KANYE & CASSIE FOR COMPLEX MAG COVER (AUG/SEPT)

KANYE TALKS TO MARC ECKO ABOUT HIS CLOTHING LINE PASTELLE COMING IN NOVEMBER

COMPLEX: Talk to me about your clothing line, Pastelle. We’ve had countless conversations about it, you’ve talked about your aspiration to get in this industry and be taken seriously. What’s going on with Pastelle today, why is it taking so long?

Kanye West: Just getting the right designs. It’s a gift and a curse. You’ve got all eyes on you, so if you deliver something great, it’s gonna get held as, “Oh, it’s supposed to be great.” And even if it’s good or it’s OK or something, it’s gonna get bashed. There were phases where I could just do the bear on a Polo and it would’ve made $100 million. At a certain point. But I always say I was a designer before I was a rapper, and I really wanted to get into design. So then, trying to start designing and goin’ with my girl down to the fashion district and stuff, and looking at fabrics and stuff like that, I’m like, “Oh, shit. This is real.” I’ve learned so much about materials and fabrics and applications and sequence and shiny fabrics and fits and all type of shit. [ READ MORE ]

CASSIE TALKS ABOUT ALL OF THE RUMORS, HER SECOND ALBUM, AND HER THOUGHTS ON THE HURTFUL THINGS PEOPLE SAID

COMPLEX: What’s the most hurtful thing that was said?

CASSIE: That I slept my way into the industry. I think that’s really vicious. If it had nothing to do with talent, at least it had something to do with charm. But it was never jumping into bed with somebody. That’s just gross. As far as people saying I couldn’t sing, I did a bad job so I couldn’t hate. I was in a tough place for a second. I got really sick and was in the hospital in like November or December. It was stress and exhaustion, and I ended up going home to Connecticut. [Puffy] actually called me up when I was at home and asked me what I wanted to do. I was like, “I want to do another album.”[ READ MORE ]