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King Krule, the South London musician who has amassed an underground following, moves on his own time and even has the stones to turn down working with legends. In an interview with the New York Times, the artist born Archy Marshall said that he turned down an offer to work with Kanye West but it appears that the admission wasn’t a case of ego.

The Times profiled King Krule ahead of his upcoming third studio album, The Ooz. He first broke out on the scene with his self-titled EP in 2011 when he was just 18, and critics have noted his strong Hip-Hop and acid jazz influences. In the chat, Krule explained that his sparse output is a matter of keeping his sound pure and not latching on the next big wave. But the most head-turning part of the talk was the Kanye West portion.

From the Times:

Dean Bein, the founder of True Panther Sounds, Mr. Marshall’s label, wrote in an email that upon meeting the singer, at 15, “I knew he was special. Even then, he didn’t do anything for the look or for attention. His moves are always decisive.” Mr. Bein recalled Mr. Marshall turning down a “super prominent magazine cover” early on “because he felt he hadn’t earned it yet,” and balking similarly at “some very notable collaborations because he couldn’t see how the artists’ sounds would work with his.”

Mr. Marshall was more blunt. “I remember even getting hit up by Kanye to go to the studio. Anyone else in my shoes would’ve done it,” he said. “I couldn’t be bothered.” It wasn’t out of a sense of superiority, he stressed, but because of the pressure to create on call.

Krule explained that he prefers to work in close quarters and organically record music instead of doing on the spot sessions but he did admit some disappointment in not taking the call.

Read the full King Krule interview by following this link.

Photo: WENN.com