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Kanye West

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Kanye West

Kanye Omari West (born June 8 1977) is a six-time Grammy Award-winning American producer/rapper.

Biography

Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved to Chicago, Illinois with his family when he was three years old. His father, Ray West, was an award-winning photo-journalist at the time, and now works as a pastoral marriage counselor.[1][2] Kanye's mother, Dr. Donda West, worked as the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as Kanye's manager.

attending Columbia College Chicago, a Chicago art school, West attended Chicago State University, but eventually dropped out in order to begin working on his music career. While attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip-hop/R&B artists, including The Game, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Cam'Ron, Janet Jackson, Hugh "MC Son" Ryan, Brandy, Eminem, Talib Kweli, Keyshia Cole, Dilated Peoples, Ludacris, Carter Hays, and John Legend. He also "ghost-produced" for producers such as Deric Angelettie according to his song "Last Call" and many speculators.

West's style of production utilized pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his own drums and instruments. The first song he produced featuring vocal samples was "This Can't Be Life," a track from Jay-Z's The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. Kanye admitted that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style;[3], and has said on numerous occasions that Wu-Tang rappers Ghostface and Ol Dirty Bastard were some of his all time favorites. In the song "I am the one", he names No I.D. as his mentor.[4]

2001

Kanye was found by "Dame Dash" and his sound was featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically-acclaimed album The Blueprint, released September 11 2001. His work was featured on the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)". West soon became a major name in hip-hop production following the release of the album, but struggled to find a way to get a record deal. Jay-Z admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that he saw him as a producer first and foremost. Multiple record companies pushed him aside because he was not the stereotypical hip-hop artist. Companies felt he was not as marketable as rappers that portray the "street image" that is prominent in hip-hop.

2002-2004

On October 23, 2002, Kanye was involved in a car crash after falling asleep at the wheel while driving home from the recording studio. The crash left his jaw fractured in three places, and he barely survived. The crash also provided inspiration for West's first single, "Through the Wire," which he recorded two weeks after the incident while his mouth was still wired shut. Following his recovery, Kanye became a born again Christian, crediting Jesus for his quick recovery.[citation needed] West's faith is apparent in many of his songs, such as "Jesus Walks," which became a staple at his benefit performances, such as the Live 8 concert. These songs were featured on West's debut album, The College Dropout, which was released on Roc-a-Fella Records in February 2004, and went on to receive critical acclaim. The album also defined the style for which West would become known, including clever wordplay and creative sampling.

Kanye was involved in a financial dispute over Royce da 5'9"'s song "Heartbeat", produced by West and released on Build & Destroy: The Lost Sessions. Kanye maintains that Royce never paid for the beat but recorded to it and released it; hearing him on the beat, the original customers decided not to buy it from West. After the disagreement, West vowed to never work with Royce again.[1]

2005

On August 30, 2005, Kanye West released his second album Late Registration. Reviews ranged from glowing ("Late Registration is an undeniable triumph" -Rolling Stone) to mixed ("As ornate and bloated as West's ego". -Spin magazine Sep 2005, p.99). With the help of producer Jon Brion, West expanded his sound on Late Registration utilizing samples in different ways along with compositions of strings and other sounds. [2] The first two singles from Late Registration were "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" (which contains samples from Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever") and "Gold Digger" featuring Jamie Foxx (which contains samples from Ray Charles's "I Got a Woman") to sell over 860,000 copies in its first week,[citation needed] and earned him eight Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the song "Gold Digger".

2006

In January 2006, West again sparked controversy when he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. Later that month, he suggested in Playboy that he'd be a griot in a modern day Bible claiming, "I bring up historical subjects in a way that makes kids want to learn about them." Seeing himself as an inspirational speaker, West claimed he would be "a part of the Bible" citing he is "definitely in the history books already."[citation needed]

After the 2006 Grammy nominations were released, West said he would "really have a problem" if he didn't win the Album of the Year award because of the comments, saying: "I don't care what I do, I don't care how much I stunt — you can never take away from the amount of work I put into it. I don't want to hear all of that politically correct stuff." [3]. West won several Grammy awards, including Best Rap Album, but did not win the Album of the Year Award. The award instead went to U2's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

On August 5th, 2006 Kanye headlined the second day of the Lollapalooza music festival in his hometown of Chicago. Later that month, People Magazine reported that Kanye became engaged to his girlfriend Alexis while spending two weeks overseas with her. [4] Also in August, West produced the underground smash single 'We Rollin' for The Game and his protege, Juice.

On November 3rd, 2006, West had a public tantrum when he lost the Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards for his video "Touch The Sky." He jumped on the stage as the award was being presented to Justice and Simian for "We Are Your Friends." In his on-stage tirade riddled with expletives, he argued that he should have won the prize because the video "cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it. I was jumping across canyons ... If I don't win, the awards show loses credibility." [5] Hundreds of news outlets worldwide criticized the outburst. Whilst Kanye's rise to the top again will always be remebered by his timeless record THE COLLEGE DROP OUT, his late turn in attitude and repetitive production formula is tribute to the pop star rap princess he has become. He was the best but make way for Stones Throw Kanye.

Political views

On July 2, 2005, West appeared on the Philadelphia bill of Live 8, using the global platform to refer to "man-made diseases placed in African communities," a reference to the OPV AIDS hypothesis. [verification needed] He also accused American politicians of insensitivity, claiming they "...[ride] home in their Benzes and Bentleys while poor Africans starve."

Some critics of West have argued that statements such as this could be seen as hypocritical considering the information gathered from the Kanye West episode of the MTV series "Cribs." The episode features Kanye's mansion, extravagant cars, and many other superfluous possessions that seem to be on par with any of the possible exorbitant possessions owned by American politicians that Kanye raps about.

In the song "Crack Music", he raps, "How [did] we stop the Black Panthers?/Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer," a reference to the theory that the Reagan administration intentionally placed crack cocaine in the ghettos of the United States. In the second verse, he raps, "Who gave Saddam anthrax?/George Bush got the answer," a reference to chemical weapons being sold to Iraq in the 1980s and '90s.

Demonstrating his views against George W. Bush, in a 2006 live orchestral performance of "All Falls Down" (later released on "Late Orchestration "), Kanye replaced "the White man gets paid off of all of that", with "George Bush gets paid off of all of that".

On August 22, 2005, the MTV special All Eyes on Kanye West aired, in which West spoke out against homophobia in Hip-Hop, claiming that hip hop has always been about "speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people." He then reflected on a personal experience. He said that he had a "turning point" when he realized one of his cousins was gay. He said, regarding this experience, "This is my cousin. I love him and I've been discriminating against gays." He went on to say that "not just hip-hop, but America just discriminates against gay people." He concluded by saying "I wanna just come on TV, and just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, 'Yo, stop it.'" He also drew comparison between African Americans' struggle for civil rights and today's gay rights movement.[5]

The following year, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, West further expounded his experiences with and views on the relationship between the black and gay communities:

I think in the daily life of a black male, we gay-bash way more than we disrespect women. We would call a gay guy a fag to his face. But if we walked up to a woman and said Aiight, bitch! we would know that was disrespectful. I remember five years ago I was in this clothing store in Greenwich Village with my old girlfriend. I said the word fag kind of loud and there were some gay dudes in the store. My girlfriend was like, Yo, c'mon, step into the new millennium. Well, my level of consciousness has since raised. And I actually think that standing up for gays was even more crazy than bad-mouthing the president. In the black community someone could label you gay and bring your career down. But that was me showing what black people are really about today, or at least what we need to be about.

Hurricane Katrina controversy

File:Kanyebush.jpg
Kanye West denounces the response of President Bush and the American media to Hurricane Katrina at relief telethon as Mike Myers stands nearby.

On September 2, 2005, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on NBC, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, West was a featured speaker. Controversy arose when West was presenting, as he deviated from the prepared script:

I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, 'They're looting.' You see a white family, it says, 'They're looking for food.'And, you know, it's been five days [waiting for federal help] because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I've tried to turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch. I've even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I'm calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help — with the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible. I mean, the Red Cross is doing everything they can. 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!

Mike Myers, whom West was paired with to present, spoke next and continued as normal by reading the script. Once it was West's turn to speak again, he delivered the controversial phrase:

George Bush doesn't care about black people.

Although the camera quickly cut away, West's comments still reached all of the U.S.

Kanye West and Mike Myers would meet again on a brief sketch on Saturday Night Live, in which Myers jokes that since the telethon, the government has stripped him of his American citizenship ("still got my Canadian citizenship to fall back on," Myers joked), and placed him under heavy government surveillance. As an unmoved West moves on to his scheduled performance ("Party on, Wayne", West says before walking off-camera), Myers breaks down and cries.

GOOD Music

Main article: GOOD Music

"GOOD Music" (an acronym for Getting Out Our Dreams), is Kanye West's own record label. Artists on the GOOD Music label include John Legend, Common, GLC, Consequence, Sa-Ra, and Fonzworth Bentley. West is currently working on upcoming albums from these artists.

Pastelle Clothing

Main article: Pastelle Clothing

In September 2005, West announced that he will release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006. [6] The clothing line has been delayed until the fall of 2006. [6]

Awards

2006 Grammy Awards

On February 8, 2006, West won three Grammy Awards after being nominated for eight, alongside Mariah Carey and his own protégé, John Legend. At the ceremony, West performed "Gold Digger" with Jamie Foxx and members of the Florida A&M Marching 100 marching band. He also performed "Touch the Sky" after an appearance by long-time friend and comedian DeRay Davis, who revisited his character as the leader of the fictional fraternity "Broke Phi Broke" from Late Registration. His nominations included (Awards won in bold):

2005 Grammy Awards

In 2005, Kanye West received ten Grammy Award nominations, making him the most nominated artist of 2005. At the 47th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony held on February 13, 2005, West won Best Rap Album for his album The College Dropout, Best Rap Song, along with long-time friend and rapper Rhymefest, for his single "Jesus Walks", and Best R&B Song for producing Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name." West performed at the show alongside John Legend, Mavis Staples and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

His 2005 Grammy nominations were (Awards won in bold):

West's 2005 Grammy Acceptance Speech:

Y'all might as well get the music ready 'cause this is gonna take while. When I had my accident, I found out at that moment, nothing in life is promised except death. If you have the opportunity to play this game called life, you have to appreciate every moment. A lot of people don't appreciate their moment until it's passed. And then you got to tell those Al Bundy stories: 'You remember when I..." Right now, it's my time, and my moment, thanks to the fans, thanks to the accident, thanks to God, thanks to Roc-A-Fella, Jay-Z, Dame Dash, G, my mother, Rhymefest, everyone that's helped me. And I plan to celebrate, and scream and pop champagne every chance I get, 'cause I'm at the Grammys baby! I know everybody asked me the question, they wanted to know, 'What, Kan, I know he's gonna wild out, I know he's gonna do something crazy.' Everybody wanted to know what I would do, if I didn't win... I guess we'll never know.

Others

After losing the Favorite Breakthrough New Artist award to Gretchen Wilson at the 2004 American Music Awards, West went on a rant against the music industry, claiming "I was the best new artist this year," and "I got 10 Grammy nominations, and won three — even if I should have won all 10" [7].

Kanye West was named 'Best International Male Artist' at the 2006 Brit Awards in London. He also gave what was generally considered one of the standout performances of the ceremony[citation needed], performing a medley of Diamonds from Sierra Leone, Gold Digger, and Touch The Sky. During Gold Digger, he danced with over seventy female dancers, who were painted gold and dressed in gold bikinis.

West has opened up for U2 on quite a few dates during their Vertigo International tour and is set to open 3 dates for the Rolling Stones on their 2006 "A Bigger Bang" Tour.

Discography

Albums

Album cover Album information
File:College Dropout fix.jpg
The College Dropout
  • Released: February 10, 2004
  • Chart positions: #2 US
  • U.S. Sales: 2.6 Million
  • Last RIAA certification: 2x Platinum
  • Singles: "Slow Jamz", "All Falls Down", "Jesus Walks", "Through the Wire", "The New Workout Plan"
File:Late-registration.jpg
Late Registration
  • Released: August 30, 2005
  • Chart positions: #1 US (2 Weeks)
  • U.S. Sales: 3 Million
  • Last RIAA certification: 3x Platinum
  • Singles: "Diamonds From Sierra Leone", "Gold Digger" (with Jamie Foxx), "Heard 'Em Say", "Touch the Sky", "Drive Slow"
Late Orchestration
Graduation

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Hot 100 US Pop 100 US R&B/Hip-Hop US Rap UK AUS
2004 "Slow Jamz" (featuring Twista & Jamie Foxx) #1 - #1 #1 #3 #26 The College Dropout
2004 "Through the Wire" #15 - #8 #4 #9 - The College Dropout
2004 "All Falls Down" (featuring Syleena Johnson) #7 - #4 #2 #10 - The College Dropout
2004 "Jesus Walks" #11 - #2 #3 #18 - The College Dropout
2004 "The New Workout Plan" - - #59 - - - The College Dropout
2005 "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" #43 #40 #21 #11 #8 - Late Registration
2005 "Gold Digger" (featuring Jamie Foxx) #1 #1 #1 #1 #2 #1 Late Registration
2005 "Heard 'Em Say" (featuring Adam Levine) #26 #34 #17 #12 #22 #27 Late Registration
2006 "Touch The Sky" (featuring Lupe Fiasco) #42 #41 #23 #10 #6 #10 Late Registration
2006 "Drive Slow" (featuring Paul Wall & GLC) - - - - - - Late Registration

Guest appearances

Kanye has collaborated with numerous artists, including Twista on songs such as "Overnight Celebrity" and "Slow Jamz" (also featuring Jamie Foxx) — the latter would reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, becoming the first number one hit for all artists involved. Other songs Kanye has featured on include:

  • "Welcome 2 Chicago" by Abstract Mindstate feat. Kanye West (2001)
  • "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" by Consequence feat. Kanye West (2003)
  • "Higher" by Do or Die feat. Kanye West (2003)
  • "Oh Oh" by Melbeatz feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "So Soulful" by Consequence feat. Kanye West, Khayree, & John Legend (2004)
  • "03' Til Infinity" by Consequence feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Take It As A Loss" by Consequence feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "I See Now" by Consequence feat. Kanye West, & Little Brother (2004)
  • "Where You At" by Kanye West feat. The Game & Ludacris (2004)
  • "Getting Out The Game" by Consequence feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Gettin' It In" by Jadakiss feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Turn Yourself In" by Consequence feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Get By (Remix)" Talib Kweli feat. Mos Def, Jay Z, Kanye West, and Busta Rhymes (2004)
  • "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "This Way" by Dilated Peoples feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Changing Lanes" by CHOPS feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Down And Out" by Cam'ron feat. Kanye West and Syleena Johnson (2004)
  • "The Food" by Common feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Talk About Our Love" by Brandy feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Confessions Part 2 (Remix)" by Usher feat. Kanye West, Shyne and Twista (2004)
  • "I Gotta Love" by Jin feat. Kanye West (October 2004)
  • "Selfish" by Slum Village feat. Kanye West and John Legend (2004)
  • "Pusha Man" by Bump J feat. Kanye West, & Rick James (2004)
  • "Pusha Man Remix" by Bump J feat. Kanye West, Keyshia Cole, & Rhymefest (2004)
  • "The Way That U Do" by Carl Thomas feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Talk About Our Love" by Brandy feat. Kanye West (2004)
  • "Crazy" by Aura feat. Kanye West, & Malice (2004 or 05)
  • "Fly Away" by Miri Ben-Ari feat. Fabolous, Kanye West, & Musiq Soulchild (2005)
  • "Number One" by John Legend feat. Kanye West (2005)
  • "Go" by Common feat. Kanye West (2005)
  • "Stay the Night" by Mariah Carey (produced by Kanye West) (2005)
  • "Extravaganza" by Jamie Foxx feat. Kanye West (2005)
  • "Brand New" by Rhymefest feat. Kanye West (February 2006)
  • "Tell Me When To Go (Remix)" by E-40 feat. Kanye West, The Game, and Ice Cube (2006)
  • "Back Like That (Remix)" by Ghostface feat. Kanye West and Ne-Yo (2006)
  • "Side 2 Side" by Three 6 Mafia feat. Kanye West and Bow Wow (2006)
  • "More" by Rhymefest feat. Kanye West (2006)
  • "Number One" by Pharrell feat. Kanye West (2006)
  • "Grammy Family" by DJ Khaled & Consequence feat. Kanye West, & John Legend (2006)
  • "Oh Drama Chamillionaire & Stat Quo feat. Kanye West (2006)
  • "Wouldn't Get Far" The Game feat. Kanye West (2006)
  • "Tooth Pick" Talib Kweli feat. Kanye West (2006)
  • "We Are Your Friends" Justice Vs. Simian Acceptance Speech (2006)
  • "In My Heart" Solange feat. Kanye West, & Jay-Z (2007)

Mixtapes

Note: The following mixtapes are compilations of tracks put together by various Hip-Hop DJs. Not all of them are directly affiliated with Kanye West.

Mixtape cover Mixtape information
File:2for10 1904 555874.jpg
I'm Good
File:2for10 1907 57774927.jpg
Get Well Soon
File:2for10 1906 68376993.jpg
Mick Boogie presents the Essentials Collection
File:2for10 1906 16152047.jpg
Kon the Louis Vuitton Don
Akademiks: JeaniusLevelMusikKanyeWest Vol. 1
File:Kanye west-jeanius level musik vol2-170.jpg
Akademiks: JeaniusLevelMusikKanyeWest Vol. 2
The High School Graduate Mixtape
File:Freshman adjustment.jpg
Freshmen Adjustment
File:Freshmen Adjustment 2.jpg
Freshmen Adjustment 2
File:2for10 1903 53236817.jpg
Best of Kanye West
File:2for10 1903 40799239.jpg
Kanye West: We Major
File:2for10 1907 57739632.jpg
The Lost Tapes
File:2for10 1907 45705400.jpg
Second Semester
File:Kanye West - The Late Mixtape - Cover.jpg
The Late Mixtape
File:B000EK5DEE.01. SS500 SCLZZZZZZZ V1139691978 .jpg
Clinton Sparks presents: Touch the Sky
File:2for10 1904 54887515.jpg
The College Dropout: Mixtape Version
File:2for10 1906 60355847.jpg
Ego
File:2for10 1903 50866355.jpg
The Class Of '06: The World's Best Dressed Label under G.O.O.D Music

===Motion Picture Soundtr

Trivia

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  • In his home, he has paid for a painting on his ceiling similar to Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. "It's gonna have over 50 cherubs and saints" said West.[7]
  • West lived in China with his mother when he was 10.
  • Kanye was an English major at Chicago State University.
  • Late Registration sold over 904,000 copies in its first week.
  • 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.
  • West started his career producing songs by proxy.
  • Before West became well-known, he had produced a track for The Madd Rapper
  • He performed karate demonstrations outside his house at a young age to make money. His mother told him to stop, telling him that it wasn't nice to take money from people who were less fortunate.[8][9]
  • West opened for U2 on their Vertigo Tour.
  • Kanye is said to have revitalised the careers of such rappers as Common and Twista.
  • He appeared in Cassidy's "Get No Better" music video.
  • Kanye travels under the alias of 'Mr.Nathoo'.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Steve. "Kanye West, hip-hop's writer-in-residence". USA Today. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
  2. ^ Davis, Kimberly (April 2005). "Kanye West hip-hop's new big shot". Ebony. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
  3. ^ "Black History - Biographies - Kanye West". Newsmakers, Thomson Gale. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
  4. ^ "Artist: Kanye West Album: The College Dropout Song: Last Call". ohhla.com. Retrieved 2006-09-24. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  5. ^ "Kanye West calls for end to gay bashing". USA Today. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Text "2005-08-18" ignored (help)
  6. ^ Rae, Kelly (2005-09-09). "Stuff Style Icon of the Year". Stuff Magazine. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
    "Now that I have a Grammy under my belt and Late Registration is finished, I am ready to launch my clothing line next spring."
  7. ^ "Kanye opts for elaborate ceiling". 2004-02-08. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
  8. ^ "Kanye West's karate busking". FemaleFirst.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
  9. ^ "Kanye West knows karate". The Superficial. Retrieved 2006-08-07.

See also

[[8]]Myspace