Kanye West Likens Himself To Kobe Bryant

Kanye West is once again sparking discussion following a passionate parallel between himself and the late legend Kobe Bryant.

BYMitch Findlay
Link Copied to Clipboard!
2.1K Views
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Leave it to Kanye West to make a variety of headlines off a single interview, though many of which tend to derive from the outlandish nature of his comments. On one hand, he'll entice longtime fans with promising tidbits about his actual music, including the revelation that he's getting back to rapping on his upcoming Dr. Dre-produced Jesus Is King IIOn the other hand, his loftier declarations tend to have the opposite effect and only serve to rub people the wrong way -- even if they are delivered in a sincere fashion.

Kanye West Likens Himself To Kobe Bryant
 KMazur/WireImage/Getty Images

Take, for instance, his insistence that he and Kobe Bryant are reflections of one another, albeit in different fields. Made in a recent interview with GQ, Yeezy opened up about his connection to Bryant, one that stems from a place of genuine admiration, respect, and longtime friendship. "He was the basketball version of me, and I was the rap version of him, and that’s facts!" says Kanye. "We got the commercials that prove it. No one else can say this. We came up at the same time, together."

"And now it’s like, yeah, I might have had a reputation for screaming about things—but I’m not taking any mess for an answer now," he continues, elaborating on how Kobe's death has left him feeling a renewed sense of purpose. "We’re about to build a paradigm shift for humanity. We ain’t playing with ’em. We bringing home the trophies." In that sense, Kanye continues to seek inspiration from his late friend, with whom he collaborated on a hilarious Nike commercial back in 2015. What do you make of Yeezy's comparison -- do you feel it's an appropriate one to make?

[via]


  • Link Copied to Clipboard!
About The Author
<b>Feature Editor</b> <!--BR--> Mitch Findlay is a writer and hip-hop journalist based in Montreal. Resident old head by default. Enjoys writing Original Content about music, albums, lyrics, and rap history. His favorite memories include interviewing J.I.D and EarthGang at the "Revenge Of The Dreamers 3" studio sessions in Atlanta and receiving a phone call from Dr. Dre. In his spare time he makes horror movies.