Stephen Umehea Nathan Rundquist ENGL 101 09 03 2014 Evaluation Essay Kanye Omari West is an American hip hop recording artist songwriter record producer film director entrepreneur and fashion designer from Chicago Illinois Kanye played a huge part in making hip hop music mainstream Releasing successful album after successful album he has left an indelible mark on the hip hop sands of time Although almost no one can debate on whether or not he is an awesome record producer or song writer he is one of the most hated people on the planet He has been called cocky condescending and mean by both the media and fans alike But why do people hate Kanye West I can dare to say that I m the biggest fan of Kanye West alive and this is for more reasons than one In the span of his Career Kanye has won 21 Grammy Awards making him one of the most awarded artistes of all time and also one of the best selling artistes of his time and he didn t achieve this by being bad at making music He had 6 personal and 2 collaborative album and they have all been critically and financially successful Several of his albums have been certified platinum and ranked amongst the greatest albums of all time West style of production which incorporated high pitched samples from soul music brought a different feel to the kind of music people were used to listening to He revolutionized the hip hop scene Many people claim to hate songs by Kanye West but it is very likely that those same people know all the lyrics to Gold Digger by Kanye Most of just claim to hate him and his music but listen to it anyway as a guilty pleasure For the most part there are two people involved in every hip hop music release the rapper or singer and the producer Kanye proves his versatility by possessing both talents He has been called a genius by many of his pairs because of the unorthodox method of music production he exhibits He is one of the very few music producers not afraid to break away from the norm and explore themselves Anyone one who works with him says he is the most meticulous musician they have ever worked with and they have never regretted their experiences Through the wire a song on the College Dropout Album is regarded by most as a classic and it was recorded literally through the wire as his mouth was wired shut after a car accident on his way to the recording studio After the death of his mother he found haven in the studio where he recorded his 3rd studio album 808s and a Heartbreak The album served as an outlet for Kanye s emotions and contained no rap He opted for singing and relayed the pain and grief he felt to his audience The album also achieved critical and financial success making him the only rapper to release a studio album without rap and still go platinum Critics are usually unable to appreciate the amount of work he puts into his music and judge from a biased point of view focusing on his personality instead and tagging it with negativity Most people would say they hate Kanye because they feel he is overconfident and cocky but I would say he is outspoken something those in our generation lacks Being confident and outspoken is also a fundamental part of rap music the fans prefer a rapper that s glowing with self esteem to one that makes insecurities about themselves obvious in their music Kanye dropped out of college to pursue music Anyone would agree that this is a very bold step given that the odds of being a successful musician are slim to none For Kanye to make an album called College Dropout it was more about having the guts to embrace who you are and breaking away from the norm rather than following the path society has carved out for you On September 13 2009 during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards while Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video for You Belong with Me West went on stage and grabbed the microphone to proclaim that Beyonc s video for Single Ladies Put a Ring on It nominated for the same award deserved the award instead This action probably marked the beginning of the public hate for Kanye West but people since the dawn of time have always hated outspoken individuals He felt there was injustice in how the panel decided who got the awarded and spoke out about it and I believe this behavior should be commended rather than condemned Unfortunately this sort of behavior is bait for the media to blow out of proportion Paparazzi sit in wait for celebrities to slip up to give them the next big entertainment headline and help them sell newspapers so they follow him around like a pack of hound dogs now I doubt anyone likes being trailed everywhere they go depriving them of any form of privacy and fortunately we are not Kanye West he has the media watching his every move He was accused of physically attacking a pressman who tried to take pictures of him and his fianc but I believe that every human has a breaking point and after watching the video it was clear that he begged the camera man multiple times not to take his picture but his words fell on deaf ears Physically attacking the pressman may not have been the best thing to do but everyone makes mistakes and this is no reason to judge or hate him people prefer to focus on the negative aspects of other people neglecting the good things they do West and his mother decided to give back to society through philanthropy and founded the Kanye West foundation whose main goal was to battle illiteracy and influence the dropout rates in colleges positively It also provided underprivileged youths with music education creating avenues for the kids to explore their creative sides West performed at several inaugural benefits concerts after which the proceeds went to the foundation and other charities Why hate someone that s doing so much to give back to the people As of 2013 West has won a total of 21 Grammy Awards making him one of the most awarded artists of all time Kanye was also named by MTV s No 1 Hottest MC in the Game On December 17 2010 and voted the MTV man of the year Kanye West was No 3 on the Billboard ranking Top 10 Producers of the Decade Time magazine also listed him amongst the 100 most influential people in the world as well as being listed in a number of Forbes annual lists Three of Kanye s album were named classics by the RIAA Other mainstream artistes like Drake and Adele have claimed that Kanye is a source of inspiration to them and that he has greatly influenced their music His music has also positively impacted anyone who has