Kanye West Reflects on His Relationship with Kobe Bryant in GQ Feature

Kanye West once called himself the "LeBron of rhyme." 

Upon reflection in the wake of Kobe Bryant's death, the rapper told GQ he sees himself as rap's version of the late Lakers star and vice versa: 

"One thing I thought was really amazing is that we were able to find a groove with the photographs today even as out of it as I was with the loss of Kobe. We were able to just go to the court and play ball. There's one street that I drive to go from either my office or my home to the property where the domes were built. [Editor's note: The street is Las Virgenes Road, the site of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight other people just four days prior.] So now there's no way for me not to be as determined as Kobe every time I drive down that street. It's game time. There's no move that we can't make, or that we'll wait to make.

"Everyone in our life is now a member of the Lakers on one of Kobe's championship teams. The way that Kobe would say that we all have to come together and win this championship is the way I look at life now. To an infinite, other level. This is a game changer for me. He was the basketball version of me, and I was the rap version of him, and that's facts! We got the commercials that prove it. No one else can say this. We came up at the same time, together. And now it's like, yeah, I might have had a reputation for screaming about things—but I'm not taking any mess for an answer now. We're about to build a paradigm shift for humanity. We ain't playing with 'em. We bringing home the trophies."

Bryant was one of nine people who died in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash that also took the life of his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. West's interview—one of several he sat down for in the wide-ranging piece—took place just days after Bryant's death. Kanye held a special midnight Sunday Service ceremony to mourn the loss of Kobe, Gianna and the seven others after the crash.

Kobe and Kanye appeared to have a friendly relationship during the basketball star's life, most notably starring in "Kobe System" Nike commercials together. Bryant distanced himself from West in 2018, criticizing the rapper after he said slavery was a choice.

It appears their relationship may have been stronger before Bryant's passing, as Kanye told GQ, "Kobe was one of my best friends."