Kanye West has shed light on his battle with alcoholism in a wide-ranging interview with GQ magazine.
Though he hasn’t had a drink in some time, he referred to himself as being a ‘functioning alcoholic’ at one point, and partly blamed Hollywood for his struggles.
Kanye, 42, revealed he previously drank Grey Goose with orange juice in the morning, but hasn’t touched alcohol since coming to a realization about the pace of his life.
‘I would be drinking orange juice and Grey Goose in the morning’: Kanye West has shed light on his prior battle with alcoholism in a wide-ranging interview with GQ magazine
‘Well, it’s good that we found out about all of those awards shows that partially led me to alcoholism,’ Kanye said. ‘Whistle been blown, you know? Imagine My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne [being eligible] the same year and neither of them being nominated for Album of the Year.
‘Imagine doing The Life of Pablo and driving down the road and never hearing none of those songs on the radio and your wife and your daughter are in the car.’
Kanye also talked about resisting the urge to partake in a day drink.
‘One day I was in my office working on the couture collection, and there was some Grey Goose in the fridge and I was just going to get a daytime drink, and I looked and thought, “Devil, you’re not going to beat me today.” That one statement is like a tattoo.’
‘All of those awards shows that partially led me to alcoholism’: Though he hasn’t had a drink in some time, he admitted Hollywood was partly to blame for his drinking problem
Now, Kanye hasn’t had any alcohol in some time.
Still, he never to admitted to himself he may have a problem.
‘I haven’t had a drink since I realized I needed to take it day by day, but I never owned up, or was even told, “Hey, you’re a functioning alcoholic.”
‘People have called me a crazy person, people have called me everything—but not a functioning alcoholic. And I would be drinking orange juice and Grey Goose in the morning.’
Not part of his image: The interviewer added Kanye has never really been perceived as an alcoholic, even after he drank Hennessy at the 2009 VMAs
The interviewer added Kanye has never really been perceived as an alcoholic, even after he drank Hennessy at the 2009 VMAs.
Kanye admitted the only way he was able to even handle the show was with a drink in hand.
‘Right? I really grabbed the drink to be able to even go to the awards show due to the information that everyone knows now. To say, “Okay, I can handle this,”‘ Kanye said.
Kanye was interviewed by GQ four separate times over the course of two months for his cover story, discussing everything from his music to his friendship with Kobe Bryant.
‘Okay, I can handle this’: Kanye admitted the only way he was able to even handle the show was with a drink in hand
The first interview was conducted just a few days following Kobe’s death at Kanye’s ranch in Wyoming.
Kanye called the basketball great ‘one of my best friends.’
‘This is a game changer for me. He was the basketball version of me, and I was the rap version of him, and that’s facts! We got the commercials that prove it. No one else can say this.
‘We came up at the same time, together. And now it’s like, yeah, I might have had a reputation for screaming about things—but I’m not taking any mess for an answer now. We’re about to build a paradigm shift for humanity. We ain’t playing with ’em. We bringing home the trophies.’
‘Kobe was one of my best friends’: Kanye said in his interview, which was conducted just a few days following the basketball player’s death (pictured 2004)
He also addressed his controversial political views, touching upon his decision to wear a MAGA hat.
‘Both my parents were freedom fighters, and they used to drink from fountains they were told they couldn’t drink from, and they used to sit in restaurants where they were told they couldn’t eat from. They didn’t fight for me to be told by white people which white person I can vote on.’
Kanye suggested he would be voting for Trump this year, without actually naming him.
‘I’m definitely voting this time. And we know who I’m voting on. And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. ‘
Controversial: He also addressed his controversial political views, touching upon his decision to wear a MAGA hat
‘We know who I’m voting on’: Kanye suggested he would be voting for Trump this year, without actually naming him (pictured 2016)
His views on his 2005 ‘George Bush doesn’t care about black people’ remark seem to have changed as well.
‘”George Bush doesn’t care about black people” is a victim statement,’ he said. ‘That is stemmed in victim mentality. Every day I have to look in the mirror like I’m Robert De Niro and tell myself, “You are not a slave.” As outspoken as I am, and the position that I am in, I need to tell myself,’ he said.
In more recent years, Kanye’s faith has been thrust into the spotlight.
‘A victim statement’: His views on his 2005 ‘George Bush doesn’t care about black people’ remark seem to have changed as well
The rapper, who conducts weekly Sunday Service events, described himself as a ‘definitely born again’ Christian.
‘I surrounded myself with the healing—the highest-level healing possible: singing about Jesus with my friends and family surrounding me [at Sunday Service] every single week. This was a place, contrary to popular belief about Christianity, of no judgment. I feel that the church that most people grew up on as kids had a negative environment.
‘The greatest thing for me, as someone who’s given their life to Christ, is knowing that other people have that as an anchor and a form of healing, because you’re talking to a person that went to the hospital and back. Now you see the measured nature—being able to let the child take the driver’s seat but still be measured.’
‘I surrounded myself with the healing’: The rapper, who conducts weekly Sunday Service events, described himself as a ‘definitely born again’ Christian