Watch Kanye and T.I. Debate Politics in New Video
Kanye West has shared a behind-the-scenes video documenting the creation of “Ye vs. the People,” his new song with T.I. Released last week, “Ye vs. the People” features T.I. rapping counterpoints to Ye, whose verse includes Trump-referencing lyrics like, “Make America Great Again had a negative reception/I took it, wore it, rocked it, gave it a new direction.” Watch the video on YouTube, and see a clip below.
In the video, T.I. says, “When you have lives lost, as artists, that gives us an obligation to stand up against all of that kind of shit.” He adds, “Your intentions, from what you tell me, are pure, but the direction that you took to get there is a bit unorthodox and kind of, I would say, some people would say, thoughtless.”
Kanye responds, “If I had not done what I felt, and I just thought, then it would have never happened. And when I wear that hat, it’s like a fight for equality. Like, ‘Oh, I can wear this hat too.’” When Ye says “half the shit Trump does, I don’t agree with,” T.I. responds, “What half do you agree with? Let’s get that out.”
Kanye: “Just the ability to do what no one said you can do, to do the impossible, is the most inspiring thing to me.”
After the discussion, Kanye plays T.I. a demo of “Ye vs. the People” and outlines his concept for the song, before the pair head into the studio. Listen to “Ye vs. the People” below.
T.I. previously said in an Instagram story about Kanye, “I refuse to just give up on him.”
Kanye recently announced a seven-track solo record, which will arrive on June 1. He’s also announced a handful of projects on the way—a collaborative release with Kid Cudi called Kids See Ghost, production on a forthcoming Nas LP, and new tracks with Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, and ASAP Rocky.
Read “A Conversation About Those MAGA Tweets With the Professor Who Taught a Politics of Kanye West Course” on the Pitch.
