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Notes -
Kanye is one of the most significant artists of the first few decades of the 21st century, at least in the West. There's a lot of people in their 30s now who grew up with his music, at least if they were into hiphop. He was together with Drake arguably the most influential artist in rap after the Jay-Z/Eminem/Dre/Nas era.
What sets him apart from the others is that he made tons of money outside of music, far in excess of what is typical. The only other major successful rap artist I can think of who made much more money in non-music ventures would be Dr.Dre with his "beats" peripherals. But Kanye is certainly going to rank higher than Dre when the history of hip-hop is written (if we limit ourselves to music).
That's why this attack is so amazing. He had everything to lose and he didn't blink twice doing it.
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