Over most of the past two decades, Kanye West has been one of the most talented, polarizing figures to ever seen in Hip-Hop. His blend of brilliance, and arrogance have given us some of the most notable moments of the past 10 years, from his well documented history with awards shows, to his comments about George Bush. Current frustration aside, Ye has been one of the brightest stars we've ever seen. He is a mix of controversial, outspoken, awe inspiring, poetic, honest, and socially conscious, in a way that no other artist except Tupac Shakur has. His first three albums, as well his fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, are regarded among the greatest Hip-Hop albums of the 21st century.
Yeezy found his way to relevance as a producer on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint. Desiring to be taken seriously as a rapper in addition to his beatmaking credits, Kanye was continually overlooked until he was signed to Roc-A-Fella records in 2002. In October of 2002, Kanye was critically injured in a car accident that left his jaw fractured. This didn't stop him, however, as he recorded the song "Through the Wire" with his jaw wired shut. Kanye's debut album, The College Dropout was released on February 10, 2004. The album was an instant classic, debuting at Number 2 on the Billboard 200. The album's production was heavy on gospel and soul, a contrast to the grittier, gangsta rap at the time. College Dropout spoke on materialism, mass incarceration, systematic racism, higher education, and rappers like Drake, Lupe Fiasco, Childish Gambino, Wale, and Kid Cudi have credited the album, for giving birth to a wave of rappers who strayed from the typical subject matter at the time.
Kanye's sophomore album Late Registration was released on August 30, 2005. The album reflected the impact Ye had already established. Due to the success of success of The College Dropout, Kanye's soul sound had been heavily copied, which led him to incorporate live instruments into his songs, as opposed to the heavy use of soul samples on The College Dropout. The album debuted at number 1, giving Kanye his second consecutive number one album.
And, finally, we have Graduation. The nerd rap classic, maybe the greatest nerdy rap album of all-time, although Illmatic, The Low End Theory, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, To Pimp A Butterfly, and It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back most certainly would have something to say about that. Gradation debuted at Number 1, giving Kanye his second straight album to do so, and his third straight album to hit number one period. The album almost went platinum in it's first week. Leading up to its debut, Graduation was hyped in a sales battle with 50 Cent's Curtis. Upon both albums' releases on September 11, 2007 Graduation stomped the competition, selling almost 300,000 more first week copies. This was widely known as "The Day Kanye Killed Gangsta Rap". The album also marked a departure from his signature soul sound, due to it being so heavily copied by his peers. Graduation was noted for it's electronic house sound that was popular in West's hometown of Chicago. This album is credited even moreso than Kanye's previous work for opening doors for introspective, melodic, non- gangsta rappers.
Kanye West's impact on Hip-Hop is undeniable. At his peak, he reached the"more than a rapper", evolving past a genre plateau that we've only seen in black artists like Michael, Marvin, James Brown, and Tupac. An undeniable genius, he may be our biggest talent since Tupac and Biggie's deaths. In his prime, he was a force to be reckoned with, and one of our brightest stars in any music genre.
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