Kanye West: Mom Taught Me to "Not Get Hung Up on the Small Things"

Nearly a year after mother Donda 's passing , Kanye West says she continues to help him change his stubborn ways. In 2007, the rapper famously declared that he'd never appear on the MTV Video Music Awards after his performance of "Stronger" did not take place on the main stage. He had a change of heart this past year. "Well, a lot of things changed and, you know, with my mom passing ... one of her goals was, she really supported me and she always wanted me to be the best that I could be and not get hung up on the small things," the rapper says on Tuesday's Ellen DeGeneres Show . "So, with her not being here to try and talk me into doing things, I ... just try do things she would want me to do." DeGeneres recalled how Donda -- who died last November at age 58 from plastic surgery complications -- often attended Kanye's show tapings. "She was just lovely, and you were as close to her as I am with my mom," she said. The rapper's interview wasn't all somber, however. Not only did he ... (link)