Undeniable music, brilliant tweets and one ambitious short film put ‘Ye back on top in 2010. By James Montgomery Kanye West Photo: D. Dipasupil/Getty Images He didn’t sell the most albums (that was Eminem ) or have the year’s hottest single (that was Usher ), but at the close of 2010, there really is no other choice for MTV News’ Man of the Year than Kanye West . (They’re more than just pretty faces, but you can still check out photos of our Men and Women of 2010!) After all, no one dominated the pop-culture landscape quite like he did. From his self-imposed hiatus to his triumphant return to his tantrums (and, of course, his tweets), everyone was talking about West in 2010. No one completed as compelling a comeback story, and most importantly, no one released an album as searing and soaring as My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. And he did it all his way, without compromise or contrition. It truly was 12 months to behold. West came into 2010 as a villain, still stinging from the public smack-down he received following the Taylor Swift debacle , and he leaves it as a hero: not only the year’s most celebrated artist, but its most compelling and visionary too. And if that’s not worthy of an award, well, then we don’t know what is. King Kanye reigns supreme. Here’s a look back at a very memorable year in his life. 2010 Highlights : West’s story actually begins in September 2009, after he stormed the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards. His actions were lambasted by everyone from Donald Trump to Jimmy Carter , and as a result, he tearfully told Jay Leno that he needed to “take time off.” And he wasn’t kidding. ‘Ye canceled his much-anticipated Fame Kills Tour with Lady Gaga and all but disappeared from the public eye, leading to rumors that he had checked himself into rehab (or, alternately, fled to India ). He briefly appeared onstage with Beyonc
