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Fascinating points, Mark.
West is, I'd say, a compelling model of (ostensible) self-reliance, and all its contradictions and absurdities, in contemporary America. In a famous book called Habits of the Heart, the sociologist Robert Bellah makes an astute point about the legacy of Emersonianism and the curious conformity involved in American expressions of individualism (or what I prefer to call personal autonomy):

Many of the people that we talked to haven't necessarily read Emerson or if they did they don't remember that they did and yet the term "self-reliance" comes easily to their tongue. The notion that help comes only from one's bosom is a commonplace of contemporary middle class culture. As one of the therapists we interviewed put it, "In the end, you're really alone and you really have to answer to yourself.." And indeed we find, as we probe the characteristics of American middle class culture, a form of life organized around a restless and relentless pursuit of individual autonomy. A quest for the self, for leaving the past and the social structures that have previously enveloped us, for stripping off the obligations and restraints imposed by others, until at last we find the true self which is unique and individual, entirely different from anyone else.
I might just tell you, as an aside, the language in which Americans express their uniqueness is among the most stereotyped language of any we got in the interviews: "We're all different." But it seems we're all different in exactly the same way. Here is a great irony, of course, that the common sense meaning of individualism, "I'm not doing what anybody else wants me to do"-[is expressed within] a culture that relentlessly tells us not to do what anybody else wants us to do.

This is, for me, one reason why West seems so bankrupt (as far as I understand him, which may not be very far) as a spokesman for authentic, old-school Emersonianism: all the 'transgressive' behavior seems finally to be little more than (very profitable and commercially savvy) posturing, amounting to a lively 'lifestyle' which simply hyperbolizes every banal, mainstream, 'conformist' aspiration (get rich and famous, show off, have fun), not a vital life.

I see what you mean -- though perhaps Whitman (who loved and celebrated sensual pleasures) is even closer as a precursor. My lingering (grumpy-old-man-ish) complaints, though... West seems (not so much in the clip above, but in other interviews) like Emerson without the willingness for serious, honest self-appraisal (as the sage of Concord knew, finding the proper self to rely on is never easy, never a matter of simple self-aggrandizement), and like Whitman without the great American democratic impulse and generosity of spirit ("For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you").

I'd like to contribute to the Kanye West conversation with an Emersonian(ish) lens, despite not knowing much about him other than what I've read on the forum (and heard from my boyfriend who is a Kanye fan and has strong opinions about his work).

As an artist, we can perceive Kanye West as a cultural figure who crafted his own artistic identity, in spite of mainstream themes. While his albums have been starkly different in terms of their lyrical content—going from writing about universally relatable themes in College Dropout to a highly individualized and worshipped sense of self in Yeezus—it is apparent that he remains true to his own experiences concerning what it means to be an American. As Mark mentioned, College Dropout was revolutionary in that it shifted the culture of rap music, through Kanye's politically conscious critique of the education system during a time in which rap music had a primarily "gangster", anti-white status. His modest persona in College Dropout is much different from the highly self-assured, "narcissist" that Kanye is today. In this way, and as you've all more or less concluded, Kanye echoes much of Emersonian thought. We could have a conversation about what makes someone a good artist, but I think Kanye derives much of his artistic integrity from his loud and unswayed voice.

As a person, Kanye West is largely criticized for being self-righteous. As mentioned, his latest album is particularly controversial with its divine allusions of self (here, Kanye’s persona is reminiscent of Whitman’s “Song Of Myself,” wherein Whitman capitalizes “Me”, framing himself as a sort of American Jesus who “could look with a separate look on [his] own crucifixion and bloody crowning” (965)). After watching the video Mark posted about Kanye’s response to his criticisms, I think there’s a twofold way of perceiving his identity. We can attribute Kanye's self-reliance either to the modern "narcissism epidemic" in an age of globalization and proliferating ICT, or in the context of American individualism positioned against the 80-year long institution of slavery that often slips beneath. I’d like to discuss the latter.

Kanye expresses that “we’ve got this new thing called classism. It’s racism’s cousin”, as well as alluding to his ties to slavery. As a Black man occupying a position of prestige, with his unwavering sense of individuality and headstrong resistance to people bringing him down, we might compare Kanye to Frederick Douglass, if Douglass had had the same opportunities as someone like Emerson. We see two exemplars of American individuality—yet their voices are heard at a volume determined by race and class. In this way, I would perceive American individualism and the American dream (defined as a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work) as different ideas. I think Kanye West, though arguably a little high strong, articulates this important difference. His identity seems to be at least partially rooted in his experiences as a Black man. In Yeezus, he samples racially significant songs such as “Blood on the Leaves” which is taken from a poem about lynching. These appropriations are controversial, yet he makes a conscious effort to speak from within, rather than re-appropriating cultural materials for solely aesthetic purposes. And his voice resonates. Especially considering recent events with the Ferguson case, it is apparent that the zeitgeist of slavery is real in America. I’d be hesitant to compare Kanye West directly to Emerson, but he expresses that what it means to be an American individual in modern society is still crosscut by the dimensions of classism and racism.