Photo: Wenn
The award will be presented at this year's VMAs this coming Monday (30 August) and will honour the Chicago rapper from his striving dedication to music, fashion, culture and art.
Previous recipients of this prestigious award include Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel, Guns N' Roses, Beastie Boys and Beyoncé.
"Throughout his career, West has blended musical and visual artistry to powerful effect," reads the statement released by MTV: "From his trilogy of videos for 'Jesus Walks', to the mind-bending animation of 'Heartless', to the arresting imagery of 'Bound 2', he's pushed boundaries and delivered something new with every successive video."
Watch, arguably, West's greatest video, 'Runaway', below
The 2015 VMAs will be hosted by Miley Cyrus and will feature exclusive performances from a variety of great artists including The Weeknd, who plans on performing his sensational track 'Can't Feel My Face' live on TV for the first time.
Kanye made headlines the other day when he filled in for Frank Ocean at this year's FYF fest. Performing 'FourFiveSeconds', West pulled Rihanna out of the crowd, handed her a microphone and the two performed their hit single as well as Ye's crowd-pleaser 'All Of The Lights'.
Strangely, Arctic Monkeys are nominated for a VMA award this year for their two year old video for 'Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High?"
