'Nother thing about Kanye was that he made it cool to be a sensitive rapper in a male, misogynistic, violent genre of music. Without Kanye, there'd be no Gambino, and the other artists that followed. That being said, while Kanye will forever be immortalized in hiphop, JayZ will probably be remembered in future generations by more than just intense hiphop listeners. I also vote Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson and Prince without a doubt. And you're definitely on point with Kanye, emotional rappers like Drake and Kid Cudi, may've been doing it at the same time, but definitely wouldn't've been so popular without Kanye. Even with the ego, he showed an emotional, insecure, and hypocritical side that a lot of rappers would've avoided. Personally, I love both styles, but I probably wouldn't've gotten into the genre without his influence. I also agree with Jay-Z, with the only stipulation being that his spotty discography may be a bit of a black mark. However, The Who and Queen have atrocious discographies and they're still remembered fondly.
Agreed on Mike oh and Prince. Edit: added oh and Prince.
Honest question: Why do people enjoy Kanye? I really like Gambino, but I just can't take Kanye seriously when his lyrics include "I Am A God, Hurry up with my damn massage ... hurry up with my damn croissants". Maybe that's the point and I'm just missing it?
Shit is smart, yo. It's not always smart and it's not always good. But I think that's part of the hook. I also think a lot of young African American men may feel like they are able to relate to Kanye. This is a shot in the dark however as I fit only the descriptor of "young" above and cannot expect to accurately know the experience of this collective group of people or its members. "Oh my god is that a black card?" "I turned around and replied "Why yes, but I prefer the term African American Express"