Laying this weekend’s rumors to rest, Kanye West has responded to a satirical article published by The Daily Currant that reported West had referred to himself as “the next Nelson Mandela.” Given West’s continuous reference to himself as the next Steve Jobs and Andy Warhol, public perception of the article quickly spiraled from a matter of satire to a matter of fact, to which Kanye has taken to his Twitter and publicly respond to criticism. Read Ye’s tweets below and head to HYPETRAK for more music news.

Respect to Mandela, his family and his legacy. — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 9, 2013

Despite recent media reports, I’ve never said anything to dishonor or trivialize the life or transition of one of the most inspiring leaders — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 9, 2013

I’d like to address the false stories and noise that have been engineered by the media. — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 9, 2013

At a young age my mother taught me the importance of his work. Mandela sacrificed his life for the betterment of mankind. — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 9, 2013