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Kanye West on 'Ellen': What We Learned From His Rant

Kanye West appears on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," May 19, 2016.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
ByGood Morning America
May 19, 2016, 4:57 PM

— -- Kanye West has done it again.

During an interview on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, the rapper delivered an eight-minute monologue about his upbringing, his dreams and why he acts the way he does.

And while much has been said about the rapper's at times outlandish outbursts, this particular speech was chock-full of telling information about who he is and what he wants.

"I'm sorry daytime television," he concluded. "I'm sorry for the realness."

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West's revelations included:

1. He doesn't regret any of his tweets. While West admitted that perhaps he should have asked Mark Zuckerberg for $53 million on Facebook rather than Twitter, he told DeGeneres that he hasn't thought twice about the things he's tweeted in the past. "What's the point in thinking?" he said, smiling.

2. He is friendly with the Facebook CEO. Though some scoffed when West asked Zuckerberg for such a large sum of money, perhaps it wasn't so crazy after all. The two are friendly, the rapper explained. "I have had dinner with him and his wife told him about how I wanted to help the world and he said he'd help me," he told DeGeneres. "I feel that if I had more resources, I could help more people. I have ideas that can make the human race existence within our 100 years better. Period."

3. His parents raised him to "care about people." West said that his late mother was the first black female chair of the English department of Chicago State University and just five years ago, his father, a psychology major, was living in homeless shelters to study the populations there. Their influences are still felt by him today, he said. "I was raised to do something -- to make a difference," he said.

4. He was deeply upset by #OscarsSoWhite. "I don't take the Oscars as a joke," he said, referencing the diversity controversy surrounding the 2016 Academy Awards. "Talk about how many times you've been blocked from being able to excel. I didn't take it as a joke. It ain't no joke."

5. He's loved hip-hop since he was a child. He may be married to Kim Kardashian and have close personal relationships with Jay Z and Beyoncé, but West doesn't care about "how much you sold" or "if you're playing on radio." After giving shout-outs to his childhood hip-hop heroes Rakim and the late Phife Dawg, he said he always looks to see if artists are connecting with the public. "Picasso is dead. Steve Jobs is dead. Walt Disney is dead. Name somebody living that you can name in the same breath as them," he added.

6. Your opinions don't matter to him. West seems to know that he rubs people the wrong way, and he doesn't care. "We got 100 years here. We're one race -- the human race -- one civilization. We're a blip in the existence in the universe and we're constantly trying to pull each other down," he said. "I feel I can make a difference while I'm here."

7. He says he has a condition called synesthesia. This means he can see sound. "Everything that I sonically make is a painting," he said. "I see it. I see the importance. I see the importance and the value of everyone being able to experience a more beautiful life."

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