In 2009, Kanye West was riding high. 808s & Heartbreak, his fourth studio album, proved a resounding critical and commercial triumph. A foray into clothing design had culminated in a Paris fashion week sneaker show with Louis Vuitton and a shoe line with Nike.
No longer was West the dorky producer turned rapper agitating to break out of Jay-Z’s shadow. He had become a true star. The only person who could stop Kanye was Kanye –
