VESSEL FOR LIFE

The brief for Diddy’s Vogue shoot reads;

In “Brief Encounter”, supermodel Natalia Vodianova is paired up with music mogul, Sean Diddy Combs, for a whirlwind train station romance. Diddy and Natalia transport back to the golden age of train travel, when taking a trip meant glamorous outfits, bunking in sleep compartments, and goodbye kisses at the station.

In other words the title of his forthcoming album, Last Train To Paris. How clever.

Here’s a snippet from the article:

MITCHELL: What’s it like when you talk to Kanye West now? How are things different between you guys from what they were like when you first spotted him and he was producing for you?

JAY-Z: Well, he’s really more of a peer now. You know, before, he was more a new guy trying to get on—a fan of the music that I’ve made and my lifestyle—so things were a little different. But he’s an extraordinary person. He has these ideas and these things that he wants to do and places he wants to go, and he’s really passionate about them. He’s very sincere.

MITCHELL: Sometimes his passions ruin him.

JAY-Z: Yeah, which is great. I like that, man! I really do. I mean, no one’s walking around here perfect. Everyone’s gonna make mistakes. That’s part of how you learn. I think Kanye . . . Well, I know he said what he believed. He was telling the truth.

MITCHELL: To which event are you referring?

JAY-Z: I’m talking about the Taylor Swift thing. I just think the timing of what he did was wrong, and that, of course, overshadowed everything. He believed that “Single Ladies” [by Jay-Z’s wife, Beyoncé] was a better video. I believed that. I think a lot of people believed that. You can’t give someone Video of the Year if they don’t win Best Female Video. I thought Best Female Video was something you won on the way to Video of the Year. But, hey, I guess it wasn’t—and that’s a whole other conversation about awards shows and artists.

MITCHELL: You seem to stay away from that awards show stuff for the most part.

JAY-Z: Yeah, because it ain’t about nothing. It’s cool. It’s acknowledgment. The fans get to see you, and you can do great by your record if you have a great performance or a great night there. That’s all part of the business. But at their core, awards shows are not really a sincere thing. You know, for a lot of years, the artists had to pay to play their own set.

MITCHELL: No kidding!

JAY-Z: Yes. That was the worst scam ever. I couldn’t even believe it. I mean, just now they’re starting to pay for half the sets and some awards shows pay for the whole thing. But this is just happening now—and it’s only because the record companies ran out of money.

MITCHELL: You’ve always had interesting takes on awards shows. I remember back in the day, you talked about the Grammys and said, “Well, they don’t take rap seriously, so why should I go? They don’t know what we do—and they don’t care about what we do.”

JAY-Z: It’s just honest, man—they really didn’t. I’ve always seen awards shows for what they are. For the awards show people, it’s about sponsorships—it’s not about recognizing anyone’s art, because if you get into the business of recognizing art, then you have to get it right all the time. You have to get it right. You can’t have the woman who wins Video of the Year not win Best Female Video. I mean, Herbie Hancock is great, but you can’t have him beat the Kanye album that year. I mean, come on, seriously. That can’t happen. That just lets me know that the people who get to pick these ballots just check the only name they know. I think that’s what’s happening with rap music now.

MITCHELL: Yeah?

JAY-Z: I think it’s a bunch of people who don’t know anything about rap, and have probably never even heard a Kanye West album, are doing the nominating, and they say, “Kanye West. I know that name. That’s the guy who made the comments about the president that time! He’s nominated!” That’s how the process works, and I think that’s part of Kanye’s frustration. Me, I look at it for what it is. But Kanye is so passionate about it. I mean, the guy shot three “Jesus Walks” videos. Three. Two of them he shot with his own money just so he could get it right. He really cares about it. And then, back to the original point, his passion kicks in and he takes things too far . . . He doesn’t realize that that girl, Taylor Swift, is just like him. That was her moment. It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t do anything. It’s not her awards show. So he just did the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time.

MITCHELL: Did he call you that night? Did you guys talk about what happened right away?

JAY-Z: We actually had to fly out because we were doing Leno the next day, and he called and said he wasn’t getting on the plane. I knew he didn’t want to have the conversation yet. It’s more of a big brother relationship with me and him. But he came the next day, and we spoke in the dressing room. We had a nice, long talk. I think he did the right thing to face it and just move on. I say this all the time, but I think, at the end of the day, we’re gonna celebrate him for his passion more than vilify him.