Kanye West has revealed that he feels an aversion to literature, comparing books to Brussels sprouts and explaining that he sees evolved forms of communication as crucial to his vision of an optimised future.

The revelation came in a new episode of the podcast Alo Mind Full, where the rapper joined Alo Yoga co-founder Danny Harris and host Alyson Wilson to “paint a sonic picture of what’s on his mind”. Harris spoke of a book he’d read over 100 times, which included philosophies on self-confidence that he and West mutually agreed on. 

“[West] was telling me that he hasn’t read this book,” the entrepreneur said, “but I was telling him that every positive attribute [detailed in it], he naturally embodies. And that’s extraordinary, you know, to have that confidence – you know, from being such a young kid and going out there and inspiring and having this vision, and actualising it, is extraordinary.”

West responded to the sentiment by clarifying that he’d not only skipped on reading the book Harris mentioned, but “actually [hasn’t] read any book”. He explained: “Reading is like eating Brussels sprouts, for me, and talking is like getting the Giorgio Baldi corn ravioli.” (Giorgio Baldi is an upscale Italian restaurant and celebrity hotspot in Santa Monica, California).

The rapper continued with an anecdote about Mike Howe, inventor of the Ripsaw combat vehicle, saying: “When his mum texts him long paragraphs, he reads the first sentence and the last sentence. This person and his brother invented the fastest track vehicle – they put it in GI Joe, they have government contracts, this guy is a full-on-engineer, works with all geniuses, and for practical – not opinionated, you know, practical – technologies, and he only reads the first sentence and the last.

“What do you think my response was? ‘Same.’”

Have a look at West’s episode of the Alo Mind Full podcast below:

West went on to discuss an occasion where he and Harris seemed to transcend the need for traditional methods of conversation: “Danny really loves the logo for the Donda Doves, and he’s just looking at it and he’s like, ‘That’s it.’ And I’m existing in this, like, ‘outside of time and space, 2,000 years from now’ situation where… We had this one moment earlier, where he asked me about the fabrics, and I didn’t even have to say a word – we literally just were communicating with like a head-nod, like straight Jedi. 

“That was the one moment that showed where we’ll get to… Our kids and our grandkids will get to that level of language. Because the tower of Babylon, English, you know, the idea of having to speak correct English… Like, you’re not going to respect what I’m saying, even though you know what I’m saying, unless I’m speaking correct English? Well, that’s like a version of [a situation where] every time I’m talking, I’m getting pulled over and having to do an alcohol test, walking down a yellow line with my finger on my nose. 

“I want to express myself. And I’ve seen kids express themselves and they just want to cry, and someone will say, ‘Use your words.’ But what if they want to cry? Because we were given that form of expression.”

Earlier this week, West made waves for opening his own private school – a Christian prep institution called Donda Academy – in Simi Valley, California. According to its website, the tuition-based school aims to “prepare students to become the next generation of leaders”, with students engaging in programs that will supposedly see them “learn fundamentals, grow in their faith, and experience two enrichment classes”. 

Two families that enrolled to have their children attend Donda Academy have claimed they were made to sign NDAs before they would be admitted. A consultant for Donda, however, told Rolling Stone that parents of each student only have to sign “an informal agreement”.

“Honestly, we don’t care if people know about the school,” Tamar Andrews said. “The people that want to come to the school are looking for a good Christian school in that area and they know that we’re there.” She did note, though, that the school is not yet accredited.