Every Preposterous Comparison Kanye West Has Made Between Himself And These Cultural Icons

Most musicians, and this is only when they’re feeling particularly confident, are content with comparing themselves to other musicians – either as a little nod of thanks to their heroes, or a guilty admission to being totally ripping off matey from Royal Blood.

Kanye West, however, has conveyed a slightly more, shall we say, grandiose self-image, often comparing himself to philosophers, great artists, world leaders and, famously, a certain well known carpenter from the middle east. Here’s a list of West’s most preposterous claims.

1
 

God Kanye was adamant about his deity status during his notorious R1 interview with Zane Lowe. “When someone comes along and says something like ‘I am a God,’ everybody says ‘Who does he think he is?’ I just told you who I thought I was. A God. I just told you. That’s who I think I am.”

2
 

Michael Jackson “I would not be Kanye West if it wasn’t for Michael Jackson,” Kanye declared. “But 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.”

3
 

Steve Jobs “I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means,” Kanye has claimed. “I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of Internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump. I honestly feel that because Steve has passed, you know, it’s like when Biggie passed and Jay-Z was allowed to become Jay-Z.”

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4
 

Shakespeare “I am Warhol!” West exclaimed on US radio show Sway In The Morning. “I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh. Walt Disney, Nike, Google.”

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Vanellope von Schweetz “Have y’all ever seen Wreck-It Ralph?” Kanye once asked. “You remember how that girl in there — the people that was racing? She was the glitch. You’re telling me they don’t look at me like the motherfucking glitch? You’re telling me people don’t look at Kanye West like the glitch right now? She was on the side of the video game, the whole time!”

7
 

Walt Disney, Da Vinci, Howard Hughes & Jesus “When I compare myself to Steve Jobs, or Walt Disney… Howard Hughes, David Stern, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Jesus,” he said in Rolling Stone last year, “I’m saying these are my heroes.”

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8
 

Donald Trump “Balding, Donald Trump taking dollars from y’all,” went the lyrics to ‘So Appalled’, and he can now add a Presidential run to the similarity too.

9
 

Malcolm X “I’m fly like the Malcolm X,” he told us in ‘Good Morning’, perhaps missing the point of Malcom X’s political slogan when he continued, “buy any jeans necessary.”

10
 

Will Smith “We were sort of like Will Smith and his son, in the movie,” he wrote on ‘Champion’, “I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout the rich ones.”

11
 

Jimi Hendrix and Axl Rose “Nobody can tell me where I can and can’t go,” he said in response to being denied tickets for a fashion show. “Man, I’m the Number One living and breathing rock star. I am Axl Rose … I am Jimi Hendrix. It’s blasphemous—to rock ’n’ roll, and to music.”

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