Kanye West is delighted his debut album The College Dropout was named the best of the decade by a US magazine - because 2009 has been such a turbulent year for him.
The 2004 record was voted top disc of the last ten years by Entertainment Weekly, fighting off competition from Outkast, 50 Cent and Jay-Z.
West was overcome with emotion when he heard he'd won the accolade, as it brought back forgotten memories from that time of his life.
He tells AllHipHop.com, "Wow, this is really flattering. I've had some ups and downs this year, well actually this decade. Just seeing this cover takes me back to that time of my life.
"I remember how much pain and love went into this album. No one saw it coming. This project wasn't about me, it was about a time in people's lives where people force opinions on you and you have to make choices for yourself."
The star was widely criticised in September for storming the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to protest Taylor Swift's Best Female Video win over Beyonce.
WENN.com