‘Kanye West Is Not Picasso’ Poem Debuts in Singer Leonard Cohen’s Posthumous Book

Kanye West has been the subject of countless conversations this week, especially following his Thursday (Oct. 11) visit with Donald Trump. So much so, that even the late Leonard Cohen has even offered his commentary, discussing the rapper in a poem titled Kanye West Is Not Picasso.

The poem, which was published earlier this month in The Flame, a posthumous collection of poetry and lyrics written by the Canadian singer in the months prior to his November 2016 passing, draws a comparison between the rapper and influential painter Pablo Picasso, but not quite in the way West himself has.

“Kanye West is not Picasso/I am Picasso/Kanye West is not Edison/I am Edison/I am Tesla,” the poem reads. “Jay-Z is not the Dylan of Anything/I am the Dylan of anything/Iam the Kanye West of Kanye West/The Kanye West/Of the great bogus shift of bullshit culture/From one boutique to another.”

The poem was dated “March 15, 2015” and likely was in response to past comments West had made in the past where he now-infamously referred to himself as the next Picasso, Michelangelo, Basquiat, Walt Disney and Steve Jobs.

Many are interpreting the poem as a diss against 'Ye, while others find it to be an off-beat ode. Cohen previously spoke about West on the record, such as during a 2014 interview with the Wall Street Journal.

“A lot of, say Jay-Z or Kanye West—you don’t have to identify with every position they take, especially if you’re white. It’s not necessary to identify,” he said. “It’s the energy, it’s the resonance of truth, of person, of real experience. When we are exposed to someone’s real experience, it resonates and it invigorates.”

Take a look at Leonard Cohen’s posthumous poem in full below.

See Photos of Kanye West's Different Looks Over the Years