Kanye West Says He's Writing a Philosophy Book: 'I Wish to Be Water'

Infrequent Instagram user Kanye West has made a subtle return to the medium of the old dead tree. The Hollywood Reporter sat down West, a Ph.D. holder from the Art Institute of Chicago, with interior designer Alex Verboordt, whose clients include West, Robert De Niro, and Sting. Just some normal, average, everyday people.

Now, if you wanted to learn about Verboordt or his particular design process, please look elsewhere. If, rather, you were interested in the internal logic of Kanye West, please carry on.

I don’t wish to be number one anymore, I wish to be water.

The most surprising bit of news from the interview is that West admitted he’s writing a philosophy book. Unsurprisingly, though, he quickly veered off topic:

I’ve got this new concept that I’ve been diggin’ into. I’m writing a philosophy book right now called Break the Simulation. And I’ve got this philosophy—or let’s say it’s just a concept because sometimes philosophy sounds too heavy-handed. I’ve got a concept about photographs, and I’m on the fence about photographs— about human beings being obsessed with photographs—because it takes you out of the now and transports you into the past or transports you into the future. It can be used to document, but a lot of times it overtakes [people].

West spoke very little about his musical career, nor did he offer any about his potential Wyoming recordings. Instead, like the middle-aged Californian dad he is, he was apparently jazzed to see Wes Anderson’s animated dog movie (Isle of Dogs).

That’s a big term that people use right now: influencers. I don’t want anyone to influence. … I don’t usually watch normal TV. I liked watching the Olympics. (Laughs.) I do try to watch documentaries. And there’s a Wes Anderson movie [Isle of Dogs] that’s out right now that I’m definitely going to try to catch.

He also clarified his artistic relationship with Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton’s newest artistic director of menswear, in case anyone was confused.

Because [Abloh and I] have been fighting to make apparel at a certain price that still has the same credibility and desirability as something at a higher price. … But when they say he was my creative director, that’s incorrect. He was a creative collaborator.

Beyond looking to expand into the fledgling world of publishing, West said he envisions a classless world, where everyone can receive his wisdom as if he were a global non-profit…? He also said he wishes he was an element of nature??

I don’t wish to be number one anymore, I wish to be water. I wish to be closer to UNICEF or something where I can take the information that I have and help as many people as possible, not to just shove it into a brand.

I’m not saying I’d also like to be an amorphous collection of molecles without a consciousness—but I won’t say it doesn’t sound appealing some days. Feel you, Kanye.