Kanye West is an American rapper, producer, songwriter, record executive and fashion influencer. Spanning an eclectic r...
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Kanye West is an American rapper, producer, songwriter, record executive and fashion influencer. Spanning an eclectic range of influences, including hip hop, soul, baroque pop, electro, indie rock, synth-pop, industrial, and gospel, West is one of the most acclaimed musicians of his generation. Outside of his music career, West's also had success in the fashion industry.
Full Name: Kanye Omari West
BORN: June 8, 1977
BIRTH PLACE: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
HOMETOWN: Chicago, Illinois, USA
NET WORTH: $1.3 billion (2020)
Perhaps one of the most notable celebrities in contemporary culture, Kanye West is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, producer, songwriter, record executive and fashion influencer who rose to prominence after producing Jay Z’s influential album The Blueprint in 2001.
After suffering a major car accident in 2002, West turned to rapping as a manner with which to recover; amassing in the release of College Dropout (in 2004) and Late Registration (2005) that kickstarted his career as a rapping sensation and led to many more critically acclaimed albums over the years.
Kanye has never been shy of controversy either, including comments about American politics and live interruptions at awards ceremonies.
It is safe to say that Kanye West’s entrepreneurial, political and creative legacy is distinctive, stating him as legendary within multiple industries.
WHERE IS KANYE WEST FROM?
Kanye Omari West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, 1977. His father, Ray, was a photojournalist for the Atlanta Journal newspaper and was also politically active in the Black Panthers; he later became a Christian counselor.
West's mother, Donda, was a teacher who became a professor of English at Chicago State University, and eventually, her son's manager before she died at the age of 58 from heart disease after cosmetic surgery in 2007. Her passing would profoundly affect West musically as well as personally.
Ray and Donda divorced amicably when West was three. After that he was raised on Chicago's middle-class South Shore neighborhood by his mother, and spent summers with his father.
At the age of 10, West moved for a year with Donda to China, where she taught as part of a university-exchange program; he was the only foreigner in his class. After returning to Chicago, West was drawn to the South Side's hip-hop scene, and he befriended the DJ and producer No I.D., who became his mentor.
West graduated from Polaris High School and won a scholarship to study at Chicago's American Academy of Art — but dropped out of college altogether to pursue music, an act that would inform the title of his first solo album years later.
KANYE WEST AND KIM KARDASHIAN
West is married to reality star and business entrepreneur Kim Kardashian. Most were convinced it was a publicity stunt when they started dating in 2012, until they shocked the world with their marriage in Italy in 2014.
Kardashian gave birth to their first daughter in 2013 and their first son in 2015, followed by two children via surrogacy pregnancy in 2018 and 2019.
TALENTED MUSIC PRODUCER
The rapper and record producer has released 137 singles, 4 promo singles and has similarly charted with 65 other songs as features.
West has sold 100 million digital downloads worldwide, and 32.7 million albums.
By 2016, he achieved the tenth most top-40 hit records by a male artist in Billboard’s near-70 year history that amassed a total of forty visits to the top-40 charts as a lead and a featured artist.
YEEZY TAKES ON FASHION
Adidas Yeezy is a collaboration between the brand and Kanye West, with the first sneaker being released in February 2015.
Yeezy’s have successfully sold out in minutes online/on the release date in store and have been resold by up to $1,000 by collectors online.
Yeezy’s have garnered a lot of public attention within the sneaker industry and by various fashion outlets, with many stating that the success is a testament to Kanye West’s marketing skills as a public figure.
COLLABORATION WITH PAUL MCCARTNEY, RIHANNA & MORE PUBLIC OUTBURSTS
At the start of 2015 West became the only rapper in history to record with Paul McCartney, releasing a single, "Four Five Seconds," with the Beatles legend and Rihanna. But a month later came another award-show disruption, this time at the Grammys, where West objected to Beck winning the Best Album award. "Beck needs to respect artistry, and he should have given his award to Beyoncé," West said after the ceremony. Months later he retracted his statement in an interview with The Sunday Times newspaper in England. "I was inaccurate with the concept of a gentleman who plays 14 instruments not respecting artistry," he said.
In March, West was announced as a co-owner of the music-streaming service Tidal, along with various other artists including Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna, Madonna, Chris Martin and Nicki Minaj. In June he headlined the Glastonbury festival in the UK, despite a petition of 135,000 signatures asking for him to be removed from the bill.
