Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Thomas Edison, The Wright Brothers
I had a dream that I was The Wright Brothers. I had a dream that I was Thomas Edison. I had a dream that I was Mandela. I had a dream that I was Martin Luther King. I had a dream, I had a dream, I had a dream. I had a dream, I had a dream. And I’m not afraid to dream out loud.
Muhammad Ali
I’m just going to give y’all the truth and you’re going to learn to love it. My grandfather loved Ali until he died, and my grandmother hated Ali till she passed. You are going to love me, or you’re going to hate me, but I’m going to be me.
Deepak Chopra
Pussy had me floating, feeling like Deepak Chopra.
Elon Musk
I aint going after no one on the radio. I’m going after Shakespeare. I’m going after Walt Disney. I’m going after Howard Hughes. I’m going after David Stern. I’m going after Henry Ford. I’m going after Elon Musk.
Pinocchio
They always say, ‘Kanye keeps it real, boy,’ Pinocchio’s story is ‘I just wanna be a real boy’.
Gil Scott-Heron And Miles Davis
I am in the lineage of Gil Scott-Heron, great activist-type artists. But I’m also in the lineage of Miles Davis — you know, that liked nice things also.
Ice Cube
I am the day Ice Cube met Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson
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.
Nikola Tesla & Alejandro Jodorowsky
I don’t know if y’all have heard of Nikola Tesla, and I’m not talking about the car, I’m talking about the inventor. Or if y’all ever heard about Alejandro Jodorowsky, the director who made Holy Mountain. But there’s so many amazing creative inventors who weren’t recognized in their time.
Jim Morrison
Like my idol Jim Morrison, like his approach to shit — when I see, like, a documentary; I’ve seen the movie — I’m like ‘Yo, that’s really who I am. I am this guy in real life.
Katniss Everdeen
The reason I thought my life was like Hunger Games as this idea all these contestants over the years have won, and they’ve all been quiet, and there’s this one that won that wanted to turn up, and that’s what I felt like.
Malcom X
I’m fly like Malcolm X.
Marina Abramovich
I want to show you that this is the type of imagery that has been presented to all of us, and the only difference is a black dude in the middle of it — I’m like Marina Abramovic. This is like performance art.
Michael Jordan
If Michael Jordan can scream at the refs, me as Kanye West — the Michael Jordan of music — can go and say ‘this is wrong’.
Pablo Picasso
No matter how they try to control you, or the motherfucker next to you tries to peer pressure you, you can do what you motherfucking want. I am Picasso.
Barack Obama
No one is looking at what Barack Obama is wearing. Michelle Obama cannot Instagram a pic like what my girl Instagrammed the other day.
Ralph Lauren
When you think of Polo, you got the story that Ralph Lauren is giving you … you think about the pictures of him and his wife [and] all the ads he puts up. You think about an urban line and it might just be a picture of someone standing in front of a car. It’s not a good story. The greatest story is Christianity, the Bible. That’s a deep story that can last forever. Ralph Lauren tried to create his own Bible, and the reason … I’m going to be the next Ralph Lauren is that everyone is looking at my story now. I can hate the paparazzi all I want, but they’re telling people the story.
A Tree
I’m like a tree. I feed the branches of the people.
A Soldier At War
I’m just giving of my body on stage… I’m putting my life at risk. This is like being a police officer or war or something. You’re literally going out to do your job every day knowing that something could happen to you… verbally, from the press bashing you, something could happen to you from people not liking you anymore… or you could actually slip on that stage.
Vanellope Von Schweetz
Have y’all ever seen Wreck-It Ralph? 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!
William Shakespeare, Walt Disney, Nike, Google
I am Shakespeare in the flesh. Walt Disney. Nike. Google. Now, who’s going to be the Medici family and stand up and let me create more? Or do you want to marginalize me till I’m out of my moment?
Willy Wonka
I want to be as unrealistic as possible. The worst thing about me comparing myself to Steve Jobs in that it’s too realistic of an idea. What I need to say is I’m more like Willy Wonka.
