Kanye West Influence

As an artist Kanye West has proven his ability to speak to millennials time and time again. As a rapper his history speaks for itself. As one the best-selling artist of not only his but of all time, he is highly acclimated in the music business. In his 20 years in the business he has won over 20 Grammys, this makes him one of the most awarded artists of all time. According to many experts in the music business Kanye West has had a “revival” of sorts. Over the 20 years of his music career, Kanye started as the cocky “new boy”, who 's raps were a far cry from the “gangsta-rap” of the early 2000s, making him a hard signee to many mainstream music labels. As time passed Kanye not only changed the sound of his music but changed the way we, as society

He bridged the gap between mainstream pop music, that utilized tools such as auto-tune, and rap. Creating a new genre within the mainstream genre of rap. Creating this bridge between genres of music, effected the people who listen to said genres. West utilized his power to shift the demographics that listened to his auto-tuned filled rap in his favor. Because of the shift Kanye created, he allowed for other rappers and musicians who didn 't fit an exact mold of a genre to become successful within their own right. Each time Kanye releases an album its continuously deemed “his best,” but because Kanye continues to changes his sound or the way society perceives him, he continues to raise the bar for not only himself but for other rappers. Yeezy not only changed the mainstream view of what rap sounds like, but he changed the view on what rappers should look like. He stayed away from the do-rags and low hanging jeans, and opted for the more clean cut and socially accepted option, pink polos. As his sound changed so did his style. His ability to be a fashion icon in todays world is completely unheard of. He’s respected not only in the music business but also in the world of