Madonna Once Called Kanye West a ‘Beautiful Mess’
Rap artist Kanye West is no stranger to making headlines. The Chicago Emcee has been at the center of some of the industry’s most notable controversies. Still, the artist remains admired by fans and peers alike. One of his admirers is fellow musical artist Madonna, who labeled him a ‘beautiful mess.’
Kanye West believed Madonna was the greatest visual musical artist of all time
Respect goes both ways, and Madonna and Kanye West have both shown each other a great deal of it. Speaking to director Steve McQueen on Interview magazine, the outspoken artist couldn’t help but shower the Pop Queen with praise.
“Madonna, I think, is the greatest visual musical artist that we’ve ever had,” West complimented. “If you look at her photo log, the photographers that she was able to work with throughout her career framed her in the proper way. It was the proper context. It was that visual that made sure that everything was gonna cut through in a certain way.”
What Madonna thought of Kanye West
Madonna has taken notice of Kanye West’s antics and behavior over the years. So when the singer, who’s equally outspoken, brought up the Hip-Hop mogul, she didn’t mince words when it came to the talent.
“It’s really hard to describe Kanye in one sentence, so I may have to use several,” she said according to Rolling Stone. “He’s a brilliant madman.”
Madonna was speaking from experience, as she’s no stranger to collaborating with the rapper.
“He would drive me bonkers, because he’s got so many things going on in his life. And this seemed to be the theme of my record, working with people who can’t get off their phone, can’t stop tweeting, can’t focus and finish a song. It drove me crazy,” she continued. “But when they did pay attention, it was brilliant.”
This isn’t the first time Madonna mentioned how difficult it could be working with West in the studio.
“It’s a little bit of a bullfight, but we take turns. He knows that he’s walking into a room with a person with a strong point of view, and I do too,” Madonna told Cosmopolitan. “I listen to what he has to say, take it in, and he listens to what I say and takes it in. We didn’t agree on everything, but he has good ideas.”
Despite West’s sometimes controversial behavior and beliefs, Madonna felt he was necessary to the industry.
“I don’t always agree with the things he says or does – I don’t always like his music, even. But he’s a beautiful mess. I love him.” she said.
Kanye West’s ‘Donda’ was the only record that inspired Madonna
In 2021, Kanye West released the rap album Donda to much critical acclaim. One of the people who was a fan of the record happened to be none other than Madonna herself.
“I mean, the only thing that I’ve heard recently that has inspired me is Kanye’s record Donda. There are very few artists that are working toward failure. And I feel like he is,” she told V.
However, this was despite the fact that she wasn’t in favor of some of the messages the album delivered.
“I can’t say that I agree with all of his politics and the way that he thinks of women, or unmarried people having sex, or the gay community,” she continued. “But his work is on the razor’s edge, and it’s inspiring and it’s rare. Everybody was waiting so long for his record to come out and then finally when it came out, everybody else’s record came out, too. And he still stood out.”
