Kanye West

Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia), legally known as Ye since October 2021, is an American rapper, record producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. Recognized as one of the most influential and controversial figures in hip-hop and popular culture, West has built a multifaceted career spanning music, fashion, and business ventures, earning 24 Grammy Awards and selling over 160 million records worldwide.Born to Ray West, a former Black Panther and photojournalist, and Donda West, an English professor, Kanye's parents divorced when he was three years old. He was primarily raised in Chicago's middle-class South Shore neighborhood by his mother, though he briefly lived in Nanjing, China, at age 10 when his mother taught at Nanjing University as a Fulbright Scholar. West attended Polaris School for Individual Education in Oak Lawn, Illinois, before studying at the American Academy of Art and Chicago State University, dropping out at age 20 to pursue music full-time.West began his music career in the mid-1990s producing for local Chicago artists like Grav, whose 1996 album "Down to Earth" featured eight tracks produced by West. After becoming an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, West's production work on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album "The Blueprint" (2001) established his reputation through soul-sampling techniques that revitalized Jay-Z's career. Despite his production success, West struggled to launch his career as a rapper until Damon Dash reluctantly signed him to Roc-A-Fella Records as a recording artist.After surviving a near-fatal car accident in October 2002 that left his jaw shattered, West recorded "Through the Wire" with his jaw wired shut, which became a breakthrough single. His debut album "The College Dropout" (2004) reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, sold over 3 million copies, and earned widespread critical acclaim, winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The album featured hit singles "Through the Wire," "Jesus Walks," "All Falls Down," and "Slow Jamz," establishing West as a major artistic voice challenging gangsta rap stereotypes with themes of faith, social issues, and personal struggles.West's sophomore album "Late Registration" (2005) incorporated orchestral arrangements with collaborator Jon Brion and featured hits like "Gold Digger" featuring Jamie Foxx and "Diamonds from Sierra Leone." "Graduation" (2007) won in a highly publicized sales competition against 50 Cent's "Curtis," selling 957,000 copies in its first week and reaching number one on the Billboard 200 with singles like "Stronger," "Good Life," and "Flashing Lights." Following the death of his mother in November 2007, West released "808s & Heartbreak" (2008), a stylistic departure featuring Auto-Tune vocals and minimalist electronic production that influenced artists like Drake, Frank Ocean, and The Weeknd.Throughout his career, West has been known for controversial statements and behavior. During a Hurricane Katrina telethon in 2005, he famously declared that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech, an incident that damaged his public image but preceded what many consider his creative peak with "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" (2010). This album, featuring collaborations with Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, and Bon Iver, received universal acclaim and is frequently ranked among the greatest albums of all time.West continued his musical evolution with "Yeezus" (2013), featuring a minimalist, industrial sound influenced by Chicago drill, dancehall, and acid house, and "The Life of Pablo" (2016), which he described as "a living breathing changing creative expression" as he continued to update the album after its release. His 2018 albums included the seven-track "ye," on which he addressed his bipolar disorder diagnosis, and "Kids See Ghosts," a collaboration with Kid Cudi. West's shift to gospel music produced "Jesus Is King" (2019) and "Donda" (2021), named after his late mother.As a fashion designer, West has collaborated with brands including Nike on Air Yeezy sneakers, Louis Vuitton, and A Bathing Ape. His Yeezy partnership with Adidas, launched in 2013, revolutionized footwear design and became a billion-dollar enterprise until Adidas terminated the deal in October 2022 following his antisemitic remarks. West also founded the creative content company Donda in 2012 and established his record label GOOD Music in 2004, which has represented artists including John Legend, Big Sean, and Pusha T.West married reality television star Kim Kardashian in May 2014 in Florence, Italy. They have four children together—North (born 2013), Saint (born 2015), Chicago (born 2018 via surrogate), and Psalm (born 2019 via surrogate)—before divorcing in 2022, with West ordered to pay $200,000 monthly in child support. In January 2023, West reportedly married Bianca Censori, an Australian architect who works for his Yeezy brand, in a ceremony without legal standing.West has spoken openly about his mental health struggles, confirming his bipolar disorder diagnosis in 2018 on his album "ye." He has also discussed struggles with opioid addiction following liposuction in 2016 and has admitted to having suicidal thoughts. In 2022, he suggested he might be autistic, later claiming in February 2025 that he had received a professional diagnosis.His political activities have included an unsuccessful presidential run in 2020 as an independent under the "Birthday Party" banner, with Wyoming preacher Michelle Tidball as his running mate. He garnered about 66,365 votes across 12 states, approximately 0.04% of the national vote. West has expressed support for former President Donald Trump, meeting with him at Trump Tower in 2016 and visiting the White House in 2018.In late 2022, West faced significant backlash for antisemitic statements on social media and in interviews, including praising Adolf Hitler, identifying himself as a Nazi on Infowars, and posting swastika imagery on Twitter. These controversies resulted in the termination of numerous business partnerships with Vogue, Universal Music Group, CAA, Balenciaga, Gap, and Adidas, significantly reducing his net worth from an estimated $1.8 billion to approximately $400 million according to Forbes.Despite these controversies, West has continued making music. In 2024, he formed the duo ¥$ with Ty Dolla $ign, releasing "Vultures 1" in February, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and "Vultures 2" in August. During a concert in Haikou, China, in September 2024, West announced "Bully," and debuted the track "Beauty and the Beast".As a musical innovator and cultural icon, Kanye West has significantly influenced contemporary hip-hop through his production techniques, fashion sense, and artistic vision. Rolling Stone named him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, and his first six solo albums were included in their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020. Despite the controversies that have sometimes overshadowed his work, West's impact on music, fashion, and popular culture remains undeniable, cementing his status as one of the most significant artists of the 21st century.Sources: Wikipedia, Britannica, and Kanye West Wiki*There may be errors on this page.