Kanye West throws tantrum over fashion critics

Kanye West on the street in New York this week (Getty)
Kanye West on the street in New York this week (Getty)

Controversial pop star Kanye West has unleashed an expletive-filled rant about the fashion world's continual refusal to take his foray into clothing seriously.

The 'Stronger' hitmaker recently released his latest fashion collection Yeezy Season 4 to generally unkind critiques - including Project Runway's Tim Gunn slamming it as "basic" and "dumb".

"I will f***ing laser you with alien f***ing eyes and explode your f***ing head," Kanye rages in response.

"I wouldn't say that anyone in fashion is on my side. I don't think there's anyone on my side.

"Very few people even knew that I have a f**king PhD in art, you know? And not that that would even make the difference, but me saying that makes the difference to the exact people I'm talking to it's, like, shut the f**k up."

Elsewhere in the rant, printed in W magazine, Kanye compares himself to characters in Wreck-It Ralph, Despicable Me and Elf. He also rattles off his now-usual list of historical figures he classes as his inspirations - Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Walt Disney etc.

Yeezy Season 4's launch was derided as "a total disaster" by the New York Post, and "embarrassing" and "abusive" by Women's Wear Daily while Billboard questioned whether it was performance art or just a "hot mess".

"I'm totally perplexed about why the fashion industry has not looked at these, frankly, dumb, basic clothes and cried 'hoax,'" Tim Gunn told Access Hollywood.

"Kanye West is a sphinx without a riddle. I just don't understand why people are so in awe. [The models were] basically wearing stretch undergarments."

Clearly upset over regularly receiving comments such as these, Kanye did not hold back in his reply.

"I refuse people who write me off as some rich kid taking a hobby, fashion as a f**king hobby or a fashion plate. How could you even dare to think that, that you're on the same level of this," he asks in W.

"Shut the f**k up - try to write a rap. Okay then. I made this f**king T-shirt, now shut up. And it cost me everything I had and I gave everything I had. Have you ever seen The Pursuit of Happyness?"

Kanye is currently on tour and took a few minutes to rant at his audience this week about Kid Cudi.

He bemoaned feeling "so hurt" and "so disrespected" after the hip-hop artist accused him of being "fake" and having "30 people" write his songs. Kanye also talks about himself in the third person and claims to be Cudi's mother in footage released of the incident.

Newshub.