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Kanye West's Elvis Presley Complex

Occurred: 12/01/2008

As you may have heard, Kanye West announced at the American Music Awards that he wants to be the next Elvis. Then West had to take it even further. "When I said the statement, 'I want to be Elvis,' I really should have thought that out more because that statement was actually really incorrect," West told E! News' Ryan Seacrest Tuesday. "Actually, the true statement was 'I want to be better than Elvis.' " So does West have what it takes to get anywhere near Elvis' stratosphere? We talked to some industry insiders to find out... "Kanye is one of the biggest hip-hop stars in the world right now," says Emil Wilbekin, editor-in-chief of urban lifestyle magazine Giant. "But I do believe he has delusions of grandeur." Wilbekin goes on to say, "I think Kanye is hugely self-absorbed, and I think that he thinks he could be bigger than Elvis. Kanye is very much concerned with how big he could be, how much music he can make and how many awards he could win." It's that oversize ego that's propelled him to the top of his game, says Hillary Crosley, R&B/hip-hop correspondent for Billboard. "People find it so amusing that he takes it so seriously," Crosley says. "If he didn't have the ego, he wouldn't make it as far as he has." Cory Cooper, a noted Elvis historian, says he's impressed with West's goals, but he needs a reality check.

Reference/Source: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b70722_kanye_wests_elvis_presley_complex.html

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