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Kanye West’s 7 Most Obnoxious Quotes in the New York Times Interview

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Kanye West's interview with the New York Times was full of pompous boasts

One flaw Kanye West clearly doesn't have is low self-esteem. In an epic interview with The New York Times, the rapper, whose new album Yeezus drops June 18, unleashed a flurry of assertions about his place in history, his artistic talents, and his cultural influence. Below, a ranking of his top 7 most outrageous brags:

7. On not getting "Album of the Year" awards and fighting for his place in music history: "You know, if Michael Jordan can scream at the refs, me as Kanye West, as the Michael Jordan of music, can go and say, 'This is wrong.' "

Related: PHOTOS: Kanye's most outrageous moments

6. On supporting peers who don't get appropriate recognition: "I am so credible and so influential and so relevant that I will change things. So when the next little girl that wants to be, you know, a musician and give up her anonymity and her voice to express her talent and bring something special to the world, and it’s time for us to roll out and say, 'Did this person have the biggest thing of the year?' — that thing is more fair because I was there."

5. On his instincts: "It’s only led me to complete awesomeness at all times. It’s only led me to awesome truth and awesomeness. Beauty, truth, awesomeness. That’s all it is."

Related: PHOTOS: Kim and Kanye -- the perfect match!

4. On his pre-fame days: "I knew when I wrote the line 'light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson' [from the song 'Slow Jamz'] I was going to be a big star. At the time, they used to have the Virgin music [stores], and I would go there and just go up the escalator and say to myself, 'I'm soaking in these last moments of anonymity.' "

3. On others reining in his creativity: "I've had meetings where a guy actually told me, 'What we're trying to figure out is how we can control you.' In the meeting, to me! Why do you want to control me? Like, I want the world to be better! All I want is positive! All I want is dopeness! Why would you want to control that?"

Related: PHOTOS: Kim and Kanye's sweetest moments

2. On his cultural currency: "I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means. I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of Internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump. I honestly feel that because Steve has passed, you know, it’s like when Biggie passed and Jay-Z was allowed to become Jay-Z."

1. On his trendsetting abilities: "I think that's a responsibility that I have, to push possibilities, to show people: 'This is the level that things could be at.' So when you get something that has the name Kanye West on it, it’s supposed to be pushing the furthest possibilities. I will be the leader of a company that ends up being worth billions of dollars, because I got the answers. I understand culture. I am the nucleus."       

Tell Us: What do you think about Kanye West's quotes?

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