The Kanye Factor
March 17, 2010 6 Comments
The hottest rapper not in jail is Kanye West.
Sorry, Jay-Z. Apologies to T.I., Lupe, etc. Kanye musically has the Midas touch, and his peers know that more than anybody. Ask Common or John Legend, who’s albums breathe Kanye’s elastic soulfulness. Ask Maroon 5. Ask T-Pain. Ask Drake.
Kanye’s time to take the throne is now, similar to when Jay-Z, by default, reached hip-hop’s highest echelon. If it were not for the untimely deaths of the Notorious B.I.G. and 6 months before him, Tupac Shakur, it is arguable that rap fans would even know Jay-Z outside of New York.
Kanye is in a similar situation, with his mentor, Jay-Z, comtemplating time off to spend with Beyonce, and no elite rapper on the scene or for the forseeable future, now just may be time for Kanye to assume rap’s top throne. All he has to do is stay out of jail, and stay alive (both are hard for a rapper these days). Of course, there have already been missteps, but nobody’s perfect.
The measure of a good artist used to be in his/her crossover appeal. Kanye nailed that in one album and has since taken off into the other-worldly-realms of exploring rock and classical music.
The throne is his for the taking, but will he take it?
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