Kanye West’s L.A. Trade Tech lecture, which took place recently as part of the rapper’s community service, included topics surrounding other acclaimed emcees, according to Andre Pitts, a student in the graphic design class West spoke in.
“He talked about Tupac,” Pitts says in an interview with Complex. “He was watching the movie Juice, and he was inspired by Tupac being in the movie. He talked about how Ice Cube is one of his biggest inspirations and one of his biggest let-downs. He talked a little bit about Steve Jobs. He mentioned a little bit about how the media portrays him negatively, but he’s saying that he’s not anything negative, it’s just him being real and calling out bullshit all the time.
“He was all over the place,” Pitts adds, “but I mean, one of the main things he was talking about was…he was giving examples of different things and saying that having a Rolex or a Benz is not something that actually represents your success because there’s always something more expensive to buy. So, he was saying that success was really being able to do things for others as well as the people around you and yourself.”
Pitts, who says his heart dropped when West entered the classroom, also says no one knew he would be present. West also opened the floor for a Q&A session with the students, he says.
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“Someone finally did actually ask about the Illuminati,” Pitts explains, “and I don’t want to say too much because he did tell the truth this time, but I don’t have it on film so I can’t really back that stuff up, but he did talk about that topic. Someone asked if he listens to his own music, or if he listens to other people’s music. He said he likes to listen to his own music since he thinks he’s the best artist, still.”
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