Kanye West: Genius?

“I am Warhol. I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh.” – Kanye West

Kanye West, you’ll either love him or love to hate him. Kanye is probably as famous from the statements he makes as from the music he produces. From former U.S. President George. W. Bush to singer Taylor Swift, no one is safe from his opinion. ’Yeezy’ often says/does things, that when taken out of context; seem like the rants of a 13-year old child. Without condoning Kanye’s worst behaviour, sometimes it becomes evident that you actually have to listen to the point he’s trying to convey, not the words he uses to get there.

Born Kanye Omari West on June 8th 1977. Kanye’s steps to success began with strong mentorship from well-known producer “NO I.D”. He’s career took off after producing for the likes of Jermaine Dupri, Lil Kim and eventually Jay-Z’s The Blueprint in 2001. Even Kanye’s production skills alone would’ve probably ensured him a great career, but his debut album The College Dropout (2004) showed that he was also a capable hip-hop artist. The album received ten Grammy nominations, winning two that year. Album by album, Kanye’s musical ability shines through like a pure beacon of light in the dark.

The 21 Grammys he has gained over a period of nine years makes him arguably the greatest hip-hop artist of all time with his closest competitor being his close friend Jay-Z (17 Grammys). Unfortunately, on the other side of the coin, great actors like Leonardo DiCaprio still don’t have any Oscars. Based on that, it’s hard to say someone is a musical genius simply because they’ve managed to win a numerous amount of awards for their work. It is however a fair analysis that the music Kanye West makes is extremely unique and extremely popular amongst its listeners.

Kanye West has revolutionized hip-hop and its sound over his years as an artist. His hunger to be taken seriously and to blow the minds of the world is something to be admired. Kanye’s “push the boundaries of the earth until they warp” attitude and all of the above is why he is a highly recommended playlist option and worthy of the title: Musical Genius.

#music #kanyewest #genius