Shavo Odadjian ‘Used To Be’ Friends With Kanye West, Still Likes the Kardashians

System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian recently recalled how he used to be “good friends” with rapper Kanye West, the celebrity now involved in a divorce from reality TV personality Kim Kardashian. Odadjian knows the Kardashians too, actually, and says he’s still cool with them.

The veteran rocker and North Kingsley founder broached the topic in an interview with the CBD website PuraPhy that emerged on Monday (March 22). Amid the chat about SOAD, North Kingsley and more, the conversation also delved into Odadjian’s new boutique cannabis lifestyle brand, 22Red.

Eventually, talk turned to the Kardashians due to System of a Down members’ shared Armenian heritage with the reality TV family. As longtime listeners are undoubtedly aware, the band is quite outspoken in its support for the country and its people — last year, SOAD even released their first new material in 15 years as a response to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

But, wait, are Shavo and Kanye West not good friends anymore? The musician doesn’t offer any further detail to that point, so we’re just left to wonder why their friendship might have fizzled. Regardless, that doesn’t mean the System of a Down bassist isn’t still on Team Kardashian.

“Oh, I know the Kardashians quite well,” Odadjian responded. “I used to be very good friends with Kanye. Though this was a few years ago now, I’ve been to their house a lot. They’re just like you’d imagine they’d be: very cool, personable people. In fact, when System of a Down was asked to play in Armenia in 2015, come to find out that Kanye had just played the same venue a week before we did.”

System of a Down singer Serj Tankian has also offered kind words for Kim Kardashian in the past. And this week, Odadjian left no room for misinterpretation about his feelings on the famous socialite and her fam: “Yeah, I like the Kardashians a lot,” the bassist added.

Could this suggest the Kardashians actually mean more to heavy metal than as just a mark for a murderous T-shirt quip? Are there ways the two worlds can meet in peace? Perhaps Odadjian and his System of a Down bandmates have found the secret in building a bridge with social justice.