Kanye West shares Kardashian 'backlash'

Kanye West stopped appearing on Keeping Up with the Kardashians because of the "amount of backlash" he got.

The rapper is expecting his first baby, a daughter, with his reality TV star girlfriend Kim Kardashian. She is expected to give birth next month but their relationship has been called into question as they haven't seen each other much recently. Kanye was also criticised for not spending enough time at Kim's baby shower, which was filmed for her TV show.

The hip-hop star has spoken in glowing terms about his partner and tried to explain why he won't be on her programme anymore.

"Any woman that you're in love with or that loves you is going to command a certain amount of, you know, energy. It's actually easier to focus, in some ways… I'm the type of rock star that likes to have a girlfriend, you know? I'm the type of soul that likes to be in love and likes to be able to focus. And that inspires me," he told New York Times.

"It's hard when people read things in a lot of different ways. You know, the amount of backlash I got from it is when I decided to not be on the show anymore. And it's not that I have an issue with the show; I just have an issue with the amount of backlash that I get. Because I just see like, an amazing person that I'm in love with that I want to help."

Kanye called a question about his thoughts on impending fatherhood "powerful", adding he is still thinking about what kind of dad he will be. One thing he knows is that he wants to protect his unborn baby and Kim.

"I just don't want to talk to America about my family. Like, this is my baby. This isn't America's baby," he stated.

The interview was wide-reaching, with Kanye speaking about his career to date and his plans for the future. He is known for his love of fashion, having released a clothing line and worked with Louis Vuitton in the past.

Earlier this year he appeared on stage in a kilt which was ridiculed, but it's his preppy look from years ago he's more embarrassed about.

"Yeah, kill self. That's all I have to say. Kill self," he said, when asked what he thinks of his fashion choices from seven years ago.

That said, the 36-year-old musician is proud of his ability to influence others.

"Respect my trendsetting abilities. Once that happens, everyone wins. The world wins; fresh kids win; creatives win; the company wins," he said.

Kanye doesn't know if he's "statistically correct" but he "assumes" he has the most Grammy Awards of anyone his age.
He doesn't care so much about trophies though, rather he wants to change the face of music and cure injustices. That means speaking up for artists who deserve support, which is why he famously stormed on stage when Taylor Swift won an MTV Video Music Award he thought should have gone to Beyoncé Knowles in 2009.

"If anyone's reading this waiting for some type of full-on, flat apology for anything, they should just stop reading right now," he claimed, before being asked if he regrets saying sorry to Taylor for the incident.

"Yeah, I think that I have like, faltered, you know, as a human. My message isn't perfectly defined. I have, as a human being, fallen to peer pressure."

Kanye was quizzed on whether he has always been so self-assured. He insists it has been the case most of his life, adding he knew he was destined for great things when he wrote a lyric for Slow Jamz, a track included on his debut 2004 record The College Dropout.

"I knew when I wrote the line 'light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson' I was going to be a big star. At the time, they used to have the Virgin music [stores], and I would go there and just go up the escalator and say to myself, 'I'm soaking in these last moments of anonymity,'" he recalled.