Rap musician, record producer. [475] Some have speculated that the Paris robbery of his wife may have triggered the paranoia. [436] West and Kardashian became engaged in October 2013,[437][438] and married on May 24, 2014, at Fort di Belvedere in Florence, Italy. She left the profession in 2004 to … Last Updated: Jan 27, 2021 See Article History Kanye West, (born June 8, 1977, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.), American producer, rapper, and fashion designer who parlayed his production success in the late 1990s and early 2000s into a career as a popular, critically acclaimed solo artist. North West sings on the runway during the Yeezy Season 8 show as part of Paris Fashion Week last year, with her dad Kanye (Image: Corbis via Getty Images) And Kim's bestie Tracy had a … [29]:556 After a series of meetings with Capitol Records, West was ultimately denied an artist deal. [189][213], Early in his career, West pioneered a style of hip-hop production dubbed "chipmunk-soul. [32][33] His group was managed by John Monopoly, Don Crowley, and Happy Lewis under the management firm Hustle Period. [333][334] West later confirmed this in an interview in September 2018,[335] saying that his main political concern is health care in the United States. [190] Lyrically, West's wordplay generally contains a proliferation of puns and inventive, multi-syllabic rhymes. Drawing inspiration from maximalism and minimalism, respectively, West's fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and sixth album Yeezus (2013) were also critical successes. [81][82] Reviews were positive, though slightly more mixed than his previous efforts. One such famous rapper named Kanya West has some amazing career motivation to give from his own story. [29]:556[40], West's breakthrough came a year later on October 23, 2002, when, while driving home from a California recording studio after working late, he fell asleep at the wheel causing a head-on crash with another car. [234][235] Impacted by the death of his mother, Donda West, as well as the broken engagement from his fiancée, designer Alexis Phifer, he wrote more sensitive pop songs about love and relationships. [434] In April 2012, West began dating reality star and longtime friend[435] Kim Kardashian. "[133], West announced in January 2016 that SWISH would be released on February 11, and later that month, released new songs "Real Friends" and a snippet of "No More Parties in LA" with Kendrick Lamar. [88], Following the highly publicized incident, West took a brief break from music and threw himself into fashion, only to hole up in Hawaii for the next few months writing and recording his next album. In February 2015, West premiered his clothing collaboration with Adidas, entitled Yeezy Season 1, to generally positive reviews. [121] He would premiere the second iteration of his clothing line, Yeezy Season 2, in September 2015 at New York Fashion Week. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote in his review of The Life of Pablo, "West's version of gospel touches on some of those sonic cues—heavy organ, soaring choirs—but seems more preoccupied with gospel text and the notion of redemption. [450], The couple's high-profile status and respective careers have resulted in their relationship becoming subject to heavy media coverage; The New York Times referred to their marriage as "a historic blizzard of celebrity. [80], 808s & Heartbreak, which features extensive use of the eponymous Roland TR-808 drum machine and contains themes of love, loneliness, and heartache, was released by Island Def Jam to capitalize on Thanksgiving weekend in November 2008. At the time, the focal point of West's production style was the use of sped-up vocal samples from soul records. [43] In the subsequent years since his debut, West has both musically and lyrically taken an increasingly experimental approach to crafting progressive hip hop music while maintaining accessible pop sensibilities. [61] Late Registration sold over 2.3 million units in the United States alone by the end of 2005 and was considered by industry observers as the only successful major album release of the fall season, which had been plagued by steadily declining CD sales. [28] Desperate to keep West from defecting to another label, then-label head Damon Dash reluctantly signed West to Roc-A-Fella Records. . 2 album, The College Dropout, in 2004. That's kind of a rarified space for a mainstream musician: someone who can almost willfully turn his fan base off at some moments and still know that in all likelihood, they will be there for his next release. [14] West is the tied holder for the most albums (four) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll. [250] Rolling Stone wrote that "It's designed to sound like a work in progress." [337] According to West, "I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues. The gospel-tinged album further demonstrated West’s inventiveness as a producer, but critics found it disjointed. [211] Prior to its release, West also cited inspiration from 1980s synthpop artists such as Phil Collins, Gary Numan, and Boy George and confessed an affinity with the work of post-punk and new wave groups such as Joy Division, The Police and TJ Swan. [136] On February 11, West premiered the album at Madison Square Garden as part of the presentation of his Yeezy Season 3 clothing line. [176] West previewed a new song, "Water" at his "Sunday Service" orchestration performance at weekend 2 of Coachella. The movie is set to hit theaters on October 25 and features behind-the-scenes footage of West… "[89] A variety of artists contributed to the project, including close friends Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Pusha T, as well as off-the-wall collaborations, such as with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. He makes headlines … [321] In May 2018, West announced he was starting an architecture firm which will act as an arm of his already successful Yeezy fashion label. "[471] The following day, he was committed to the UCLA Medical Center with hallucinations and paranoia. [541] Graduation and Watch the Throne, both broke US first week digital and iTunes albums sales. [17][18] His father, Ray West, is a former Black Panther and was one of the first black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [91] In stark contrast to his previous effort, which featured a minimalist sound, Dark Fantasy adopts a maximalist philosophy and deals with themes of celebrity and excess. You were there for 400 years and it's all of y'all. Trump's special. On October 16, he released the single "Nah Nah Nah." ", "It's Official: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Are Married", "Kanye West Blasts Media Coverage Of Kim Kardashian In Wedding Speech. [62], While West had encountered controversy a year prior when he stormed out of the American Music Awards of 2004 after losing Best New Artist award to Gretchen Wilson,[63] his first large-scale controversy came just days following Late Registration's release, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims. Obama's special. Kanye stated that Dead Prez in particular helped him discover a style of making "raps with a message sound cool. [322] West announced the decision on his Twitter account, tweeting "we're starting a Yeezy architecture arm called Yeezy home. A substantial number of artists and other figures have professed admiration for West's work, including hip hop artists Rakim,[498] RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Chuck D of Public Enemy,[500] and DJ Premier of Gang Starr. New information about Kanye West's deal with Adidas for sneaker brand Yeezy convinced Forbes to call the entrepreneur and musician a billionaire. [556] On Billboard's 2000s decade-end charts, West was third on the list of top producers. He is the 7th highest certified artist in the US by digital singles (69 million). [484], West's middle-class background, flamboyant fashion sense, outspokenness, and ability to reinvent himself on each of his albums set him apart from other hip-hop artists. Kanye West, Get Well Soon ... 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[128][129] NME stated, "The decision to book West for the slot has proved controversial since its announcement, and the show itself appeared to polarise both Glastonbury goers and those who tuned in to watch on their TVs. "[272] The release of the Yeezy Boosts and the full Adidas collaboration was showcased in New York City on February 12, 2015, with free streaming to 50 cinemas in 13 countries around the world. He next sold a beat for $5,000 to Jermaine Dupri for his debut album, Life in 1472. [358] In an interview with GQ in January 2020, West implied he would be voting for President Trump. Please don't send them at my head. [148] In August 2016, West embarked on the Saint Pablo Tour in support of The Life of Pablo. He released the album exclusively on Tidal on February 14, 2016, following a performance on SNL. [37] Serving as an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, West produced records for other artists from the label, including Beanie Sigel, Freeway, and Cam'ron. Constantly. [225][226] He also drew musical inspiration from European Britpop and Euro-disco, American alternative and indie-rock, and his native Chicago house. "[386] On December 21, 2013, West backed off of the original comment and told a Chicago radio station that "I thought I was giving a compliment, but if anything it came off more ignorant. Early on he demonstrated his considerable abilities as a producer, contributing to Jermaine Dupri’s album Life in 1472 (1998) before relocating to the New York City area, where he made his name with his production work for Roc-A-Fella Records, especially on rapper Jay-Z’s album Blueprint (2001). [182], On June 30, 2020, West released the single, titled "Wash Us in the Blood", featuring fellow American rapper and singer Travis Scott, along with the music video, which serves as the lead single from his upcoming tenth studio album Donda, and draws similarities to the sound of his 2013 album Yeezus. [192][193] His productions are akin to musical compositions, bearing an ornate style with more depth typical of hip hop artists while making use of an ear for hooks. Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release. (Biography)". [26] His mother recalled that she first took notice of West's passion for drawing and music when he was in the third grade. [276] In May 2017, West, alongside wife Kim Kardashian, launched a clothing line for children titled "Kids Supply. [198][188] Both his songwriting and vocal delivery rely on lines laden with transformative and slant rhymes, with West, often altering the pronunciation of his words. [259], On October 1, 2011, Kanye West premiered his women's fashion label, DW Kanye West[260] at Paris Fashion Week. And the answer is: 'Yes, I rolled up a little something. Kanye West performing at the 47th annual Grammy Awards, February 13, 2005. "[29]:558, Kanye West began his early production career in the mid-1990s, creating beats primarily for burgeoning local artists, eventually developing a style that involved speeding up vocal samples from classic soul records. [citation needed], West is one of the best-selling digital artists of all time. [97][98] "Niggas in Paris" became the record's highest charting single, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. In February 2011, West shut down the Fatburger located in Orland Park. The dude doesn't believe in false modesty, and he shouldn't [...] He fought for his place in the cultural pantheon with a purpose. We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way—and they've given them permission to go down and shoot us!