“Mr. West received these simultaneous accolades for several reasons. There’s the recent egalitarian streak in pop criticism — the death of nongeneralists — even if this specific embrace of Mr. West is merely a case of exceptionalism masking as democracy. ‘Twisted Fantasy’ is a hip-hop album accessible to both insiders and outsiders, arriving in a moment in which other genres are as open-armed as ever. Since his debut album Mr. West has boldly asserted his primacy, demanding that others — critics, award shows, other artists — fall in line. By asking to be judged at a higher level Mr. West implicitly allows for it by creating the language for that acclaim. And maybe in some way fear plays a role, with institutions worried that history will not smile on dissenters.

Mr. West also spent months doing things critics like: using the Internet to reveal his inner self, which, it turned out, was pretty much the same as his outer self; giving away music; and providing a peek into his methods in the process.

Finally, and most boringly, year-end lists often favor late-year releases, when the sense of anticipation fulfilled is still fresh. In this regard music critics are no better than Oscar voters. The last thing they remember as they fill out their ballots is the triumph of Mr. West’s album, or reading about someone else’s insistent perspective on the triumph of Mr. West’s album, or assuming — rightly, at it happens — that for the next few weeks before the actual year’s end, nothing they or anyone else will do will detract from that triumph, or perception of triumph.”