Throughout the twenty-first century, society has been blessed with a plethora of artists that have innovated music and propelled the industry to a completely different level. Many hipsters and oldies stuck in 1969 will argue otherwise, but that does not change the fact that artists have indeed advanced music since the beginning of the new millennium and will continue to do so for years to come. Although there are a variety of artists that have contributed to the growth of music over the past fifteen years, there is one artist that stands out to me the most, and that man is Kanye West.  In an age of technological advancements and new opportunities for both artists and producers, Kanye West has separated himself from the competition and, in my opinion, proven that he is the greatest music artist of the twenty-first century.

Since his arrival onto the music scene after producing much of Jay Z’s The Blueprint in 2001, Kanye West has continued to produce critically acclaimed works and gain popularity for both his musical prowess and controversial antics. Modern society is infested with tabloid-obsessed personnel who base all of their beliefs off of assumptions and not facts. Kanye is coined as being “egotistical” or “conceited” by such media hogs, which may have been an appropriate description of the rap phenom earlier in his career. Mistakes are an aspect of life that are perhaps inevitable, and that is because no one is born perfect. A man who contentiously accused George W. Bush of not caring for African-Americans within the United States and carelessly interrupted Taylor Swift’s Best Female Video award acceptance speech at the 2009 Grammy’s, Mr. West has been involved in his fair share of controversy over the past decade, but this only adds to his legacy. In order to be a great artist, you must obtain an intriguing personality. Truly “great” artists distinguish themselves through certain unique characteristics that separate him or her from the rest of the pack. Kanye is exactly that person. Think about it: are there any other modern artists that have strayed as far away from reality as Kanye has and still been able to have seven albums go platinum? I will give you a moment to unsuccessfully find an answer to this question.

Not only has he been characterized as a unique individual for his ostentatious personality, but West has achieved numerous accolades over the duration of his career to back up his superstar status. 89 awards won from 352 nominations over the span of fifteen years speaks for itself. A common cliché present among modern youths who underachieve mightily in recreational sports, dubbed as “Winning isn’t everything”, is not a philosophy musicians such as Kanye subscribe to. Instead, Mr. West probably takes after one of the most renowned head coaches in football history, Vince Lombardi, who prided himself mightily on his ability to succeed consistently and even generated his own phrase: “Winning isn’t everything… it is the only thing.”

Kanye’s awards speak for themselves. An individual cannot discredit Dr. West. Yes, in May of this year, Kanye West received an honorary doctorate from the School of Art Institute located in his hometown of Chicago. The number one ranked album of the 2010s, twenty-one GRAMMY awards won, success as both a producer AND a rapper? Is there anything this man cannot do? Mr. West is a very talented artist, and I am certain that his award-engulfed shelves are an accurate representation of the true genius that is within Yeezy.

To go along with his vast collection of awards and other honors, Kanye has served as model figure for many up-and-coming artists in the music industry, whether the artist be affiliated with hip-hop or not. Chance the Rapper, a 22 year old rap artists who also hails from Chi-Town, praises Kanye for serving as more of a role model for today’s youth rather than solely a hip-hop influence.

Chance states: “I’m part of a generation that really experienced Kanye as more of an icon and a representative of hip hop, [rather] than [as] as newcomer. If you’re in a different generation, I wouldn’t really expect people to understand it, but that’s who I grew up listening to. That was what rap was to me.” Aubrey Graham, also referred to as Drake, is another current artist who points to Kanye as one of his primary influences. A man who has practically taken over the rap game in the past eight months, Drake does not believe that he was have continued to pursue a music career if it had not been for Kanye, and he would have just stuck to acting. Graham describes that “at the end of the day, I look up to Ye….He’s a major influence if not the biggest influence in my career. Kanye’s mentored me through his decisions and I study the game overall, but him very closely.” The likes of Kendrick Lamar, Logic, Vic Mensa, Big Sean, and CyHi The Prynce all claim that Kanye West was the reason why they became intrigued by hip-hop. With both his top-notch production ability and lyrical wickedness, Kanye solidifies himself as a positive role model for young emcees attempting to find success in the vast, talent-enriched music industry.