Kanye West

== Musical impact ==
West is among the most critically acclaimed popular music artists of the 21st century, earning praise from music critics, industry peers, and cultural figures.<ref name="The Perfectionism of Kanye West">{{cite web|author=Bisnoff, Jason|date=November 19, 2018|title=The Perfectionism of Kanye West|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbisnoff/2018/11/19/the-perfectionism-of-kanye-west/|access-date=November 25, 2018|website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref><ref name="The enigma of Kanye West—and how the world's biggest pop star ended up being its most reviled, too">{{cite news|last=Westhoff|first=Ben|date=June 25, 2015|title=The enigma of Kanye West—and how the world's biggest pop star ended up being its most reviled, too|work=The Guardian|location=London|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/25/kanye-west-glastonbury-festival-2015-worlds-biggest-pop-star|access-date=February 13, 2016}}</ref> In 2014, ''[[NME]]'' named him the third most influential artist in music.<ref name=":1">{{cite magazine|title=NME's 100 Most Influential Artists: 50—1|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/nme-s-100-most-influential-artists-50-1-1411863|magazine=NME|access-date=June 30, 2014}}</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' senior editor Alex Gale declared West "absolutely one of the best, and you could make the argument for the best artist of the 21st century."<ref name="Ryan" /> Sharing similar sentiments, Dave Bry of ''[[Complex Magazine]]'' called West the twenty-first century's "most important artist of any art form, of any genre."<ref name="complex">{{cite web|last1=Bry|first1=Dave|title=Kanye West Is the Most Important Artist of the 21st Century|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2013/06/kanye-west-is-the-most-important-artist-of-the-21st-century|website=[[Complex Magazine]]|access-date=June 26, 2016}}</ref> ''[[The Atlantic]]'' writer [[David Samuels (writer)|David Samuels]] commented, "Kanye's power resides in his wild creativity and expressiveness, his mastery of form, and his deep and uncompromising attachment to a self-made aesthetic that he expresses through means that are entirely of the moment: rap music, [[Music download|digital downloads]], fashion, Twitter, blogs, [[live streaming]] video."<ref name="theatlantic">{{cite web|title=Kanye West, American Mozart|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/american-mozart/308931/|website=[[The Atlantic]]|date=April 2, 2012|access-date=June 26, 2016}}</ref> Joe Muggs of ''[[The Guardian]]'' argued that "there is nobody else who can sell as many records as West does [...] while remaining so resolutely experimental and capable of stirring things up culturally and politically."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/jan/19/kanye-west-david-bowie-covers-album|title=Kanye West wants to cover David Bowie—and there is no one more fitting|work=The Guardian|location=London|first=Joe|last=Muggs|date=January 19, 2016|access-date=February 15, 2016}}</ref>

''[[Rolling Stone]]'' credited West with transforming hip-hop's mainstream, "establishing a style of introspective yet glossy rap" while deeming him "a producer who created a signature sound and then abandoned it to his imitators, a flashy, free-spending sybarite with insightful things to say about college, culture, and economics, an egomaniac with more than enough artistic firepower to back it up."<ref name="RSguide">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/kanye-west/albumguide|title=Kanye West: Album Guide|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=August 5, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205044352/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/kanye-west/albumguide|archive-date=December 5, 2011}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Highsnobiety]]'', Shahzaib Hussain stated that West's first three albums "cemented his role as a [[progressive rap]] progenitor".<ref>{{cite web|last=Hussain|first=Shahzaib|date=November 23, 2008|url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/kanye-west-808s-heartbreak-10th-anniversary/|title=Renegade Man: The Legacy of Kanye West's '808s & Heartbreak'|website=[[Highsnobiety]]|access-date=July 16, 2021}}</ref> ''[[AllMusic]]'' editor Jason Birchmeier described West as "[shattering] certain stereotypes about rappers, becoming a superstar on his own terms without adapting his appearance, his rhetoric, or his music to fit any one musical mold".<ref name="amg" /> Lawrence Burney of ''[[Noisey]]'' has credited West with the commercial decline of the [[gangsta rap]] genre that once dominated mainstream hip-hop.<ref name="Burney">{{cite news |author=Burney, Lawrence|title=Kanye West's 'Graduation' Gave Birth to Rap's First Real Rock Star|url=http://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/article/nee8bk/kanye-wests-graduation-gave-birth-to-raps-first-real-rock-star|work=[[Noisey]] |publisher=[[Vice Media]]|date=September 11, 2017 |access-date=September 12, 2017}}</ref> The release of [[Graduation (album)|his third studio album]] has been described as a turning point in the music industry,<ref>{{cite web |author=Callahan-Bever, Noah |url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/09/the-day-kanye-west-killed-gangsta-rap |title=The Day Kanye West Killed Gangsta Rap |work=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]] |date=September 11, 2015 |access-date=February 17, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219210754/http://www.complex.com/music/2015/09/the-day-kanye-west-killed-gangsta-rap |archive-date=February 19, 2016}}</ref> and is considered to have helped pave the way for new rappers who did not follow the [[hardcore hip hop|hardcore]]-[[gangsta rap|gangster]] mold to find wider mainstream acceptance.<ref name="Lamarre">{{cite magazine |author=Lamarre, Carl|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7957970/kanye-west-graduation-10-year-anniversary-vic-mensa-kyle| title=Vic Mensa, KYLE, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie & More Reflect on Their Fondest Memories of Kanye's 'Graduation' Album|magazine=Billboard|date=September 11, 2017|access-date=June 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg2007-10.php|title=Consumer Guide|work=[[MSN Music]]|date=October 2007|access-date=October 6, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104031415/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg2007-10.php|archive-date=November 4, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Theisen, Adam">{{cite news|author=Theisen, Adam|title=Rap's Latest Heavyweight Championship|url=http://www.michigandaily.com/arts/02adam-theisen-kanye-west-kendrick-lamar19|work=[[The Michigan Daily]]|publisher=The Michigan Daily|date=February 18, 2015|access-date=May 8, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713031219/http://www.michigandaily.com/arts/02adam-theisen-kanye-west-kendrick-lamar19|archive-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref>

Hip-hop artists like [[Drake (musician)|Drake]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1612262/drake-kanye-west-shaped-lot-what-i-do.jhtml|title=Drake Says Kanye West Is 'The Most Influential Person' On His Sound|publisher=MTV News|date=May 28, 2009|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131001203439/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1612262/drake-kanye-west-shaped-lot-what-i-do.jhtml#selection-2549.108-2549.127|archive-date=October 1, 2013}}</ref> [[Nicki Minaj]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Banks |first=Thembi |url=http://www.essence.com/2010/12/03/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-criticism-image-success/ |title=Nicki Minaj on Image, Criticism, and Success|work=Essence|date=December 3, 2010|access-date=February 23, 2016}}</ref> [[Travis Scott]],<ref>{{cite web |date=August 1, 2018 |title=Op-Ed {{!}} How Did Travis Scott Become One of Music's Most Divisive Artists? |url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/travis-scott-divisive-artist/ |access-date=August 26, 2022 |website=Highsnobiety |language=en}}</ref> [[Lil Uzi Vert]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Diep |first1=Eric |title=Next Wave: Meet Lil Uzi Vert, the Next Phenom in Rap |url=http://www.complex.com/music/2016/01/next-wave-meet-lil-uzi-vert-the-next-phenom-in-rap |work=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]] |date=January 20, 2016 |access-date=April 6, 2016}}</ref> and [[Chance the Rapper]]<ref>{{cite web |date=August 9, 2017 |title=Chance The Rapper Discusses Kanye West Influence With Stretch & Bobbito |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/chance-the-rapper-discusses-kanye-west-influence-with-stretch-and-bobbito-news.36082.html |access-date=August 26, 2022 |website=HotNewHipHop |language=en}}</ref> have acknowledged being influenced by West. Several other artists and music groups of various genres have named West as an influence on their work.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Musical artists and groups naming West as an influence:
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*[[Casey Veggies]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.16384/title.casey-veggies-speaks-on-influences-names-kanye-west-nas|title=Casey Veggies Speaks on Influences, Names Kanye West & Nas|magazine=HipHopDX|date=August 10, 2011}}</ref>
*[[Adele]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adele.tv/blog/160/i-m-very-excited-nervous-eager-anxious-but-chuffed-to-announce-my-new-album|title=Adele: I'm very excited, nervous, eager, anxious but chuffed to announce my new album!|last1=Adkins|first1=Adele|date=November 1, 2010|publisher=Adele.tv. [[XL Recordings]]|access-date=April 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424094802/http://www.adele.tv/blog/160/i-m-very-excited-nervous-eager-anxious-but-chuffed-to-announce-my-new-album|archive-date=April 24, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Lily Allen]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/lily-allen/77326|title=Lily Allen: 'Kanye West amused by 'Sheezus' album title'|date=May 15, 2014|work=NME|access-date=November 22, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Daniel Caesar]]<ref name="Green">{{cite web|url=https://mixmag.net/feature/get-to-know-daniel-caesar-the-toronto-born-artist-baring-his-soul-on-gospel-tinged-rnb|title=Get to know Daniel Caesar, the artist baring his soul on gospel-tinged r'n'b|website=Mixmag}}</ref>
*[[Lorde]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6304100/lorde-billboard-cover-story|title=Billboard Cover: Lorde on Her 'Hero' Kanye West, the 'Hunger Games' Soundtrack and Hype-Proofing Her Career|magazine=Billboard|date=October 31, 2014|access-date=November 22, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Rosalía (singer)|Rosalía]]<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 18, 2022 |title=Rosalía Levels Up as a Global Pop Superstar |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/rosalia-levels-up-as-a-global-pop-superstar |access-date=April 8, 2022 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Halsey (singer)|Halsey]]<ref>{{cite web|first=Matt|last=Pais|title=Honesty is the best policy for rising star Halsey|url=http://www.redeyechicago.com/music/redeye-halsey-interview-20150320-story.html|work=[[RedEye]]|date=March 24, 2015|access-date=February 11, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Arctic Monkeys]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://k-punk.abstractdynamics.org/archives/007478.html|title=k-punk: Their own musical hero|work=abstractdynamics.org|access-date=November 22, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Kasabian]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gigwise.com/news/87320/kasabian-our-new-albums-influenced-by-nirvana-+-kanye-west|title=Kasabian: 'Our new album's influenced by Nirvana + Kanye West'|last=Trendell|first=Andrew|publisher=gigwise.com}}</ref>
*[[MGMT]]<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Chino|last=Moreno|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mgmt/49400|title=MGMT's new album influenced by Lady Gaga and Kanye West|date=January 25, 2010|magazine=[[NME]]|access-date=July 6, 2015}}</ref>
*[[Yeah Yeah Yeahs]]<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Insanul|last=Ahmed|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2013/04/even-the-yeah-yeah-yeahs-love-kanye-west|title=Even The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Love Kanye West|date=April 4, 2013|magazine=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|access-date=March 23, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Fall Out Boy]]<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/fall-out-boy-new-album-interview-extreme-politics-donald-trump-2061897| last=Trendell| first=Andrew| title=Fall Out Boy discuss 'extreme' new single 'Young And Menace' and their 'political' new album 'M A N I A'| magazine=[[NME]]| date=April 28, 2017| access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref>
*[[James Blake (musician)|James Blake]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kanye-wants-james-blake-for-next-album-20140221|title=Kanye Wants James Blake for Next Album|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=February 21, 2014|access-date=November 22, 2016|archive-date=April 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413022435/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kanye-wants-james-blake-for-next-album-20140221|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Daniel Lopatin]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/17341/1/oneohtrix-point-never|title=Oneohtrix Point Never|last=Dazed|date=September 25, 2013|work=dazeddigital.com|access-date=November 22, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Tim Hecker]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/62672-tim-hecker-announces-new-album-love-streams/|title=Tim Hecker Announces New Album Love Streams |work=Pitchfork |date=January 27, 2016 |access-date=November 22, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Rakim]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rakim Speaks On Kanye West's Influence On Hip-Hop |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2012/04/rakim-speaks-on-kanye-wests-influence-in-hip-hop |access-date=December 14, 2022 |website=Complex |language=en}}</ref>
*[[John Legend]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2, 2021 |title=John Legend details Kanye West's influence in popularizing his stage name |url=https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/john_legend_details_kanye_wests_influence_in_popularizing_his_stage_name/s1_13132_34245608 |access-date=December 14, 2022 |website=Yardbarker |language=en}}</ref>
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