Rapper Kanye West is turning his back on the genre that made him famous - because hip-hop is becoming too much of a "cliche" for the star.

The stronger hitmaker has opted for a new sound on his latest record, 808s and Heartbreak, singing on the tracks instead of rapping.

West claims his new music has created a new genre, labelling it "pop art", and is adamant that he will not go back to his previous style because he wants to cement his place in musical history.

He says, "This is not hip-hop music. Taking a sample, looping it and doing all that 'throw your hands up in the sky' thing has become such a cliche. Hip-hop is over for me. I sing, not rap, on this album. I now want to be grouped among those musicians you see in those old black-and-white photos - the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles. And I'm not going to get there by doing just another rap album full of samples.

"I've had to create a whole new musical genre to describe what I'm doing now and I'm calling it 'pop-art' - which is not to be confused with the visual art movement."