Kanye West Dishes on Porn Addiction, Kim Kardashian Marriage and More During Beats 1 Interview: 6 Revelations

Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

Kanye West Dishes on Porn Addiction, Kim Kardashian Marriage and More During Beats 1 Interview: 6 Revelations

Marriage, music, Jesus and … porn? Kanye West covered a variety of topics during his lengthy interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1, which aired on Thursday, October 24. Lowe joined the 42-year-old rapper on his Wyoming ranch for the interview, which aired the day before West’s highly anticipated album, Jesus Is King, is set to drop. "I am unquestionably, undoubtedly the greatest human artist of all time,” West declared in the interview. “It's just not even a question anymore at this point. It's just a fact.” While talking about his upcoming music, the Grammy winner, who started hosting Sunday Service earlier this year, continued to credit God as his inspiration. West even told Lowe that he is “no longer an entertainer,” but rather a “Christian innovator.” [jwplayer JMBqlvFP-l3ahXupL] "Now that I’m in service to Christ, my job is to spread the gospel, to let people know what Jesus has done for me,” he explained. "I’ve spread a lot of things. There was a time I was letting you know what high fashion had done for me, I was letting you know what the Hennessey had done for me, but now I’m letting you know what Jesus has done for me, and in that I’m no longer a slave, I’m a son now, a son of God. I’m free." West, who has battled mental health struggles in the past, added that he is at “peace” for the first time. “I just thank God for saving me mentally, physically, spiritually,” the rapper said. “I give it all up to God. And sometimes we’ll sit around and start to get mad about something or I’m about to scream about something and I’m rude. I had a rude spirit in me that I need to work on … The thing I pray for to be more Christ like is the Grace.” West is already looking toward the future, too. Another new album titled Jesus Is Born will be released on Christmas Day. Scroll through for six takeaways from West’s revealing interview:

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On His Porn Addiction

“Playboy was my gateway into full blown pornography addiction. My dad had a Playboy left out at age 5, and it’s affected almost every choice I made for the rest of my life,” West explained to Lowe. “From age 5, to now having to kick the habit. And it just presents itself in the open, like it’s OK. And I standup and say, you know, it’s not OK.” 

West added that God helped him beat the addiction.

“With God, I’ve been able to beat things that had a full control of me. That Playboy that I found when I was 5 years old was written all over the moment that I was at the MTV Awards with the Timberlands, the Balmain jeans - before people were rocking Balmain jeans — and the Hennessy bottle,” he said, referring to the infamous 2009 MTV Video Music Awards where he interrupted Taylor Swift on stage. “That was such a script out of a rockstar’s life. My mom had passed a year before, and I had said, ‘Some people drown themselves in drugs. And I drown myself in my addiction.’ Sex. And that’s what fed the ego, too. Money, clothes, cars, accolades, social media, paparazzi photos, going to Paris fashion week, all of that.” 

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On His Marriage to Kim

West referred to his marriage to Kim Kardashian as a “a successful celebrity marriage” and “a successful interracial marriage.” 

“I have five years of marriage under my belt. What I learned from five years of marriage is, it is the greatest bond, it is a God bond to be able to have someone that you can call on, someone you can call out, someone that can call on you and call you out,” he explained. “Equally yoked. Someone to complain to and someone to grow with as we grow and raise our children.”

West and Kardashian, 39, are parents of daughters North, 6, and Chicago, 21 months, and sons Saint, 3, and Psalm, 5 months.

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On Religion

“Christian innovation, Christian innovators. That’s the net that we’re casting for the organization that we have now. [I’m] no longer an entertainer. I’m not here for anyone’s entertainment,” West said. “People say, ‘Oh this is going to kill your brand,’ but my brand is expressing how I feel whether it’s in line with what you thought the brand was even two days ago. A smart man has the ability to pivot and say, ‘I think something different now.’ I don’t think this because this was the culture, I don’t think North should wear crop tops just because I had her wearing a slip dress when she was 2 years old. I think and feel differently now, now that I am Christian. Now that I am the founder of a $3 billion organization and married for five years.” 

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On His Mental Health

“Not only was I diagnosed with mental illness, mental illness is something that was used to take my dome down by 10 feet to wash me out, to control me,” West, who was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder, explained. “I do love the fact that I can show the world that I’m sitting here and have been diagnosed, put on medication to make me fat on purpose. They’re trying to kill the superhero. So, I’m trying to show that someone that’s diagnosed can still drive and be the founder of a multi-billion dollar organization. Can still be in service to Christ. Can still be a good husband and a good dad. My life does not end with this diagnosis and I will not be stigmatized and discriminated." 

West added that he had “the most space to think” when he was hospitalized in 2016.

“One of the things that happened when I went to the hospital is I starting reading the Bible and I started writing out, copying out bible verses,” he said. 

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On His Feuds with Drake and Jay-Z

“I love all of these people, but you’ve gotta know, there’s a lineage to Jay to Ye to Drake. It’s, you know, this person is your idol, then you get to know him, then you be friends, then you turn to frenemies, then you turn to enemies, and then you gotta bring back the positive energy,” West, who has up and down relationships with Drake and Jay-Z, said. “But that is the lineage of rap kings and inspirers. ‘Cause Jay was my biggest inspiration.”

West then quipped that God is hilarious because Drake now lives down the street from him.

“You cannot be of service to God and be mad at your brother next door. I go to Drake’s house, I walk over there with no security, leave my phone number, here’s my cell,” he said. “I ain’t even thinking, I want all blessings for Drake. I’m an ordained minister, if he want me to like, when he finally get married I’ll show up and be like, ‘We’ve had our ups and downs!’” 

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Kylie Jenner’s Billionarie Status

Jesus may not approve of jealousy, but Yeezus appeared to be upset that his sister-in-law Kylie Jenner is referred to as a billionaire and he’s not. In addition to referring to his wealth throughout the interview, West called Forbes referring to Jenner as a billionaire a “stab.”