Kanye West responds to fake story that claimed he called himself 'the next Mandela'
Rapper addresses the false quotes that were published on spoof news site the Daily Currant, before thanking the late leader for his inspiration
Kanye West: 'I've never said anything to dishonor or trivialize the life or transition of one of the most inspiring leaders' Photograph: Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Kanye West has responded to a satirical story that claimed he had called himself "the next Nelson Mandela". The rapper suggested that a media conspiracy was to blame for the report, which was written by a joke newspaper called the Daily Currant.
"I'd like to address the false stories and noise that have been engineered by the media," West wrote on Twitter yesterday. "Despite recent media reports, I've never said anything to dishonor or trivialize the life or transition of one of the most inspiring leaders ... At a young age my mother taught me the importance of his work. Mandela sacrificed his life for the betterment of mankind. Thank you, Mandela, for your life's work and may it serve as a guiding light to illuminate our future."
West's solemn remarks followed an article on the Currant, published on Friday, which cited an imaginary interview with "WGCI radio in Chicago". "Not to say Mandela wasn't for real ... I just think we need to keep things in perspective here," their fictional version of West was quoted as saying. "Anyone can be replaced ... By the time I'm 95, I'm going to be a bigger hero than [Mandela] ever was ... I liberate minds with my music. That's more important than liberating a few people from apartheid or whatever."
Founded in 2012, the Daily Currant is a site similar to the Onion, which publishes fake news. Some of their current headlines include 'Obama Attends Halloween Party in 'White Face'', 'Rupert Murdoch Hires NSA Head to Run Newspapers' and 'Boris Johnson Outsmarted by Mentally Disabled Child'. They ran another article about Kanye West earlier this year, writing that in an interview "with WJLB radio in Detroit", the MC described himself as "more important than Rosa Parks".
