Not really, I'm not saying he's a match to the likes of mos def, but his older stuff was a lot better before he turned into captain lord jesus black messiah supreme
Mos def loves Kanye, and Kanye is a top tier producer as well as rapper. I love Mos Def and put him above most but Kanye has the right to have a big ego, dude has at least participated in well over 100 top 5 singles...rapping or producing, including moving main stream in a different direction with Big Pimpin, one of the highest grossing singles of all time. Dude was like 24.
I'm not saying he isn't an asshole but for people to scoff at him like he isn't where he is for a reason, is laughable. How many other rap artists change their shit up like he has? If he had dropped college dropout 3 he would have been unbearably rich, that style was loved. Instead he went 808&Heartbreak. Taking chances on people like Bon Iver (from my area, having them produce the tracks for my dark twisted...)
I'm almost sorry I tagged you, it was all about the Mos Def stuff. I think he changes shit up but you make his point. His old stuff was awesome, and his new stuff is different. The Beatles did the same thing, and people are still arguing about their stuff today. I think that is what matters most for him, the fact he will still be around decades later. Honestly, I firmly believe that if we had college dropout 3, he would have ended up like Lil Wayne.