The Genius We Love To Hate

KANYE WEST, 40, does things his way, whether the world gets it or not. Find out why.

- Neil Mccormick

Kanye West lives in his own head. This is a man who declared himself “50% more influential than any other human being, dead or alive, for the next 1 000 years”. The madness of Kanye is not exactly news. He has conducted his whole career being unstable and disruptive, justifying his public behaviour with the brilliance of his art in ways that suggest his mental instability may be integral to his creativity. It has helped make him the most interesting – and arguably, the most influential – pop star of our times. But considering his latest music and fashion ventures, there’s a sense that Kanye is completely misjudged.

Speaking to Surface magazine, Kanye said managing his music, fashion and art work is a constant juggle act. “It’s like being a piano player, the keys of life just playing a chord. People can’t wrap their head around why a wrong note drives me crazy, but I’m trying to hear a beautiful chord. People say, ‘If you’ve got this, this, and this, why are you so mad about that?’ Well, I’m trying to play a chord with two hands, and then eventually a symphony.”

The rapper, who burst onto the scene with The College Dropout in 2004 – followed by