Patrick Ryan|USA TODAY
Whether he's gloating in interviews or grandstanding at shows,Kanye West will never miss an opportunity to proclaim his own greatness.
But does the quality of his music actually live up to his often wild superlatives?To many, the answer is yes.
"When you just look at the albums, it's undeniable," says Billboard senior editor Alex Gale. "He's absolutely one of the best, and you could make the argument for the best artist of the 21st century. When he says he's a genius, he backs it up."
What sets West apart is his ability to reinvent himself on each of his six solo albums, starting with his 2004 debut, The College Dropout. The record was characterized by its vintage soul samples and relatable lyrics,drawing from his own experiences leaving collegeto pursue music (Graduation Day) and recovering from a near-fatal car accident (Through the Wire). West will unveil his next album Thursday.
"He definitely made it OK to be a little bit of a weirdo," Gale says. "He said when he came out that he wasn't a thug. Hewas the kid who went to school, his mom was a college professor. He definitely challenged some of the authenticity that had to be there at the moment," with a preppy fashion sense that helped expand hip-hop's definition of masculinity.
He continued to move toward moremaximalistic production onhis next two albums, Late Registration and Graduation, which spawned hits such as Gold Digger, Good Life and Strongerand earned West a combined six Grammy Awards. But it was his 2008 album, 808s & Heartbreak, that may be his most influentialas he stripped away the samples and relied almost entirely on synthesizers and Auto-Tune as instruments.
"That albumis the equivalent of (Bob) Dylan going electric, and you still hear that all the time, in hip-hop and outside of hip-hop," Gale says. Inspired in part by the unexpecteddeath of his mother, Donda West, and his broken engagement from designer Alexis Phifer, themore sensitive songs about love and relationships helped pavethe way for confessional rappers such as Drake, Future and J. Cole.
But it's West's brash, over-the-top production that stands out on his last two solo albums, 2010'sMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and 2013's Yeezus, and on his two new songs,Real Friends and No More Parties in L.A., taken off his upcoming album.
Erik Nielson, aUniversity of Richmond professor who teaches courses on hip-hop culture,considers West a "mediocre rapper, but an extraordinary producer."
"He is willing and ableto experiment in ways that many people either don't or can't," Nielson says. He "will take a concept to an extreme, and flesh it out and explore it in some sort of depth," with a "broad, eclectic range of sounds that he draws on that has opened up new possibilities for artists who came after him."
So where might West go from here? Asmusic fans' expectations for his impending effort continue to soar, West finds himself in anear-impenetrable positionas an artist.
"He is talented enough that he has made the calculation that you can dislike himand you will still listen to his music," Nielson says. "That's kindof a rarified space for a mainstream musician:someone who can almost willfully turnhis fan base off at some momentsand still know that in all likelihood, they will be there for his next release.
"That does, in some sense,speak to his talent level and his popularity."
