also irrational hatred Kanye inspires - surely some racial elements in its persistence, as well as natural aversion to any massively hyped figure.
id say kanye is a victim of people not liking black celebs who appear to be arrogant. obv arrogance is irritating anyway, and dickishness is also, but there is something of a knee jerk reflex from a lot of people to black celebs/public figures who appear too sure of themselves. or often a kneejerk response to declare black celebs arrogant before they have even earned it. obv with kanye, he has earned it, and seems to enjoy provoking people, but it means thats all people see, if you dont really listen to his music, or dont really read an interview with him - like, with that every interview he does, thats all people are looking for, the latest outlandish boast. kanyee obv knows this is where his PR bread is buttered though, so caters to it expertly.
i dont know how anyone can dismiss kanye as not even knowing his craft - he is a superb producer who has proved his worth many times over. as a rapper, hes not always nas, but hes a producer first, rapper second. and i would still rather listen to him than dr dre, timbaland, or any number of others, even the rza for that matter. he has been saying more interesting stuff than most artists who are full-time rappers for some years. no matter how ham-fistedly, who else is at least presenting race or materialism/consumerism as a debate in 2013 in the mainstream? (or underground for that matter). ill grant you that kanyes grasp of these themes isnt always all that fresh, but i dunno, ill take 'provocative' over just accepting these things any day. i think its easy for people to dismiss kanye as hes so present in peoples faces a lot of the time, but there is much more to him than just kanye-the-ego and the singles.
i keep hearing and reading endless commentary on gaga's art pop album when yeezus (or mia's mathangi for that matter) bring 'art into pop' much more interestingly and daringly than gaga is ever likely to. kanye doesnt always get enough credit for his artistic decisions imo. its more fun just to laugh at him.