Rapper Kanye West has likened himself to the great icons of music in a new interview and described himself as "the Number One" rocker. 

Speaking to W, the 'Yeezus' superstar explained that he wrote 'I Am a God' as an act of defiance and revealed his high opinion of himself:

"So the next day I went to the studio with Daft Punk, and I wrote 'I Am a God' . . . 'Cause it's like, Yo! Nobody can tell me where I can and can't go. Man, I'm the Number One living and breathing rock star. You can't say that you love music and then say that Kanye West can't come to your show! To even think they could tell me where I could and couldn't go is just ludicrous. It's blasphemous – to rock & roll, and to music."

"I made that song because I am a god. I don't think there's much more explanation. I'm not going to sit here and defend s**t. That shit is rock & roll, man. That s**t is rap music. I am a god. Now what?"

Reflecting on his remarks, West then added: "God's little practical joke on me – as an intellect who doesn't like to read a lot – is like, I'll say some super philosophical s**t, but I'll say it the wrong way. I'll use the wrong word, so it goes from being really special to completely retarded."