This is how I view whats happened...roll with me if you dare (lol). Hip hop was originally born on the streets and like everything else it grew. It eventually made it's way into the mainstream thanks to "crossover" rappers (like RUN-DMC with "Walk This Way") and many others, producers and labels followed. Then came cats like Jay-Z that took it to another level of success. Then came producers like P. Diddy who couldn't rap worth a ish up the ante by getting on the mic and being accepted by the mainstream as "dope". True heads knew P. Diddy couldn't rap. But the mainstream luved him! PD introduced Craig Mack, Mase and a ton of other cats in the game. At this point, hip hop was doing very well in the mainstream BUT true hip hop heads weren't really feeling it but accepted it anyway. Even some so-called "hardcore underground heads" started crossing over. Then it just kinda died out, Dirty South cats started making some noise and hip hop was again alive with momentum. Meanwhile, boom bapp cats just kinda existed in the background (in the mainstreams eyes). Eventually labels stop signing and cats were falling off like crazy. Well when Dirty South music got corney, what was left? Nada, and after a periodof time, we hear that hip hop was dead, but that death wasn't the genre, it was from the mainstream. Hip hop was still alive on the streets but the shock really shook up the hip hop world so now "vets" (Nas, Jay-Z and others) started coming out of retirement. The damage was already done though, on top of that, it was at a time when a new generation of hip hoppers were coming up. Nas and Jay-Z never had a chance eventhough their sells were good (due mostly to the mainstream) it wasn't enough to put hip hop back where it was. Thats where we are right now, it's not that Kanye is a superdope rapper to anyone, he's still appealing to a mainstream audience. Which gives the impression that he is dope. Is that good for hip hop right now? Hell yeah it is (from a limelight perspective)! True heads look at Kanye and compare his skills to cats from back in the day and trust...Kanye, Diddy and a bunch of others would have never touched a mic if hip hop had maintained it's level. In conclusion, If you're hungry/straving, a stale piece of bread will look good! Kanye is not that great, who is his compettetion? Lil Wayne and who?