Kanye Names His Personal Picks for Hip-Hop’s Mount Rushmore

Kanye West’s career has been shaped as much by shifting relationships as by music. His collaborations have produced landmark albums, but his public breaks with figures like Jay-Z and Pusha T have also become part of his story.

Now, a recently surfaced extended interview offers another glimpse into how he sees the current rap landscape. The footage, from a conversation with Justin Laboy on The Download, first aired last year but has reemerged online in a longer cut.

During the interview, Laboy posed a familiar question with a twist. “I’m going to remove you and make it easier,” he said, asking West to name three artists to join him on a hip-hop Mount Rushmore. West did not limit himself to three. Instead, he named Future, Drake, Young Thug, and Playboi Carti.

“That’s my answer,” he said. He then added, “Oh, new GOAT, Carti. Carti. Yeah, next generation. You know, if you put it by generation. I exist in every generation.” The comment was delivered casually, but it underscored how West views influence—not as something fixed in the past, but as something that moves with each wave of artists.

The selections stand out partly because they reflect the present moment rather than hip-hop’s traditional canon. West’s public stance toward some of the artists he named has shifted over time. His relationship with Drake has moved between rivalry and praise, and he has previously accused Future and Metro Boomin of distancing themselves over the “Like That” remix. Still, admiration and competition often coexist in rap’s upper ranks.

His mention of Playboi Carti is notable given occasional friction between them, though much of that appears to have unfolded after the interview was recorded. Young Thug, by contrast, has drawn relatively steady support from West in recent years. The list also prompted quiet discussion about who was not included—particularly veterans often cited in similar debates.