When we first heard that Kanye West and Paul McCartney were collaborating on music back in 2014, none of us really knew what to expect. Then came "FourFiveSeconds," "Only One" and "All Day," each one showing that the unlikely pairing worked in ways that were a testament to the two's artistry.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone McCartney discussed what it was like recording with The Life Of Pablo creator, comparing his creative process to that of iconic artist Andy Warhol.
"I didn't know his system. I'd heard things like, 'He's got a room full of guys working on riffs, and he walks around going, 'I like that one,'" McCartney said of West's alleged method of recording. "It reminded me of Andy Warhol, these artists who use students to paint their backgrounds and things. It's a well-used technique."
The former Beatles member said he didn't know what to expect from his studio sessions with 'Ye, so much so that the two came to an agreement before even recording together: if the pairing didn't feel right they wouldn't tell anyone it happened. "I thought, 'I don't know how I'm going to fit into that, but let's see. Here goes nothing,'" McCartney said about the sessions that ultimately led to the creation of "FourFiveSeconds," "Only One" and "All Day."
McCartney understood that his contributions went into a "pool of ingredients," with Kanye "just collecting things."
"We weren't going to sit down and write a song so much as talk and spark ideas off each other," Sir Paul said. "It was only when I got this song, the Rihanna record ["FourFiveSeconds"] and 'Only One,' the three tracks we did, that I went, 'I get it. He's taken my little whistle-y thing.' It returned to me as an urban hip-hop riff. I love that record."
As for the big question of if he thinks Kanye is a genius? Well: "I think he's a great artist," McCartney responded.
