Kanye West is at it again. The man with the brilliance that makes for good legend also seems to have the ego of a thousand lifetimes. West was recently quoted comparing himself with the great poet Maya Angelou. Here is what Kanye had to say:

"It's funny how so many rappers get worse as their careers stretch out, but true poets get better." West then mentions that he wants to follow in the footsteps of giants like Maya Angelou, Nina Simone and Gill Scott-Heron (whose name West misspells "Herron"). In all capital letters, West then wrote, "Their work improved with time. They documented what was happening in culture." He then goes on to state that "modern day poets and artists" have a responsibility to represent what's happening, so that "when the powers that be try to rewrite history you can always look at our works and find truth."

At the end of the post, West also critiqued the media, encouraging fans to "soak in positive forces and look down upon those who masquerade as truth tellers. ... Look past the headlines and deal with just a bit of reality."

Quick thoughts on Kanye:

1) I loved Kanye West when he said that George Bush doesn't care about black people, but I was annoyed by his attacks on Taylor Swift. Chill out, dude. You're just another great artist, not Jesus Christ.

2) Kanye's ego has served him quite well. Had Kanye quietly sat in the corners at Rocafella records, we never would have heard of him. Instead, he used his own money and created his own opportunity. Now he is one of the top-selling artists of all time. Good for you, Kanye, I respect that.

3) His mother made him great. There is no greater force in the life of a man than his mother. The mother is the first teacher, the first nurturer and the greatest cheerleader. Kanye's mother, Dr. Donda West, taught him to be confident, focused and intelligent. If only other artists would embrace intelligence and throw ignorance to the curb. There is no place in the world for stupidity.

4) Kanye has a chance to become another Muhammad Ali. While I find myself annoyed by Kanye's extreme arrogance, I am hopeful that he can channel this energy in to a Muhammad Ali-like career, one where he transcends his profession and inspires people all over the world. Kanye has the ability (and the ego) to pull this off, but he has absolutely got to stay focused, for even Muhammad Ali made a multitude of mistakes.

Keep pimpin', Kanye, I'm proud of you. But put that ego in check or at least accompany your confidence with a respect for other human beings. That Taylor Swift thing was a bit too much.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.