Kanye West wanted to be "greater than Picasso".
The 37-year-old rapper regrets never going on to study art and admits he has lofty ambitions, but wishes others thought like him in order to stop humanity being "suppressed".
He said: "My goal, if I was going to do art, fine art, would have been to become Picasso or greater... That always sounds so funny to people, comparing yourself to someone who has done so much, and that's a mentality that suppresses humanity.
"If I could have done it again I would have gone to the Art Institute over the American Academy."
And the 'Bound 2' hitmaker - who has 20-month-old daughter North with wife Kim Kardashian West - admits he gets very excited by his art work.
Speaking to Oxford University students at the city's Museum of Natural History yesterday (02.03.15), he said: "I approach creativity like a sport, if I have a drawing I react just like a jock, 'Look at the f***ing drawing over there, yeah!' "
The outspoken rapper admits his ego is often his downfall but he doesn't think his reputation is as bad as people perceive.
He said: "People say I've got a bad reputation. I think I've got the best reputation in the building...
"One of my biggest achilles heels has been my ego. And if I, Kanye West, can remove my ego, I think there's hope for everyone."
Kanye's address - a 45-minute stream-of-consciousness - was greeted by mixed reviews from the 350-strong crowd, with some describing him as "humble", "wishy-washy" and "funny, endearing and self-aware".
Ioana Jecan, 23, said: "He spoke about his daughter North and her wolves. It was strange."
Zachary Spiro, 21, added: "It is very difficult to describe what he talked about. But I'm glad I went."
Tagged in Kanye West