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Kanye West Appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Says Feud “Took It Back to High School”

Kanye West visits Jimmy Kimmel Live on October 9, 2013
Kanye West Appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Says Feud "Took It Back to High School"

Thank Yeezus it's over! After an aggressive and very public Twitter rant against talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Kanye West took over Jimmy Kimmel Live on Oct. 9 to explain (in great detail!) his side of the feud.

West, 36, had an, ahem, strong reaction to a skit Kimmel, 45, aired on his ABC show in late September, mocking an over-the-top BBC interview in which the rapper deemed himself the "number one rock star on the planet." His response was a characteristically epic, all-caps tirade bashing Kimmel and the media in general.

Related: PHOTOS: Kanye's most outrageous moments (there's a lot!)

Kimmel thanked Kim Kardashian's boyfriend for agreeing to hash things out, and admitted he "really felt bad about this stuff." Laughing off the skit in which he used child actors to reenact the BBC interview, Kimmel reasoned to West: "I will tell you that the main reason I did that is because I like to see kids curse. I think it's funny."

West even laughed after re-watching the clip on the show, but was quick to note that this was not another Kimmel publicity stunt.

Related: PHOTOS: They asked for what?! Kanye and other stars' crazy demands

"Everyone out there needs to know that I've never done a publicity stunt in my life," he said. "Anytime I went up and spoke my mind whether I thought it put my career in jeopardy or whatever, it was always what I thought was the truth. I don't follow the rules of normal celebrities or whatever their publicists tell them to say."

The hip-hop star and designer went on to admit that his online beef had more to do with the media in general, but that he singled out Kimmel because he knew him personally.

PHOTOS: Biggest feuds ever

"We kind of just took it back to high school for a little bit," West admitted.

"And I didn't want to go back to high school because I got beat up a lot," Kimmel retorted.

Despite the reconciliatory tone, West was tense throughout the interview, rarely cracking a smile. And the comedian continued to push back at bit, arguing to baby Nori's dad: "A lot of times I think you bring it on yourself. Because I don't know if you know this, a lot of people think you're a jerk."

PHOTOS: Kim's pregnancy with baby North

But West remained steadfast in his insistence that he's not here to please.

"I'm not running for office," he said. "I'm just here to make good music. When I did that interview [with BBC], I was really vocal with a lot of things I've been dealing over the last 10 years. For me, I'm a creative genius, and I know you're not supposed to say that about yourself. I say things the wrong way a lot of times, but my intention's always positive. For me to say I wasn't a genius, I would be lying to you and myself. "

Related: PHOTOS: Kim and Kanye's sweetest moments

An insider at the taping tells Us Weekly West didn't bring a posse, but girlfriend Kim Kardashian and daughter North West did watch from the dressing room. Kimmel gifted baby North some leather jogging pants — a nod to one of West's sartorial staples. The rapper continued to stand by his BBC interview throughout his talk with Kimmel.

"It's really something extremely fearless for someone in my position to do because most people bow down to TV," West said. "I could care less about any of these cameras in all honesty. I care about protecting my girls, protecting my baby, and protecting my ideas and dreams."

In an unusual gesture, the talk show host blocked off the entire hour-long episode to the rapper — with no other guests or musical performances — and West took full advantage of the platform. He became more passionate and determined to get his points across as the night went on, spouting on topics from fashion to his ongoing feud with paparazzi.

"Don't try to antagonize me, because it's not safe for you in this zoo," he warned photographers. "Never think that I'm not from Chicago for one second."

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