Kanye West says he hasn't been canceled yet for a couple different reasons -- and he also explains why he's not backing down from some of his antisemitic statements.
We got Ye Monday at LAX -- after he'd returned from Super Bowl festivities in Vegas -- and the guy talked to us about a bunch of topics. As his finally released new album "Vultures" hit #1 on iTunes, he marked that success by digging into why he survived his "cancelation."
Check it out ... Kanye tells our photog he weathered the storm last year, and came out the other side perhaps even more successful than ever ... at least in his eyes.
That's debatable, of course, because he lost out on a lot of business deals, not to mention hundreds of millions of dollars. And yet, Kanye thinks he's landed on his feet pretty well ... and he explains why.
Kanye says he's got a few different things in his utility belt that have helped him remain popular, even in a mainstream capacity ... and he says a lot of it has to do with the fact he's incredibly talented with unique, interesting ideas.
Of course, his devoted fans also love that he's outspoken ... something KW's well aware of too. All that is why he says he's been able to survive a modern-day teardown.
He cites his feud with Adidas in making this point, and also lays out why he was in Europe for so long last year. It was actually more business than pleasure after all.
Anyway, Kanye says business is booming for him yet again ... despite the industry's best efforts. That's how he sees it anyway.
You can tell from this interview, he's in full us-versus-them mode right now. He attacks the music industry and record labels, saying the streaming structure isn't fair to artists -- and vows to speak up on these issues on behalf of all artists.
Interestingly, he even puts himself in the same boat as his archenemy, Taylor Swift! Yes, he speaks her name, and not in a disparaging way.
On the subject of antisemitism ... he offers a non-apology apology for some of his hate speech but believes other comments were spot-on.
He also cites an oft-used defense of his as to why he can't be antisemitic.
Watch it for yourself, but really the only apology he offers is to the Jewish kids who had to hear a "grown-up conversation."
One last thing ... Ye dodges any real position on the Israel-Gaza conflict -- surprising, perhaps, considering all his attacks on Jewish people -- but, says there are more pressing issues in his hometown.