drake

Drake is far from Ye’s biggest priority in terms of his opponents throughout his career. The controversial rapper did refer to the 6 God as a “pedophile,” but less to say he believes the allegations and more to draw a contrast to how R. Kelly is in jail because there is actual evidence. The “Glow” artist even questioned why the industry wants to get the Toronto superstar “out of here.”

It’s an interesting question since, just last year, he admitted that he got on the “Like That” remix to support the “elimination of Drake.” Now, he sees him as a family member that he “doesn’t f**k with.” Despite their issues, West said that Drake is “a million times better and more important” than Kendrick Lamar. He put him up there with Future and Young Thug in terms of creativity and setting trends in music. He also reiterated that he wants Drake to be his writer.

Surprisingly, Ye even empathized with Drizzy while Lamar was dissing him, and the whole industry turned on him. He also felt like people were missing the bigger picture because the artists have to contend with the system, but they spend more time fighting against one another. If this were anyone else who didn’t contradict themselves so often, you could almost call this growth. But Ye is fighting too many internal battles to get that recognition.

Kendrick Lamar

Ye had a good amount of things to say about Kendrick Lamar, which was hilarious because at one point in the interview, he claims that he has no problem with the Compton rapper and would never call him a “fa**ot.” He opened his diatribe by threatening Lamar, saying to “remember [the tweet about Jay-Z’s child having a mental disorder] before trying anything.” He also referred to him as a woman beater and questioned how he could receive so much recognition while others have been demonized for the same.

The “Good Life” artist said that K. Dot’s smash hit diss song “Not Like Us” will be an instrumental piece of the campaign used to take down Drake for being a pedophile. This statement played into a comment he made later on, calling Lamar an industry pawn and saying that the Super Bowl and Grammys had “invisible hands” on them.

Ultimately, Ye doesn’t think Kendrick Lamar has any hits, and he doesn’t like him claiming that he is the No. 1 rapper because Ye still believes that is his throne. He admitted he was jealous of the Pulitzer Prize winner being on Playboi Carti’s Music three times, especially because they operate within different genres that don’t mix well, in his opinion. As per usual, he was all over the place, but he made his feelings on specific aspects of Lamar clear.

John Legend

Ye had no love for John Legend at all. While discussing people who turned on him for his political views, West cracked a few jokes about the “Ordinary People” singer, alleging he “wears sweaters in August while in Barbados,” and smells like mashed potatoes.

On a more serious note, the fashion designer took credit for “changing generations” of Legend’s life and called him a sissy. It was a quick drive-by, but he made sure the shots landed before moving on.

Ty Dolla $ign

Ye’s biggest issue with Ty Dolla $ign was the fact that he “changed his life,” and yet the Los Angeles singer publicly “denounced” him for his hate speech. The Vultures artist revealed that the duo agreed on what Ty was going to post on social media to distance himself from Ye’s antics, but the Beach House artist posted something completely different.

He felt like the 42-year-old singer was another industry pawn who got threatened. “You have to denounce Ye publicly or we’re gonna drop your artist Leon … we’re gonna cancel all your tours,” Ye claimed his longtime collaborator was told. “Leon did that whole SZA album, and we’re gonna destroy his life if you don’t denounce this man’s tweet.” This betrayal especially hurt him because, according to Ye, he “137x’d his career.”

Jim Jones

Ye wasn’t a fan of how Jim Jones did business and the fact that he wasted his time, West claimed. Capo wanted to introduce the billionaire to someone who worked in crypto, but he didn’t reveal that he would get a finder’s fee. Even after he learned that Jones would get $2 million for setting up the meeting, Ye said that he was still willing to attend.

West claimed that he tried to continue working with the Dipset member and asked him to send over a PDF displaying everyone with whom he was working. Jones replied, saying that he did not know how to make a PDF, and Ye was offended that he didn’t try to figure it out. Feeling as though the “We Fly High rapper was just looking for a quick dollar, Ye called the Harlem native “poor” before moving on.

Virgil Abloh

Ye did not mince words about the late Virgil Abloh. He claimed that his former protege did not improve the “Black situation” while working at LVMH. Many people believed that the Yeezy designer was jealous of Abloh’s success and has disparaged him since passing away because of that. Ye’s response? “I’m evil.”

Akademiks asked if the Chicago producer cared about how saying “f**k Virgil” would affect the late designer’s family and loved ones, and he doubled down on the “I’m evil” stance. West feels like Abloh set the blueprint for people who took his ideas and ran off with them. “Virgil is the Jesus of the niggas that worked for me,” he said. “Ni**as be using my shop and then running off […] It’s because Virgil made it look like that’s what you’re supposed to do […] Ni**a has yet to make a better product.”

It’s a shame to see their relationship devolve to this point, especially almost four years after Virgil Abloh died from cancer. However, clearly there is nothing that is “too far” for Ye.

Don C

Ye claimed that fashion designer Don C was a “pu**y” and worked with Virgil Abloh to start their RSVP brand behind his back. He also claimed that C was happy that he did not get the Nike deal because it “wouldn’t have given other people a chance.” Don also apparently asked West why he was running around wearing the red Make America Great Again hat, and that bothered him. Don C was a tertiary target, but he was a target nonetheless.

Travis Scott

Hearing Ye talk about Travis Scott now would make someone think they were never close, but those in the know understand how much he is hurt by the “betrayal” he endured. The artist formerly known as Kanye West admitted that he wishes the Houston rapper was still his producer, but he seemingly believes that he can thrive without him.

Scott allegedly took four songs from Ye that they made together on his ranch, put them on his 2023 album Utopia, and added other artists such as Future and SZA as features. He repeatedly called the Grammy nominee a “fa**ot,” as well. He spent so much time discussing Carti that he probably couldn’t share all of his hate for the rager, but this was more than enough to understand how deep it goes.

Random Small Jabs at R. Kelly, Kim Kardashian, Pusha T, And More

R. Kelly: Ye called him a pedophile who is in jail when discussing the difference between him and Diddy versus Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Playboi Carti.

Lucian Grainge: Ye called him a slave owner and sent him a warning. “Don’t send none of your motherf**king slaves [my way] cause they getting their head torn off.”

Kim Kardashian: Ye claimed he never wanted to have kids with her after knowing her for just two months. He also claimed that she stole the SKIMS idea from Vanessa Beecroft, with whom he worked on the Runaway short film.

Pusha T: Ye told Pusha T not to speak on his political views after everything he had done for his career.

Iggy Azalea: Praised her maternal behavior as “she will do everything in her power to keep Onyx away from Kris Jenner” given her alleged involvement in the Ray J and Kim Kardashian sextapes.

Frank Ocean: Ye said that his 2021 song “Moon” rendered Frank Ocean useless, and he could never make another album again after hearing that.

J. Cole: Ye referenced J. Cole’s song “False Prophets,” falsely titling it “False Idols,” and claimed that it was really about all of the other rappers in the industry and not just him.

Kamala Harris: Ye claimed that Kamala serving as Vice President of the United States did not change the Black situation in the United States, or the world situation.

Barack Obama: Ye said Barack Obama’s presidency also did not improve the “world situation.”

Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes: Ye gave them credit for all causing change in the world.

Donald Trump: Ye acknowledged that their relationship caused a lot of rappers to turn on him.

Jason White: Ye claimed that Jason White runs his popular Sunday Service live shows and that he tried to get $2 million from him.

Amber Rose: Ye said that God used him to bless her.