My homeboy Kanye West is set to receive the 2005 Artist Achievement Award at the 2005 BILLBOARD Music Awards being held Tuesday, Dec. 6 on FOX. And rightfully so, here's why:

In just over five years, Kanye West has written and produced 24 top-40 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, including the No. 1's "Gold Digger" (Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx), "Slow Jamz" (Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx), "You Don't Know My Name" (Alicia Keys) and "Stand Up" (Ludacris featuring Shawnna).

Kanye's latest album, "Late Registration," debuted at No. 1 on both The Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling over 860,000 units in its first week. West has produced hits for Jay-Z, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Common, The Game, John Legend, Brandy and Shyne.

He knows me, he refers to himself as the international a$$hole and he knows how to shake the haters. You gotta love that! Kanye's the man.

On another note, I wish Blastro would've sent me to Las Vegas for the AMA's as opposed to NYC to cover the Gotti trial. At least I would have gotten some swag. You know swag, a gift basket that the presenters and entertainers get for showing up. This year's basket contains nearly a 100 free items including clothes, perfumes, watches, BlackBerries and other various electronics adding up to a total value of approximately $33,000. Those baskets would've come in handy as the holiday season approaches. Who knows, maybe Tess, Jesse and the rest of the Blastro front office would have gotten Christmas gifts this year. Three words: Maybe next time.

The only thing you'll get this year is a lousy autographed picture of JA Rule.

Click here to Watch EbenGregory - Kanye West To Receive Billboard 2005 Artist Achievement Award