Source: Diego Donamaria / Getty
Elon Musk is a genius and there is no debating that. He built his own electric supercar the Tesla Roadster with his own money. He just successfully launched that same roadster into space with the help of one of the most advanced rockets ever built by his company SpaceX. Its no shock millions of people look up to this guy but when the question was asked to him about who inspires him? His answer was, “Well Kanye West obviously”.
Real recognize real.
On Sunday (Mar. 11) during a semi-surprise appearance at an SXSW Q&A session, Musk spoke about his ambitious goal to put people on Mars. He revealed that they are building the rockets now and they should be ready to make that trip possible to the red planet by the first half of 2019. Right after that bold proclamation, he let the room know that Yeezy was his biggest inspiration when he was asked the question.
It should be no surprise that one genius is inspired by another and it is no debate if Kanye is considered such in his field. This isn’t the first time Musk shared his admiration for the Chi-Town rapper. Back in 2015, Musk gushed about West in a blurb about Kanye West and his inclusion on TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list.
Here is what he said then of West:
“Kanye West would be the first person to tell you he belongs on this list. The dude doesn’t believe in false modesty, and he shouldn’t. Kanye’s belief in himself and his incredible tenacity—he performed his first single with his jaw wired shut—got him to where he is today. And he fought for his place in the cultural pantheon with a purpose. In his debut album, over a decade ago, Kanye issued what amounted to a social critique and a call to arms (with a beat): “We rappers is role models: we rap, we don’t think.” But Kanye does think. Constantly. About everything. And he wants everybody else to do the same: to engage, question, push boundaries. Now that he’s a pop-culture juggernaut, he has the platform to achieve just that. He’s not afraid of being judged or ridiculed in the process. Kanye’s been playing the long game all along, and we’re only just beginning to see why.”
Who knows, maybe these two will eventually link up and do something creative together? Or how about Musk backing Kanye’s clothing ambitions and give the Yeezy fashion line a boost?
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Photo by Diego Donamaria/Getty Images for SXSW
