Complex sentence: West's middle-class background and flamboyant fashion sense have set him apart from other rappers, and, early in his career, he was among the first rappers to publicly criticize the preponderance of homophobia in hip hop.
Split into simpler sentences: West's middle-class background and flamboyant fashion sense have set him apart from other rappers. Early in his career, West was also among the first rappers to publicly criticize the preponderance of homophobia in hip hop.