Breaking down Kanye West’s full catalog of songs to compose a Top 50 is a wonderful chore.
Over seven solo albums, two collaborative ones and enough singles, B-sides and guest verses to fill up a few more, Kanye West has explored the full breadth and depth of fame, infamy and emotion. While his public persona is often one of detached lunacy, Kanye might know himself and his audience much better than anyone suspects.
That knowledge makes it possible for him to make smash hits flaunting his excess and less flowery but no less powerful introspective songs examining what he’s lost along the way. The ability to be both pop star and starving artist makes Kanye among the most prolific and profound artists working today.
It can be difficult to appreciate that sometimes given the headlines and his propensity to test the limits of the public’s patience, but years from now he will be rightly regarded as one of the best ever.
Kanye’s critics might not be easily convinced by such a bold claim, but the best way to substantiate it is to look back at Kanye’s best work, from the very beginning of his rap career right up through the release of his latest album, The Life of Pablo.
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