Well, you have to remember that he used to be the studio engineer also. He made it to where he is by not cutting corners and spending the time making sure that everything is as close to perfect as possible, regardless of how long it took. I'm sure he demands that from the people working for him, because he knows exactly what he wants.

I'm good friends with an attorney that is widely considered one of the best attorneys in our state, possibly in the nation. He's worth zillions and has made it to where he is because he works 18-20 hours a day, 6 days a week, for the past 25 years. He has a staff of attorneys under him, but no paralegal - he writes all his own arguments and practices every possible question/statement/wrench that can be thrown endlessly. His tireless work habits and demand for perfection make him extremely hard to work for apparently, and he has a huge turnover rate - yet, he's one of the nicest, most humble people you'd ever meet (outside his office). You can't confuse demanding perfection and an endless work ethic in your professional life with being an asshole in your personal life - those are two completely different things.

Additionally, I think Kanye is gifted and is some sort of genius - he continually puts out just amazing albums; music that people across the board herald as great, regardless of how much they like or don't like rap music. Often, people with certain levels of genius have a hard time relating to others, and appear awkward in social settings - their minds are just wired differently. Add to it, him constantly being hounded by paparazzi, his wants for privacy and the fact that most of what average people know about him are what these same paparazzi people write and report - the people that he (rightfully) hates - and it's easy to see why he's portrayed as an asshole, yet outside of work probably is a very likable guy.