Kanye West’s rise to fame has never been easy. Considered by many to be one of the most controversial and celebrated artists of this generation didn’t come without struggle.

The “Yeezus” rapper revealed during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel that Chicago drug dealers once tried to extort him.

West explained that creative people are often bullied as he was during his come up.

“People don’t stand up and protect their dreams,” he said. “People are too scared of getting spoofed in a way. The irony of it is so many that are creators…think about being a creative person in school…when you picture them, you’re probably picturing them all the way in the back of the class sketching or maybe getting beat up. And I’m the one creative… and this is the reason I went on stage. Creators have got beat up my entire life.

“There’s moments where I stood up to drug dealers in Chicago and said ‘You can’t have my publishing. Come and kill me. Do whatever you’re going to do, but you’re not going to bully me. You’re not going to stop me cause my mother made me believe in myself,’” West said. “No matter how many people tell me, ‘Stop believing in yourself. Stop saying what you can do. Stop affirming what you are going to do.’ Then completing that in real life. That’s the improper way to do it. I refuse to follow those rules that society has set up and the way they control people with low self-esteem… with improper information, with branding, with marketing…I refuse to follow those rules!

West got his start in the music industry through beats he produced for up and coming artists in Chicago. It was when he met with Damon Dash of Roc-A-Fella Records that his life changed forever.

Check out Kanye West’s Jimmy Kimmel interview

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