Kanye West spoke with the Oxford Guild Society in March, and the video of his presentation was released yesterday (December 7).
In his speech, West discusses his personal inspirations and details the importance of collaboration.
“One of my biggest problems, one of my biggest Achille’s heels has been my ego,” the rapper says to the audience. “And if I, Kanye West, the very person, can remove my ego, I think there’s hope for everyone.”
He says that Drake is someone who helped him readjust his way of thinking.
“I think that that’s been a progression of mind with the advent of a human being named Drake,” West says. “You know, this idea of holding onto a #1 spot. And then you get this guy that comes and blows out the water every #1 of any band ever. Be it me or Paul McCartney. And at the point, you know, when you’ve lost the idea of holding onto that concept, you can leave the mountaintop finally, and walk down, and readjust, and see what your position on earth can be.”
The Toronto rapper passed The Beatles last year and now has the eighth-most for the eighth-most songs of all time on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. In March, he tied the group’s record for most singles charting at a time with 14. Drake has now had 100 songs that have reached the chart.
Kanye West won Best Rap Album at the 2011 Grammy Awards for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The next year, Drake took home the award with Take Care.
West says that his transformation is evident on his 2013 album, Yeezus, and that he has found a clear sense of purpose.
“I’ve had all of these mixed emotions, mixed feelings, based off you know, bigotries, walls, perceptions that I’ve had to deal with,” West continues. “Ones that drove me to titles like ‘Black Skinhead’ or ‘I Am A God.’ Now I understand that I’m a servant. And with my voice, and with the information and my ability to build relationships with amazing people, speak to amazing people.”
To read a transcipt of the speech, visit The Gateway Online.
For additional Kanye West coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
Big ups to Kanye for realizing that his purpose is to help others.
I honestly think drake did his thang as an artist but Ill never respect him as someone I can say he is an inspiration or a Mc that has come from that actual life you can have hits play roles and get yourself popin through social media but to me your false tbh I admire mcs like Eminem Immortal technique so on and alot more that have struggled through game and put in work lyrically back to back is not a diss but juat fire cause media promotes bullshit drake is a fraud you respect his accomplishments but hes just an actor along with rick ross
“acting hard” but his number 1 single right now is lamenting about a girl who doesnt call him anymore? really man? ok. everyone has their own version of “acting hard” i guess. rich Canadian neighborhood but he grew up renting half a house, no? lets be clear – ghetto homes in harlem are renting for more than half-houses in Toronto. renting aint rich in my world but hey, whatever…..wont go at Kendrick? Kendrick has never gone at Drake directly and also blatantly denied going at Drake in multiple interviews. If your “realest” boy wants a piece of Drake, he needs to at least just admit it and “name names” – no subliminals. Truth is: Kendrick and Drake are collaborators who have worked with each other multiple timesand Drake helped bring Kendrick to mainstream audiences. so where’s is this beef? isnt this just another anti-Drake fantasy? Common only won according to the anti-Drake haters. Winners of battles change minds. Drake never lost fans – he gained them since then. Common lost a lot including myself. His bars were bad. Plus Common despite denying going at Drake for weeks, when he finally admitted it, he later said it was all about his love for Serena. if that aint bitch-made, please tell me what isnt? Before beef with Drake, Meek Mill was a skilled battle rapper who Drake better not battle. After beef with Drake, Meek Mill was an easy target for Drake and Drake didnt battle a real MC. Hmm…nuff said. Ironically how Meek Mill has multiple collaborators claiming to have ghost written for him including Louie V but Drake has no one claiming to have written for him and every Drake listener knows those reference tracks are incomplete songs and reveals a few sporadic bars. aside from some fantasy world, every rapper has took a hook, a bar here and there…even Ghostface, Jay-Z and Nas. So whats the problem with Drake? and you say life aint hard for disney-show looking Canadian in rap…cmon now…u and the rest of the anti-Drake groupies have invented whole new standards for this dude to meet…
Yo Rigo, I respect your opinion and i digs Em and Immortal Technique but if you think a Canadian who has zero ghetto credentials who made it in American hiphop somehow had it easy, you gotta be crazy man. The idea of Canadian MC was laughing joke 7 years ago and an MC that wasn’t from some American ghetto was such a ridiculous proposition then no one would believe he could dominate the game (he is still ridiculed for this background to this day and record execs pressured him to invent a gangster past!). Frankly, Immortal Technique, Eminem and maybe 50 Cent are probably the realest MCs out, sure, but 90% of the big rappers are simply entertainers who exaggerate and romanticize their criminal pasts/hood credentials. Unfortunately, big poppa didn’t grow up in a “one room shack”, 2Pac became more thugged out as he made more records and Ice Cube wasn’t from Compton or known for being some AK-47 gun-toting maniac. Dr. Dre was on record denying his gang affiliations and admitting his music was just entertainment. So to me, Drake is actually one of the realer MCs out there, actually having lyrics which are more honest and down to earth. But to each his own dawg
In all actuality youre right. However what you said abooitabout pac is only half correct. 2Pac always said on his music that he was a thug “because he came from the gutteranx hes still here” 2pac sold drugs for like 2 weeks and admitted it. It nust wasmt for him. But he had to use the gangster persona persona as a pedistol even back then nobody wanted to hear just strictly knowledge. Just sayin
One of the realer emcee’s who has people writing his music.. Claims to catch bodies. Yet got pimped slapped by Puff Daddy and peed on by TI’s entourage. Tries to act hard yet has a sweater collection and has tea parties with Erykah Badu. Is willing to accept a beef with Meek because he isn’t a lyrical artist but won’t admit being by Common and won’t dare the challenge of taking on Kendrick. It wasn’teasy for him yet he had better connections than most people. His Dad isa musician and he grew up wealthy in a rich neighborhood. He’s a pop artist he’s not a rapper to me. I don’t hate hate his grind he does what Hov does hops on the hottest single to keep relevant when he doesn’t have hits of his own and calls himself..Champagne Papi really
1. He didn’t rent half a house (which isn’t a real thing), he grew up in the Canadian suburbs. 2. Drake doesn’t have a number one single. 3. Drake never introduced Kendrick to mainstream audiences. 4. Common only lost according to Drake stans like you. Common didn’t lose any fans, hell, he’s nominated for Grammys and won an Oscar for Glory. His bars weren’t bad, it was Drake’s bars that were bad. 5. There’s been people who claimed to have ghostwritten for Drake. What he did can’t be compared to Ghostface, Jay Z, and Nas because they never did that bullshit.
You’re comparing Jay Z to Drake? You should stop listening to hip hop immediately!
Hip hop at its lowest! First off fuck charts second Drake has a team of people making music for him. Niggas saying he killed Meek when we aint even sure who the fuck wrote back to back! Yall saying meek lost when his ass got jumped lyrically
You have a point!
Drake is wack as fuck. Think about this.. The kardashians are the biggest celebrities in America.. Everyone talks shit but then y’all worship them. Somebody gotta be or they’d a faded long ago. Drake the same. Hugely popular but everyone talks shit cause you don’t want to admit you worship this kid because he’s famous for being famous. Not because he’s dope . that shit makes me sick.
get a real life
haha dude. keep dreaming. get your ears cleaned out.
Delete your account.
ha to cypher412 – That’s only what you think dude! That’s not what all his fans including me think. Your taste in music is with someone else because if we all had the same taste we’d be all boring. I personally like all kinds of music and Drake happens to do something for me. He allows me to enjoy some of his songs, especially the older albums. So take a hike to your own musicians website and articles. What the hell are you doing here. No one will ever change my mind. So get lost!
Why is Kanye looking for inspiration from Drake?. Drake took Kanye’s 808 & Heartbreak influence and put his own corny spin to it.. And yes, I am aware that Ye has a team of writers and producers with him, but at least he admitted it early on while Drake kept it a secret all this time..
Drake was singing before 808’s was released. This is the stupidest myth. Did you listen to comeback season? So Far Gone came out like 2-3 months after 808’s.
Also Drake has credited people for writing before 808’s dropped, he’s mentioned in interviews that he works with a team. He has been shouting out people who have writing credits on albums since his mixtape days. Stop fucking lying! It’s one thing to hate Drake that’s fine, but god damn get your facts straight.
Aubrey be gangsta since Degrassi High when he got shot and had to be in a wheel chair
Hahaha yeah…,even Yeezy gets a lil bit of insipiration from tha 6god man,what more can i say #Drake Is Real#Drake Is dope#
On Judgement day.. when god ask your STUPID ass “Why did you call another man a God?” What are you gonna say? Hope Drake can save your ass that day too
This for yall that think that I dont write enough, they just mad cuz I gat the midas touch
Lol to all these cats hating on Drake online but bump his sht in secret
That comment makes no sense.
not one classic album though? and he recites them shits from other writers too? his more like a an industry machine then holding the number 1# spot, and his kind of cheating not just with all the rampant biting but what is he number 1# on the strength of? like his rnb shits, so is he king of pop? king of hip hop? no. its like micheal jordan claiming king of golf naah mean. to me kanyes catalogue is still untouchable compared to drake, dude has zero versatlity or growth.
drake will go down as one of the best to ever do it. in 5 years acheiving what it takes most artists 15 years to achieve. insanity
Kanye West is the best to ever do it… Simply because he’s drake biggest inspiration musically.
Stfu*drake has a damn ton of ghostwriters*he’s disqualified*tht boyy is in puffs lane now*btw one of the best to do it*lmao*hall of famers don’t freestyle off of a blackberry*long live the 80s & 90s*
Got news for you boy…please be sure to be sitting down comfortable when i tell you this…I don’t want your heart to break and fall onto the floor but..half of those so-called 90s freestyles on Hot97 were pre-written and showed up on the MC’s albums later on…”Off the top of the dome” was rarely the case…Drake has a “credited” ghostwriter that denies ghostwriting and a couple reference tracks with hooks and a misc. few bars…big deal…your 90s heroes from Phife Dawg, Ghostface, Dr. Dre, Big L, Run DMC, ODB, Chuck D, Snoop, Nas have all had writers for a few bars here and there and various collaborators…keep romanticizing the 90s man… everything looks good in the rear-view mirror….so will Drake!
Funny how the article Is about kanye, bt everyone ends up focusing on drake, hate him or not….dat jus goes to show how much more relevant he is compared to other rappers.
And I would have agreed with you until the whole Quentin Miller fiasco. All bets are off
That’s because Drake’s name is on the title of the article, which instant;ly brings out the Drake stans, including OP, who rides Aubrey’s dick like there’s no tomorrow.
Someone loves Drake’s dick.
Yolp – your only like penis?
Everybody know that Drake is the number one rockstar in the world. Hes the number one popstar in the world and the number one rapper in the world.
Even Kanye knows it.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!! Good jokes. The only thing you’re right about is Aubrey being a pop star.
Oh Kayne, feeling sorry for himself now that Drakes getting a lot of attention. I personally think Kim especially has taken a good look at Drakes life and has copied a lot of things Drake has done. Example: Drake had his games out and apps. before the Kardashians started theirs, esp. Kim, Drake had his, then all of a sudden Kim got hers. Drake I believe had his own games out before any of the rappers if I am not mistaken. Drake got the ball rolling. Drake is a good example of a leader. He creates his own life and ideas. He’s a good guy, he’s smart, and he will continue his journey. It’s Drakes time to shine. Kayne has had many years to shine and Drizzy is just getting started.
There were other things I noticed they replicated but I won’t get into it. You mean Kayne is learning a lot off of Drizzy. Well Kayne, I thought you were really smart. Hah! Hah! It’s time to grow up now that you have 2 children. President, that’s a good one!!!! Hah! Hah!