Poor Kanye West. He isn’t taken seriously as a fashion mogul. People don’t see him as the biggest rock star to ever walk the face of the planet. Nike didn’t renew his shoe line. And the general public just won’t let him live the same dream they’ve handed Jay-Z—just handed to Jay-Z, we tell you!
Such is the difficulty in being Kanye. And he’s happy to tell anyone who will listen.
Just a few months ago, the supremely confident performer shared his beliefs in himself with the New York Times. But it’s during a recent BBC Radio 1 interview that Yeezy achieves a whole new level of grandiosity, suggesting that he’s surpassed Michael Jackson—rap is the new rock, just so you’re up to date—and that he plans a foray into the world of architecture.
Kanye is creative; don’t limit him to music, he says.
But as fun as it might be to talk about Kanye, nothing proves more entertaining than simply listening to the rapper discuss himself. So, courtesy of the interview with BBC’s Zane Lowe, here are some of Kanye’s best pearls of wisdom. They’re all nuggets, every last one:
“Rap is the new rock ‘n’ roll. We the new rock stars, and I’m the biggest of all of them. I’m the No. 1 rock star on the planet.”
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“Jay-Z is more realized than me. More of his dreams and aspirations have come true. You don’t realize I am so frustrated. Like, I’ve got so much I want to give. … And I’ve got a million people telling me why I can’t do it, that I’m not a real designer.”
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“I know how to make perfect, but that’s not what I’m here to do. I’m here to crack the pavement and make new grounds sonically … and culturally.”
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“I would not be Kanye West if it wasn’t for Michael Jackson. I was able to ascend to massive heights. And I’ve got to a point that Michael Jackson did not break down. I have reached the glass ceiling, as a creative person, as a celebrity and I’ve been at it for 10 years.”
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“I’m learning what I want. This is the reason why I’m working with five architects at a time. The time spent in a bad apartment, I can’t get that back. But the education I can get from working on it is priceless.”
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“I’ve got a very particular specific take on men’s footwear. No one can say I can’t design or don’t know how to design a guy’s sneaker.”
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“I want to do product, I am a product person. Not just clothing but water bottle design, architecture. I make music but I shouldn’t be limited to once place of creativity. I hang around architects mostly. People that wanna make things as dope as possible.”
Rap on, Kanye.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2T0fMkZoMo&feature=player_embedded#t=1]