Kanye West
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Kanye West, one of the most influencial hip-hop rappers of his generations. He is the new sound, style and culture of today’s hip-hop. Blessed with a creative passion set aside for a chosen few. This is the intensity for which he reveres his emotion for life ; the people in his corner, and of course his music.
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About
Born on Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, then moved to Chicago, Illinois with his family when he was three years old. West discovered his passion when he was in the third grade, writing and rhyming. At a young age, Kanye was already making beats and rapping when other classmates of his were busy in the playground. Soonafter, his past tim e would be his occupational goal in his teenage years. He met NOID, a Chicago beat mastering producer who at the time produced an up in coming rapper who was known as Common Sense (and now famously known as only Common). Common encouraged the young lad to sample soulful old hits and revive them with a new school flavor.
Hard work paid off when Kanye was signed in ROC-A-FELLA Records in 2002 ; the reality of a fathomable vision finally came in to view. But he didn't start as a rapper/singer right away. West was put in the backburner for awhile but he always intended to step in the studio as an artist once his career as a producer took off. He focuses on being an established man rhyming and bringing rhythms with innnovation and originality.
With a flowering career in the works, tragedy came in a form of a terrible car accident that made West wire his mouth shut due to a broken jaw. But this did not falter the rising rapper to give up and leave. He turned his experience into a rhythmic blend of rhymes and music and resulted in his first single, Through The Wire. The single was such a big hit West wrote more songs and materialized it in his first record.
Kanye West finally came out with his debut album; The College Dropout. Although still producing for other artists such as Twista, Donell Jones, Beanie Siegel, Ludacris and one of his most excited ventures, a project with Scarface. Setting aside his producing responsibilities to promote his debut, he did not need to make more effort in doing so. The College Dropout became an instant success and sold millions of copies worldwide, making it 3x Platinum within months. The album also climbed through the charts surpassing other big named artists like P. Diddy.
With the sensational success of his first album, Kanye West is taking everything in stride. With the support of his inner circle and his self derived ambition, he is geared up to learn his lessons and perfect his craft for the masses, proving that a kid named Kanye can make heads bounce from coast to coast. With this in mind, he then again exploded in the music scene with an even more notable album; Late Registration. The album again, hit the million dollar mark in terms of album sales, and even surpassed its predecessor The College Dropout. The record had more hits and more notoriety was given to this budding rapper. Diamonds From Sierra Leone, Gold Digger, and Touch The Sky all became number one hits, making Kanye West a staple in the hit charts and a household name.
Currently, he is still producing for other artists' records and collaborating with big hitters like Pharrell Williams and Ludacris. He has his own recod label called G.O.O.D Music, (an acronym for Getting Out Of Dreams). Artists under his label include John Legend, Common. Consequence, Sa-Ra, and Fonzworth Bentley. West is cuurrently working in all their upcoming albums.
He is now working on his third effort, set to be released sometime in December 2006, entitled The Graduation. The first upcoming single, Bittersweet, featuring the vocal talents of John Mayer is already gaining acclaims from critics saying that it will be another number ont hit for the rapper. He also said that he will release his fourth album shortly after The Graduation hits the stores. His fourth album will be called A Good Ass Job.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Grammy Awards |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Nominated: Album Of The Year for The College Dropout |
| Nominated: Song Of The Year for Jesus Walks & co-writing Rhymefest off The College Dropout | |
| Won: Best Rap Album for The College Dropout | |
| Won: Best Rap Song for Jesus Walks / Rhymefest | |
| Won: Best R&B Song for co-writing Alicia Keys' You Don't Know My Name | |
| Nominated: Best Rap Solo Performance fir Through The Wire | |
| Nominated: Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for All Falls Down (featuring Syleen Johnson) | |
| Nominated: Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for Slow Jamz (Featuring Twista and Jamie Foxx) | |
| 2006 | Nominated: Album Of The Year for Late Registration |
| Nominated: Record Of The Year for Gold Digger off Late Registration | |
| Won: Best Rap Album for Late Registration | |
| Won: Best Rap Song for Diamonds From Sierra Leone | |
| Won: Best Rap Solo Performance for Gold Digger | |
| Nominated: Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for They Say (Featuring Common and John Legend) off Common's alnum, Be | |
| Nominated: Best R&B Song for co-writing Alicia Keys' Unbreakable |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | US Rap Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Slow Jamz (Featuring Twista & Jamie Foxx) | 1 | 1 | 1 | The College Dropout |
| Through The Wire | 15 | 8 | 4 | The College Dropout | |
| All Falls Down (Featuring Syleena Johnson) | 7 | 2 | 3 | The College Dropout | |
| Jesus Walks | 11 | 2 | 3 | The College Dropout | |
| The New Workout Plan | - | 59 | - | The College Dropout | |
| 2005 | Diamonds From Sierra Leone | 43 | 21 | 11 | Late Registration |
| Gold Digger (Featuring Jamin Foxx | 1 | 1 | 1 | Late Registration | |
| Heard 'Em Say (Featuring Adam Levine | 26 | 34 | 12 | Late Registration | |
| 2006 | Touch The Sky (Featuring Lupe Fiasco) | 42 | 41 | 8 | Late Registration |
| Drive Slow (Featuring Paul Wall and GLC) | - | - | - | Late Registration |
News
Tours & Concerts
Kanye West has just been tapped to open up some concert dates for the legendary Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang North American tour:
Sept. 23 - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Sept. 27 - East Rutherford, NJ
Kanye will then head back out on the road in November with U2 for some rescheduled dates in Australia and New Zealand:
Nov. 7 - Brisbane
Nov. 10 & 11 - Sydney
Nov. 16 - Adelaide
Nov. 18 & 19 - Melbourne
Nov. 24 & 25 - Auckland
Announcements
Kanye Nominated for 2006 American Music Awards! - Nominations for the 2006 American Music Awards were recently announced, and Kanye has been nominated in two categories: Favorite Male Artist (Pop/Rock) and Favorite Male Artist (Rap/Hip-Hop)!
Tune into the American Music Awards on Tuesday, November 21st at 8pm ET/PT on the ABC network to see if Kanye wins! (9/19/06; 16:55)
Discography
Albums
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Singles
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Compilation
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Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
Kanye West...
- and his statement "George Bush doesn't care about black people" was satirized on Arrested Development. GOB's puppet Franklin Delano
Bluth wore a t-shirt with the slogan "George Bush doesn't care about black puppets" in one of the series' final episodes.
- Opened for U2 on their Vertigo Tour.
- Lived in China with his mother when he was 10.
- Started his career as a ghost-producer.
Reviews
External Links
Categories: Artist | Rap | R&B | Hip-Hop
