Will the real Kanye West please stand up?

Jay-Z and Kanye West set expectations high the minute they announced their joint album, Watch the Throne, which dropped last night.

Somehow, the pair beat expectations yet again.

The album is a consensus hit among fans and critics and the pair are shooting up every trend chart there is, from Google to Twitter to everything in between.

But it made us realize that we don’t know much about Kanye West.

Unlike many (most?) celebrities, Kanye West’s private life is a bit of an unknown. In fact, Kanye West has used both Social Media and traditional media to create a caricature that represents him but is not, in fact, the real Kanye West.

This persona that spans Twitter, MTV and more is a “jackass” as President Barack Obama put it.

However, we feel this is just a clever move by a clever performer in an industry in which you have to stay in the spotlight while keeping your personal life out of it.

Much like the “heels” in the WWE, Kanye West has mastered the ability to toe the line carefully enough that people are repulsed by him just enough to not to want to be exposed to any more of his antics but stay talented enough to keep people hooked on his music.

The classic analogy would be a train wreck, but Kanye West is more like a perpetual train wreck. If two trains could collide and repeat that collision over and over, you’d have Kanye West.

And people buy it completely because conventional wisdom says that no one would want to pretend to be such a jackass, so they take Kanye West the performer and assume it’s the same as Kanye West the person.

Clever.

So who is the real Kanye West? What do we know about him?

Aside from his engagement with designer Alexis Phifer, which he broke off in 2008 and the death of his mother in 2007, not much.

Even in those two instances, he barely spoke about either one.

The lack of information has led speculators to fill the void with unsubstantiated rumors, questioning everything from his sexuality to his weight.

However, even this doesn’t reach the mainstream because Kanye West doesn’t even acknowledge them. He goes on playing his role of “jackass” to perfection.

And, we think it’s great.

It’s refreshing to watch someone create a persona that may or may not reflect the real person. It reminds us of Hulk Hogan as “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan and it’s a brilliant tactic for Social Media.

We tell our clients, that with Social Media, you have to be known for something or you’re known for nothing.

Whether it’s for being funny, outrageous, a real estate expert or a life coach, your name has to invoke emotion in your audience, so they can identify you with a role.

And, for Kanye West, he’s known as a talented jackass. And we love it.