Kanye West: rapper/producer

Ebony, Feb, 2005

HEY say Kanye West saved hip-hop. Not single-handedly, of course, but that he saved hip-hop with his insight and innovations. They say before he came along, the genre was stuck in a rut, looking for something fresher and hotter than what had come before.

So when West's debut CD, The College Dropout, dropped roughly a year ago, folks were ripe for anything on the new. West delivered and has had the kind of year most could only dream about--multiplatinum disc, ultra-successful tour with R&B sensation Usher, producer credits for Alicia Keys, Twista, Brandy, four Billboard Awards and an industry-leading 10 Grammy Award nominations.

Those Grammy nods are strong indicators that the fashion-forward former art school student is about to ascend to a new level, increase his appeal and further influence the hip-hop arena.

The man one reviewer called a "comedian, social critic, hedonist and a Christian" is already at work on a sophomore CD set to be released later this year, and he is still bumping the best beats in the 'biz. Along his path to success, West--the son of a college professor and former Black Panther--told the world that you don't have to be a gangsta to be a rapper, that growing up middle class doesn't mean you lack street cred, and that sometimes writing songs that make you think ("Jesus Walks") is a good thing. And with West's mentor Jay-Z settling in as head of Def Jam and the latest hip-hop offerings from some of the top stars getting lukewarm responses, someone's got to take control.

They say Kanye West saved hip-hop. Maybe they were right.