[Senator Clay Davis]

Sorry, but following the corporate ####-rock template is not talent, it's following a template. A kid who can draw inside the lines is not talented, many people can draw inside the lines. If he was creating the lines, then he's talented. But no credit for following the blueprint set out by AC/DC in 1980. Likewise for Katy and the others, simply products of the machine who will be (and in Nickelback's case already have been) replaced. Kanye at least challenges himself and the listener.

And as mentioned by others Kanye is an elite producer, certainly in the top 10 in rap history. Nickelback, Katy Perry and others are only in top 10 categories that apply to popularity or record sales, which has little to nothing to do with talent (see: Air Supply with more record sales than Radiohead).