Kanye West breaks down crying during Zane Lowe interview

A far humbler West than fans are used to seeing became audibly emotional as he spoke about being dismissed by companies for his 'celebrity'

Kanye West is known for his drive, his deadpan address and above all things, his ego.

But he showed a rare vulnerability during an interview with Zane Lowe for BBC Radio 1 on Thursday.

A far humbler West than fans are used to seeing became audibly emotional as he spoke about being dismissed by companies for his “celebrity”.

He apologized for his new Adidas collection being expensive, and said he was working to bring the price down. “Nothing should be exclusive,” he told the host.

“Everyone should have an opportunity to drink from the same fountain. The idea of exclusivity is a new colored people fountain. We have to reboot that mentality for an entire generation.”

He addressed the concept behind his new album, “the beauty from the struggle”.

And he broke down in tears as he spoke of the death of fashion Professor Louise Wilson.

Describing her as the “greatest fashion instructor of all time”, he said: “We had dinner at Hakkasan, which is my favourite restaurant in London.

“And I think she knew that she was going to pass, and she just wanted to give me some words of advice moving forward, and she was asking me about my daughter, asked me about my wife...

“And she said, you know, ‘So many students, they don’t give it their all, and the problem is, soon as they do anything halfway good when they’re two-years-old, three-years-old, their parents clap.’”

He then covered his eyes with his hands and began to cry.

West was among those who paid tribute to Professor Wilson OBE at St Paul's Cathedral, London last Friday in a special memorial service following her death in May 2014.

The director of Central Saint Martins MA fashion degree has been credited with training a string of British fashion designers, including Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane and Stella McCartney.

West had attempted to enrol at Central Saint Martins in 2011, but had his fashion dreams crushed because he was “too famous”.

His foray into the world of design has thus far had mixed reviews. His latest collection with Adidas was inspired by the London riots.

The interview with Lowe followed his firey and heavily criticised performance of “All Day” at the Brit Awards, which featured an angry crowd of rioters with flame-throwers and badly dubbed N-words.