Hip Hop god faces his biggest battle yet

Since his classic debut album, '' in 2004, Kanye West has grown into a Hip-Hop god with his larger-than-life albums and undeniable impact on rap and pop culture. Yeezus killed gangster rap when he went toe to toe with 50 Cent in 2007 and broke down a large chunk of the homophobia wall in Hip-Hop.

Kanye West has done a lot for the genre from his definitive auto tune '' album to his jarring, minimalist experiment piece by the name of Yeezus. His collabo album '' is a sonic edifice honouring two rap giants.

Like most great men Kanye West has his faults. He is an asshole, he is brash and he is a loud mouth. When 'Ye made his entrance, his rash statements such as George Bush not liking black people resonated with African-Americans. As the years have gone by Kanye's rants have gone stranger and weirder.

The last time he made a truly cool but controversial statement was when he yanked the microphone from Taylor Swift and said "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you and I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!" From then on it would be rants galore, one confusing rant after the other.

ALSO READ: Kanye West suffered mental breakdown - reports

By the time he had his infamous meltdown on stage and took shots at his 'big brother'Jay Z and criticised Beyonce, Kanye was far from the polo rocking, chipmunk soul genius that we fell in love with. His simpler tastes had become extravagant and his honesty had morphed into rude. confusing blurts. Where did this genius go wrong?

Only those to Kanye West can truly say what cracked him and affected his mental health. The two popular theories on the downfall of Kanye West include his late mum Donda West and his wife, the ultra-famous reality TV star Kim Kardashian.

Some say since his mother died from a botched tummy tuck operation Kanye West has never been the same. Kanye West has blamed himself for her death because he allowed her move to Los Angeles where she felt the pressures of celebrity life and fame. Her presence is heavy on all of his albums.

Kim Kardashian is the object of scorn among Hip Hop heads who love Kanye West. They believe she is to blame for his breakdown. Since Kanye got involved with her he has been doing a lot of anti-Kanye things, appearing on a reality TV show and running around with the Kardashians.

With the Kardashians' bleak record with black men, a lot of fingers are pointing to Kim K for Kanye's woes.

One thing is sure, Kanye West's mental health is unstable. Maybe years of criticism and giving his all is affecting his mind. Maybe he hasn't gotten over mum's health or the Kardashian lifestyle is stifling him.

Bullets and jail terms kill the careers off gangster rappers. Mental health seems to be a threat to emo rappers that Kanye West helped usher in. Kanye has fought gangster rap music and homophobia in Hip-Hop. The battle against mental health will be his biggest challenge yet.