Kanye West is the kind of man who divides opinion. The possessor of the biggest ego in the music business (and that’s saying something), the rapper has as many lovers as he does haters. Whichever side of the fence you’re on though, you have to admit he’s certainly an entertaining individual, with some very ‘interesting’ opinions on life…
Kanye on rap music…
‘I don’t even listen to rap. My apartment is too nice to listen to rap in.’
Considering Kanye has built his entire career out of rap music, he doesn’t seem to rate it very highly. He even compared his high profile profession to Starbucks staff drinking coffee at home after spending the day at work. Or maybe he just doesn’t like to bring his work home with him, who knows…
On his wife.
“There’s times when I wasn’t with Kim, I wanted to be with her so bad I thought about taking up sports.”
Kanye’s wife Kim is well known for her love of sportsmen. Her ex-husband is American football player Kris Humphries, and in the past she has dated soccer star Cristian Ronaldo and running back Miles Austin. The fact that Kanye talks about this so freely is either an indication of a secure man or one with a dodgy sense of humour…
On spirituality.
‘I am God’s vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.’
Kanye has compared himself to God on multiple occasions, including comparing himself to Jesus on his latest album Yeezus, and donning a crown of thorns on the cover of Rolling Stone in 2006.
On art.
‘My goal, if I was going to do art, fine art, would have been to become Picasso or greater… That always sounds so funny to people, comparing yourself to someone who has done so much, and that’s a mentality that suppresses humanity…’
As well as religious figures, Kanye has also compared himself to a long list of cultural icons including Picasso, Walt Disney, Barack Obama and Michael Jackson.
On the history books.
“I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice.”
In a 2008 interview with the Associated Press, Kanye claims he had come to the conclusion that his position in history is to be the voice of this generation. He also criticised Justin Timberlake, saying Justin had the chance to hold the role but was too slow to release material.
On his mum.
“I’ve known my mom since I was zero years old. She is quite dope.”
Kanye’s mother Donda West passed away in November 2007 from complications following plastic surgery. She had previously given up her job as Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University to act as his manager, and the pair were close.
On creativity.
“One of the problems with being a bubbling source of creativity – it’s like I’m bubbling in a laboratory, and if you don’t put a cap on it, at one point it will, like, break the glass. If I can hone that… then I have, like, nuclear power, like a superhero, like Cyclops when he puts his glasses on.”
Kanye began writing poetry when he was five years old, and received a scholarship to the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 1997. He later transferred to Chicago State University to study English, before deciding that college wouldn’t help him achieve his dream of becoming a musician and dropped out.
On Taste.
“I believe that bad taste is vulgar. It’s like cursing. I think the world can be saved through design, because what is the most distasteful thing someone can do? Kill someone. So, good taste is the opposite of that.”
Kanye announced his fashion line Pastelle Clothing in 2005, but it never hit the stores and the rapper dropped the project in 2009 after four years in development. The reason why remains unclear. Kanye has since colloborated with multiple designers and released his own women’s clothing range, all to mixed reviews.
On money.
“So many people talk about their investments or how much money they have but there’s so many rich people who spend a lot of that trying to buy a piece of happiness.”
Kanye claims rather than chasing money he pursues happiness. He claims this change of heart occured after his mother’s sudden death, but it’s easy to say money doesn’t matter when you’re worth $130 million.
On the haters.
‘When you’re the absolute best, you get hated on the most.’
Kanye has his fair share of haters and naysayers. When he was announced as a headline slot for Glastonbury this Summer over 100,000 people signed a petition to try and get him replaced. He has been called everything from cocky to a butthole, but despite this he still manages to be one of the most successful men in music, using his controversial image to his advantage.
What do you think? Is Kanye a genius or a joke? Tell us in the comments!
