When Kanye West burst onto the scene in 2004, I was a mere eight years old. At that age, I was just beginning to lay the foundation of my music taste, so naturally I was unaware of this fresh face to the rap scene.

Flash forward three years: “Stronger” is one of the biggest hits of 2007, and the nation (including myself) can’t get enough of it. This is the first time I remember listening to a Kanye song, and though the main reason I liked it was because it was popular at the time, I began to get a taste for this up-and-coming artist.

Nowadays, ask anyone, and it’s near impossible to find someone who has not heard of Kanye West. His fame has skyrocketed to interstellar proportions, but by no means is this an accident. Some may simply brush him off as an attention-seeking narcissist, but I am in the camp that recognizes a true artist in Kanye.

I didn’t come to this conclusion automatically; rather, it took quite a while for me to come around to Kanye’s ideas present in his lyrics. This is mainly because rap, when done well, is very nuanced and complex, and there is often a much deeper meaning underneath it all. I won’t go into detail (I don’t think I am very qualified to do so), but Kanye is one of the top rappers working today because of his ability to discuss his ideology both at face value and on a deeper level. His unflinching commitment to this depth has allowed him to rise to his elevated status.

This piece isn’t an analysis of Kanye’s lyricism, nor is it a condemnation of his wild antics; it’s certainly not that I don’t enjoy rap. The reason I thought I would never be a fan of his is just that I didn’t want to be a sellout. Just because he was popular, I thought there was no way he could have any validity. Looking back, I realize that this is a ridiculous way of thinking. Popularity is no legitimate measure of worth, and Kanye has proven that he can be both popular and deep at the same time.

Keep on doing what you’re doing, Kanye. You’ve got to be doing something right.