Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century Podcast: Kanye West (No. 7)

On today’s (Oct. 23) episode of the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century podcast, we reach No. 7 of our list with a producer-turned-rapper-turned-all-consuming-celebrity, who has been unavoidable in pop culture for the last two decades — often for his artistic brilliance, sometimes for his business ventures or personal life, and particularly in recent years, frequently for his harmful statements and actions. (Read our No. 7 Greatest Pop Star essay about Kanye West here.)

Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B writers Angel Diaz and Michael Saponara to recap the always-eventful last 25 years in Kanye, which took him to a producer hustling just to be taken seriously as an MC, to a longtime rap and pop superstar excised from many corners of mainstream entertainment (but still proving majorly impactful from the fringes). In between, we remember the virtually unparalleled brilliance of Kanye’s run of classic albums from 2004 to 2013, as well as the countless unforgettable pop culture moments he was at the center of over that period, and how his impact ultimately spread to the worlds of fashion, reality TV, tabloid gossip and even politics.

Then, we brace for Kanye’s more difficult years, discussing whether Kanye’s later work lost some of his earlier magic or just got overshadowed by his real-world controversies — and whether those recent headlines have affected our current ability to enjoy him regardless. We close by recalling some personal favorite moments of Kanye’s on stage (“Runaway” at the VMAs! “All Day” at the BRITs! Coachella 2011!) and in the studio, and share some hopes for how things might end up going with Kanye from here.

Hear our takes on all of that below, catch up on our past episodes here, and be sure to subscribe to Billboard‘s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century series wherever you get your podcasts! (New episodes will be revealed every Wednesday, following the Tuesday publishing of our Greatest Pop Star for that week, up to the unveiling of our No. 1 on Dec. 3.)