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Originally Posted by noisereductions
maybe I'm thinking about like Madvillain. I think within the crowd who know, Madvillainy is this absolute classic right? But... who's even heard of it outside of those in the know?
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Madvillain was huge though. It was all over year-end lists, seeped into Adult Swim culture, was one of the biggest breakthroughs of ‘03.
But yeah, there’s a difference between that level and co-headlining the highest-grossing hip-hop tour of all time with Jay-Z.
Last year he beat Michael Jackson’s record for most appearances in the top 40 for a male solo artist. His concert in 2016 — a relatively low-key year for Kanye-mania compared to, like, 2007 or 2010 or 2013 — was the biggest live show I’ve ever seen. Made The Rolling Stones look like a garage band.
There’s definitely two different levels of hop-hop success (maybe three) and Kanye has... well, honestly, surpassed “hip-hop” success and become a mainstream cultural icon, a la Prince or MJ (now that SFAD isn’t here, I can say that... hahaha!). Common is extremely well-known, but not many average folks know Common songs.
I’m glad he went where he went, because the music he’s made has made my life better.