Kanye’s West’s new song has got the music world in a tizz and not because Only One, an ode to his mum, is a little on the schmaltzy side (I’ll admit I got teary listening – but I’ll cry at a news story about a kitten rescued from a drain).

It’s controversial because West has teamed up with the poster boy for music’s old guard – a gent whose most successful musical output came at a time when many armchair aficionados say “music used to be good” – Sir Paul McCartney.

It’s not surprising this collaboration has inspired a wave of negative comments at the bottom of news articles. In my 20-plus years working in music print and radio I’ve never stopped hearing self-described music lovers saying they don’t like “that rap crap”. Even though this particular song is a ballad, West will always be associated with hip-hop, hence the instant vitriol.

It astounds me this opinion still prevails among so many – this kind of music has been round since before baby Kanye was born and has consistently provided some of the most challenging and entertaining sounds in contemporary culture.

Safe to assume – at least I thought – that it couldn’t be ignored as a musical form.

Judging by some of the responses to the collaboration, this is not the case. But if it takes someone like McCartney to change a few people’s narrow minds about hip-hop, the characters that exist in that world and the music it spawns, then I’m glad this collaboration happened.

Not that you’d always know it but West is admired by a fair few critics and fellow musicians – take the late Lou Reed’s glowing review of his last album. For those who don’t like his music, however, he’s an easy double target thanks to his unpredictable behaviour and massive ego.

The thing is, I don’t see these same personality flaws posing too much of a problem for most white, middle-class rock and pop stars. And they certainly don’t cop the same level of flak West attracts.

That West fans have popped up to say they don’t know who this McCartney person is hasn’t helped. Social media has been awash with comments like “wtf is Paul McCartney?!? This is why I love kanye for shining light on unknown artists.”

Many have been revealed to be the relatively harmless trolling the internet was made for. But before we slam the others, stop to consider that a familiarity with Sir Paul’s oeuvre depends on where, when and with whom you’ve grown up. That some people don’t know Macca any more is a kick in the guts to people who still insist the popular music of yore is still the most important music in the world.

One of the reasons I continue to work in this industry is the hope of opening my own and other people’s minds to new material they might not (yet) like or understand. I admit, music isn’t good simply for being different, but when I see people dismissing someone’s entire career – or worse, a whole music genre – because it isn’t to their own narrow tastes, it bothers me deeply.

Hating on Yeezuz (or Macca for that matter) is far too easy. Perhaps it’s time to look at why people hate, rather than what they hate.