Kanye West/ Ye, although controversial, is one of the biggest names in the music industry today. Known for creating several immensely popular albums and winning several accolades, West’s music is known for pushing the boundaries of traditional hip-hop and rap. His unique style and innovative approach to music have earned him a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim.
Over the years, he has also collaborated with several prominent personalities and rappers, making his fame even more widespread. Yet, not many have been able to outperform him in his decades-long career. While there are several prominent rappers like Jay-Z who are just as famous and acclaimed as him, West states that only one female rapper has been able to outshine him.
Kanye West Believes Only One Female Rapper Has Outperformed Him
Apart from his musical genius, Kanye West is recognized for his entrepreneurial ventures and outspoken personality, making him a prominent figure in popular culture. While he has since become quite controversial over the last few years due to his opinions, the rapper is still one of the best when it comes to the music industry.
Having collaborated with several artists and talents, there aren’t many who can compete with one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Yet, West himself believes only one female artist has truly outshone him. Back in 2010, West recorded his hit song Monster from his Grammy-winning album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy with several artists, including Nicki Minaj.
Yet, it was Minaj who stood out from the rest. Ye felt so threatened by her verse that he considered removing it from the song. In an interview, he stated (via All Hip Hop),
It was like that moment when I thought about taking Nicki’s verse off of ‘Monster’ because I knew people would say that was the best verse on the best Hip Hop album of all time or arguably top ten albums of all time. And I would do all that work, eight months of work on Dark Fantasy and people to this day would say to me ‘My favorite thing was Nicki Minaj’s verse.’
Stating that he almost let his ego get the best of him, Kanye West did not in fact take the verse off. But in another interview, he described the experience as feeling exiled by Nicki Minaj and her genius.
Kanye West Felt Exiled By Nicki Minaj’s Monster Verse
Kanye West’s Monster was a complete and total hit, Featuring several rappers like Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver, and Nicki Minaj. A critically acclaimed posse cut, the song was a total hit and was praised by many. Despite having so many acclaimed musicians, it was Minaj’s verse that stood out the most.
While Kanye West’s ego was bruised, in a separate interview the Grammy-winning artist compared the experience to being exiled. In an interview with ET, he stated,
One of the most memorable things about MBDTF was Nicki Minaj, and the fact that she kicked my a**, on my own song, on one of the best albums…the best album — I’m just saying what the critics said — of the last 25 years. I was exiled from my country, it was a personal exile, but exile. To come back and deliver my magnum opus of a work, and to be outshined … to be beat by a girl, basically.
Despite having his ego bruised, West also stated that him being outshined by Minaj was necessary for him, and for Minaj as well.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy can be streamed on Spotify.