wade's blog: Kanye West Will Take Fans' Twitter Questions After 'Runaway' Debut

After 35-minute short premieres on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, use the hashtag #askkanye to probe West during a live Q&A on MTV and MTV.com.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Kanye West
Photo: MTV News

If Kanye West is nothing else, he is a complex MC. For his latest visual, "Runaway," the rapper directed a 35-minute short film that tells the story of a fallen phoenix. The video is awe-inspiring, puzzling, celebratory, dark, anything you can think — except simple.

After the clip premieres this weekend, however, viewers will have the chance to ask the man himself, Kanye West, about the vision behind the project. West will sit down with MTV News' Sway and take Twitter questions from fans using the hashtag #askkanye. The interview is set for Saturday, October 23, and will broadcast live on MTV and MTV.com immediately after the debut airing of "Runaway" at 8 p.m. ET.

The Chicago lyricist has been screening the short film around the world, first overseas in London and Paris and this past week, Stateside, in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. After the L.A. premiere, Kanye spoke with MTV News about the protagonist in the film, the fallen phoenix, and how it relates to his own journey.

"I love characters in general, but [I loved] how colorful the bird is and just the design, it's just something I would've picked or drawn as a 5-year-old," West explained. "It definitely relates to everything that I've been through, like, burning to the ashes and rebuilding and becoming a better person and delivering better product."

In addition to West, Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks stars in "Runaway" portraying the aforementioned phoenix. Ebanks traveled to Prague to film the production and was effusive in her praise of West. She credited his artistic vision with giving her a sense of ease on the set.

"It's extremely easy to work with him, understanding that everything with him comes from an artistic standpoint, because he is an artist and he has this vision," Ebanks told MTV News. "I honestly was just so excited and honored that he even considered me for it."

Kanye West's "Runaway" will premiere on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV, MTV2 and BET, and will also stream live on MTV.com, BET.com and VH1.com, followed by a live Q&A session on MTV and MTV.com.

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