YO!
I object!
Their music was more Heiro, if anything... In line with some of the other "alt" hip hop groups emerging from the West at the time. They still had underground respect with "BEP Empire" and Premier on the boards. When that failed is when the "sellout" happened. But Will was never the "common man", as Kanye once portrayed him to be. BEP schtick in the beginning was more to the left of the mainstream which, I'll agree, was cool because we allowed for more diversity within hip hop. But I'd never say Will was Kanye before Kanye.
That said, this whole thing is disappointing. This should've been handled in conversation between gentlemen.
DF!!!