Kanye West has replaced his bottom teeth with diamonds

The 'Golddigger' rapper - who is known for his extravagant spending habits - removed his entire bottom row of teeth and had a row of precious gems implanted in their place because he thought it was what 'rock stars are supposed to do'.

In an interview with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, he explained: "It's really my real teeth. It's replaced my bottom row of teeth.

"I just thought the diamonds were cooler. There's just certain stuff that rock stars are supposed to do."

It seems the hip-hop star has been considering the sparkling dental work for some time.

In July, he posted a picture of himself with what are believed to have been temporary diamond teeth before taking the plunge and in August he wrote: 'Diamond teeth ... another reason to smile : ) (sic)'

During his chat with Ellen, Kanye also poked fun at the incident from last year's MTV Video Music Awards - when he stormed on stage during Taylor Swift's Best Female Video acceptance speech and ranted about how Beyonce Knowles should have won ' by interrupting the TV star during a segment.

He admitted the controversy had been good for him because it forced him to take a break from music, during which he branched out and worked as a fashion intern.

He explained: "It was good just to be around other spaces because the creativity in other fields inspired what I did in music. When I finally decided to go back to music, I realised the power I had in that space, and the responsibility I had to keep on pushing the genre forward."