Writing anonymous praiseful reviews about his own work, declaring himself the embodiment of a nation’s art form, and demonstrating an obsession with stardom- those of us immersed in pop culture would expect these behaviors of rapper Kanye West, but they actually serve as an abbreviated catalog for Walt Whitman’s lifelong attempt to stand out amongst American poets. Although Walt Whitman's impact continues to resonate throughout the world of artistic delivery, no other artist demonstrates this world's development into the 21st century like the notorious West.  As we look into the conversations surrounding Kanye’s and Whitman’s media delivery, artistic delivery, and contemporary reception, we find them placed on separate ends of a representation spectrum. This spectrum comes to shape our understanding of the iconic American artist, ranging from the artist as we ideally picture them to the artist as person.