Kanye West backtracks: 'Waves is ONE of the greatest albums ever'

Kanye West has insisted that his new record Waves is "one of the greatest albums" in history.

The 38-year-old rapper had previously boasted that his upcoming record is the "best of all time". But on Tuesday (02Feb16), he took to Twitter to clarify his statement.

"Out of respect for Q-Tip, Puff, Hov, Lauren, Pharcyde, Mary, Stevie, Michael, Hendrix, James, Pete Rock, Pac, Marvin... this new album is ONE of the greatest albums not the greatest just one of,” Kanye wrote on Twitter. “So many musicians touch my life and made me who I am... I want to make something great to honour my idols.”

The album hasn't been without controversy. It was originally slated for release in mid 2014, but Kanye has been working hard to ensure it's the best it can be. He has also had several changes of heart regarding the name, as it was originally called So Help Me God, before renaming it SWISH, and then changing it again to Waves last month (Jan16).

His wife Kim Kardashian enlisted the help of her fans to choose which title they liked best with a poll, suggesting even she is struggling with her husband's indecisiveness over the moniker.

Last month (Jan16), Kanye shared a tracklist for the record, then called SWISH, and told fans: "So happy to be finished with the best album of all time."

The comment caused controversy around the world, with many saying it added to Kanye's reputation for having an inflated ego.

Despite Kanye's comments, producer Swizz Beatz recently spoke to Billboard magazine about the record. Having worked with Kanye on several tracks, he insisted fans are in for a treat when it's released.

"It’s one of the best albums I heard him produce in a while. It’s a sound that I think is very enjoyable," he said.

"The sonics and the things that people are gonna hear - I think they should connect to it, like close their eyes (away) from all of the B.S. and think about the music when you listen to the album ‘cause it’s a lotta noise outta there. When you’re that popular, there’s gonna be a lot of noise but sometimes, we gotta put the headphones out, get away from that noise and really listen to the craft and I think that he has a great piece of work on his hands."