Kanye West has landed on the cover of TIME for the publication's famous "100 Most Influential People" list, taking a spot in the Titans category nearly ten years after he last appeared on TIME's cover. The rapper/designer certainly isn't afraid of his ego and talks about it a fair whack – most recently comparing it to a marble table that could only be moved by a crane – but it's this self-confidence that's secured him a position in the world's who's who of Important Folk.
Space-thirsty entrepeneur Elon Musk has written an article for TIME in celebration of Kanye, telling us what we all already know: "Kanye West would be the first person to tell you he belongs on this list." Musk goes on to consider West's deserved position as one of the planet's most influential artists. "Kanye does think. Constantly. About everything. And he wants everybody else to do the same: to engage, question, push boundaries. Now that he’s a pop-culture juggernaut, he has the platform to achieve just that. He’s not afraid of being judged or ridiculed in the process."
In a video interview with TIME, Yeezy expresses his disinterest in a legacy, his love for magic and discusses how actually, he really enjoyed the elitism of the fashion world that he struggled against because it was "him against the world".
Kanye appears on one of five different covers for the latest TIME issue - the other four spots are taken up by ballet dancer Misty Copeland, journalist Jorge Ramos, actor Bradley Cooper and author Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The magazine hits shops on Monday.
