The Merriam-Webster dictionary will soon have to amend its definition of “narcissism” to simply read “Kanye West.” In yet another reminder of the largest ego on the planet (trumping perhaps even Donald Trump himself), audio of Kanye West’s alleged pre-Saturday Night Live meltdown has been released by Page Six of the New York Post — and it’s a doozy.
The rapper, whose antics over the last few weeks have drawn considerable criticism, gave a rather lackluster performance on the late-night television show last weekend, and it may have been due in part to the hissy fit he threw just before taking the stage, in which he explains just how great he really is.
In an almost comically over-the-top rant that has become the musician’s modus operandi, West is heard beginning his tirade by saying, “Look at that s**t, they took my f**king stage off a ‘SNL’ without asking me.” Then, in what appears to be something of an understatement, he says, “Now I’m bummed.” The following non-sequitur is so bizarre that it’s almost funny — “That and Taylor Swift, fake a**,” he continues. The two stars recently became intertwined in the media again following West’s controversial lyrics, in which he claims to still harbor hopes of having sex with Swift, whom he “made famous.”
Then, in my absolute favorite part of the audio recording, West announces that he is 50 percent more influential than any other individual (dead or alive) over the course of history. “Are they f—–g crazy? Whoa by 50 percent [ I am more influential than ] Stanley Kubrick, Picasso, Apostle Paul, f—–g Picasso and Escobar. By 50 percent more influential than any other human being.” He also displays a penchant for repeating himself, insisting, “Don’t f–k with me,” three times despite the fact that it would appear that no one is, in fact, attempting to do so. “By 50 percent dead or alive, by 50 percent for the next 1,000 years. Stanley Kubrick, ‘Ye.”
His recent antics, excessive and outrageous even by the astronomical standards West has set for himself, appear to have some people concerned. Fans and other musicians alike have urged the rapper to seek help and find healing — or perhaps a better financial consultant (after all, claiming to be $53 million in debt can’t be good for one’s nerves). West himself has offered some sense of humility lately, tweeting on Wednesday that his “number one enemy has been [his] ego.”
But apparently, that’s one enemy that just won’t quit.
