I think he is one of the most over-rated artists of all time. Easily.
He is good at production, and terrible at everything else. The meanining of his songs are cliche, and only idiots can think they are "deep" or anything but trivial. He can't rap. Period. It bothers me when people think he can. Knowing all the talented artists out there today, and people think guys like Kanye can rap. It's the same feeling I get when idiots think Travis Barker is a good drummer, it makes no sense at all.
Part of it is also his massive ego and just his over-rated status in general.
I think he is a really good producer. I can't deny this. Although there are lots of underground guys out there making beats that are fire, there is more to production than that. Kanye can do it all. Outside of that, he isn't good, and nobody who actually understands or has studied hip-hop in any meaningful way can justify it.
He rode his own production to fame, with little talent. I give him credit for that. Why sell beats for $100k-$1000k when you can just spit absolute nonsense and fifth grade essays over them and make 10 times the money. That doesn't make him good though. Most people who are massively famous in a majority of genres are some of the least talented artists in them. They just make catchy stuff without any real talent. Mass audiences don't know music, and can't understand the complexity behind music made by talented artists. Since Kanye is all production, and 10 percent content, and the production is good, it catches on, nobody needs to think while they listen to it, and it becomes just random borderline poppy music.
I am not saying he has no talent. His is a fantastic producer, but that is where his talent ends. As an "artists" he is terrible.