Attention: Kanye West has an announcement to make and it's about himself and his talent.
The new father sat down with BBC Radio 1 personality Zane Lowe for an hourlong interview that aired today, and in true Yeezy fashion, proceeded to call himself "the No. 1 rock star on the planet," arguing that he's pushed the boundaries in art, music, fashion, and culture.
However, the Yeezus rapper does acknowledge that his inspiration was drawn from another pop icon, telling Lowe, "there would be no Kanye West if it wasn't for Michael Jackson."
But, that didn't last long.
West then pointed out that he's reached a certain level that even the King of Pop hadn't witnessed during his career, before stating that he's the only one in the game today doing what he does.
"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," he told Lowe. "I look around and I say, 'Wait a minute. There's no one around here in that looks like me. And if they are, they're quiet as f--k.' So that means, wait a second—now we're seriously like, in a civil rights movement."
He continued, "I shouldn't be limited to only one place of creativity. You guys don't understand—I did the Air Yeezys and they eBay'd for $90,000...but I didn't get a call from Nike the next day."
Kanye even brought up his pal Jay Z, and admitted that there's some envy there. "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."
"I'm not trying to regurgitate myself," he said. "I showed people that I understand how to make perfect. You know, [My Twisted] Dark Fantasy could be considered to be perfect. 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."
"We culture. Rap is the new rock 'n' roll. We the rock stars...We the new rock stars and I'm the biggest of all of them. I'm the No. 1 rock star on the planet." Boom.
But when he wasn't singing his own praises, 'Ye gushed about his lady Kim Kardashian and their new little family.
"It's like family time," he said when asked if he ever gets time to himself. "That's what Kim gave me. She gave me everything, she gave me family, she gave me a support system. She was in a powerful enough situation where she could love me without asking me for money, which is really hard for me to find."
The interview was the first of a four-part special series with the rapper.
