This was, at the time, rock bottom for the Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella artist. Amid the widespread negative response to his behaviour, Kanye then cancelled his scheduled tour with Lady Gaga without explanation. Even then-President Barack Obama, in an off-the-record portion of a television interview called him a “jackass” for his attack on Swift. Hip-hop’s golden boy became public enemy number one overnight, his face sprawled across newspapers worldwide with both fans and fellow artists calling him out for his unruly behaviour. Sonically, each album continued the trend of old soul samples and knocking boom bap beats, although an electronic element began to creep in on ‘Graduation’, exemplified by lead single ‘Stronger’, which saw Kanye utilise a vocal sample from Daft Punk’s ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’. His second and third albums, ‘Late Registration’ (2005) and ‘Graduation’ (2007), preserved the relatable themes of his debut: family, religion, sexuality, materialism, self-consciousness and excessive self-belief. Selling almost 2.5 million copies in the US by the end of the year, Kanye’s debut signalled the arrival of a new sound, one that would later be adopted by the likes of Drake, J.
With his 2004 debut album, ‘The College Dropout’, Kanye broke down barriers with his brand of nerdy blue-collar rap with which he stared down the onslaught of East Coast gangsta rap that, led by 50 Cent and G-Unit, was running both the streets and the charts. But there was a time when the Atlanta-born, Chicago-raised rapping producer was simply heralded a musical phenomenon who had the keys to pop culture’s kingdom and every piece of music he touched turned to Gold (or Platinum). These days Kanye West seems to be known more for his provocative statements and shaky political aspirations.
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