His debut album was called The College Dropout and on Monday 350 Oxford University students ditched revision for upcoming exams in favour of hearing a talk by rapper Kanye West.
They each paid £4.89 (Dh17.9) to hear him deliver pearls of wisdom, such as: “We have the ability to approach our race like ants or we have the ability to approach our race like crabs.”
Other gems from his half-hour speech include:
“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…”
“One of my biggest Achilles’ heels has been ego. And if I, Kanye West, can remove my ego, I think there’s hope for everyone.”
“We have the resources as a civilisation to make a utopia, but we’re led by the most greedy and the least noble”
“Beauty has been stolen from the people and is being sold back to them as luxury.”
“Clothing should be like food. There should never be a $5,000 [Dh18,364] sweater. You know what should cost $5,000? A car...”
“People say I’ve got a bad reputation. I think I’ve got the best reputation in the building.”
