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Yeah, I appreciate he wasn't the first artist do to controversial things. Heck, The Beatles said they were bigger than Jesus, right? Whilst Kanye never bit bats head off or the like, he did his shock/egomaniacal ploys in a different way.
How many people pulled off stunts similar to the interruption of Taylor Swift? His were more fitting with the characteristics of an ******* as opposed to a weirdo like Ozzy or quirky like Bjork.
Whilst many artists pulled acts that were slammed by the media as weird and provocative, Kanye pulled this into the modern day.
You could argue punk music was all about pushing the grounds of controversy, that black metal pushed the boundaries of moral decency, but Kanye again opened it up in a way that mainstream artists could use. You could argue one of the things Kanye is best at, is drawing influences from several places and different mediums and combining them into a package.

To use social media as a tool for courting controversy, to use your own inflated sense of self worth as a way of promoting how good your music is.

Whether Kanye West is a character, or not. He's got the people believing he actually believes the things he says, the things he does. Which adds weight to the stunts he pulls, they seem authentic. Just like Miley Cyrus, you believe she is the corrupted spouse of a man with a bad heart and the Disney kid gone wrong with too much partying and fame. It could be true, it could be a fabrication. Kanye helped blur the lines between music persona and real life, and though he may not have been the first person to do it (in this day and age how many things that anyone does are truly original?) he helped package and modernize it.


Hm, the way I see it, if they remember you, you're doing something right, right?
Okay, Kanye is not the best wordsmith in the world, nor does he have the best flow, nor is he the fatest rapper, nor the most articulate.
What he does have is a defined character and presence. He has an unmistakable voice and presence. When you're listening to a Kanye West track, you know it's Kanye West.
He manages to stamp his mark on tracks much better than many more 'skilled' MC's.
I couldn't tell you the difference between a Black Thought and a Common song.
Kanye may not be in the top tier of rappers in terms of technical ability, but for a genre with a notoriously short shelf life, he's managed to reinvent himself and always keep himself relevant and at the top of the pile.
He makes his music interesting by adding in the quirks and quips of his character. His lyrics can be outright stupid at times, but they're quotable, recognizable and in some places even iconic.

'Eating Asian pussy all I need is sweet and sour sauce'

may be an absolutely ludicrous line, but if I asked 100 people with basic knowledge of hip-hop to tell me the artist who wrote that line, I bet the vast majority could correctly identify it.

Kanye must be doing something correctly that more 'skilled' MC's aren't doing, as he's the one who's had the success and accolades.


See, I'd have to say Jay is different to Dre and Em. How many people has Jay backed 100% of the way, from the start.
I like Jay, but it's undeniable he latches onto artists who are already hot. Kanye, Beyonce, Jay Electronica, Justin Timberlake, etc.
Dre had Eminem from the start, and was one of the few respected names in hip-hop who would push a white artist.
Eminem and Dre were behind 50 from the start.
Kanye had to get over on his own first before Jay would fully want to be tied with him.
Credit to Jay, he's a business man. He knows when to latch onto artists to maximize his own exposure, but to say he was behind Kanye as an MC from day 1 just isn't true.
Yes, West is a gimmick, but when he came out in '04 he wasn't the Kanye West of today. He was more humble, he was the guy who pondered how material wealth changed a person, he was the guy talking about his aspirations and dreams and the factors that stood in the way of him obtaining them.
I'd like to compare Kanye West to a pro wrestling character. His character had to change over time to stay fresh and relevant. He's had stints as a face (good guy) and heel (bad guy)
50 Cent has been the exact same character since Day 1, that's why his career has died out.
Eminem, credit to him, mixed it up and broke new ground several times.
I don't like Em, but I can appreciate his contributions to hip-hop. However, one could argue he's now ran his course. Kanye is still going strong.



Yeah, I get what you're saying. Hip-hop changes, but it needs big names to actively go out and make change.
Change doesn't just happen because of natural progression, at least not in music.
Unless someone actually actively moves emphasis away from the club scene, it's not going to be done.
Kanye was one of the guys that actively did this.

Okay, you say this. But what makes an MC good? Surely it's subjective, right? There's no right or wrong way to do hip-hop. You've been into hip-hop a long time, you'll know that hip-hop is a way of expressive freedom.
If Kanye and Wayne are doing tracks that people are enjoying, that people are quoting and rapping to themselves, how can that be a bad thing?
Yes, Kanye isn't the most gifted lyricist in the world, but it seems like an odd thing to pick him up on. Look at Run DMC, they were bad lyricists too.
Look at 2Pac, his production was mediocre at best. Nobody picks these guys up on it.
Kanye isn't the worlds greatest rapper, but if you take him as an overall package, then surely what he's given to hip-hop as a rapper, producer, recording artist, personality and ambassador to the genre, surely he ranks up there with those guys.


Ya, you're right. But would that exact song exist without Kanye? Nope. As I said earlier, how many people in 2014 can claim to be truly unique? Kanye used his influence and big name to push these samples onto a whole new audience. He's not the first one to do it, nor has he done it in the most creative way.
But who has done it more prominently?

Naa, don't worry about it. I'd say I like Dead Prez, I don't listen to them much because their music comes off as a bit preachy and it doesn't have much replay value to me as an individual. I'm white. Most of the issues they passionately speak of, don't affect me.
I don't need a track telling me to improve my diet, that comes as just as egotistical as anything Kanye has made.

I don't think you have to give him props as an artist to enjoy his music. And ultimately we're all here because we enjoy music, and discussing it. I don't really care about being socially conscious in music. I listen to music to help escape the reality of the world sometimes. I don't need Dead Prez reminding me of the ills of media corruption. (heck, I guess Kanye has touched upon issues like that himself, but he knows how to package it in a way that a wide audience can enjoy it) I guess my gripe with Dead Prez is more that I don't find their music overly enjoyable. I do like them in small doses, I actually sent Goofle one of their albums in an Album Club when we were both new to Music Banter. I just feel guys like Kanye West and Drake get far too much flak for not being 'artists' or 'lyricists' or 'skilled MC's' when nobody would dare criticize Big L for not being able have the versatility to release a successful club track, y'know?

Sorry if anything I've written sounded passive aggressive. Not intention. Hard to convey emotion over the internet. I enjoy discussing the merits of different artists, that's all.