Kanye West controversies - how did we get here?

Kanye West controversies - how did we get here?Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleEmma SaundersCulture reporterGetty ImagesArguably one of the most influential artists and producers of his generation, Kanye West - now known as Ye - set a new bar for hip-hop production in the 2000s and 2010s.He got his start by creating beats for stars including Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, before chomping up the charts in his own right.His 2003 debut single, Through the Wire, was written from a hospital bed and recorded with his head in a brace following a car accident. For the next decade, he was unassailable, with hits such as Stronger, Gold Digger and Heartless pushing the boundaries of rap.But over the years, his career has frequently been derailed by impulsive outbursts, antisemitic tirades and racist statements, among other controversies. The latest furore is over his headline booking at this year's Wireless Festival.Here are some of those significant - and, to many, offensive - moments.'Bill Cosby innocent' post - 2016West had a history of making rash statements before 2016. He famously interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Awards, saying Beyoncé should have won the prize for best female artist.A few years earlier, he went off script during a telethon to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, declaring that the then-President George Bush "doesn't care about black people".While many fans agreed with those statements - or at least understood the sentiments behind them - his later support for Bill Cosby, who was under suspicion of drugging and raping dozens of women, was harder to explain."BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!" wrote West in a 2016 social media post, prompting an instant backlash.The US comedian and TV star would later be found guilty of drugging and raping a woman at his Pennsylvania home in 2004, and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. The judgement was later overturned.But in March 20...