COOL KID: KANYE WEST

Kanye Omari West (pronounced /ˈkɑnjɛj/; born June 8, 1977)[1] is a ten-time Grammy Award-winning American rapper, record producer and singer. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, and his third album Graduation in 2007. His first three albums have received numerous awards,[2][3][4] critical acclaim,[5] and commercial success. West also runs his own record label GOOD Music.[6] West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of his three albums as well as various single covers and music videos.[7]

West's parents divorced when he was three years old, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. He enrolled at Chicago State University but later dropped out to continue pursuing his music career. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for musical artists including Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and Janet Jackson. West's style of production often utilizes pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his own drums and instruments. Some controversy has also surrounded West, such as an incident during a live telecast of a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief, when he deviated from the script and told the audience, "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

About.com ranked Kanye West #8 on their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list.[8] On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as the year's #1 "Hottest MC In The Game."[9]

Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia,[10] where he lived with both of his parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois.[11] His father was Ray West, a former Black Panther who was one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and is now a Christian counselor.[11] West's late mother, Dr. Donda West, was a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as West's manager. He was raised in an middle-class background, attending Polaris High School[12] in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago.[13]

West took some art classes at the American Academy of Art, a Chicago art school, and also enrolled at Chicago State University, but dropped out due to poor grades and a primary interest in working on his music career.[14] While attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Cam'ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend among others. He also "ghost-produced" for his mentor Deric Angelettie, according to his song "Last Call" and the credits of Nas' "Poppa Was a Playa."[14]

West’s sound was featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, released on September 11, 2001.[15] His work was featured on the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and a diss track against Nas and Mobb Deep named "Takeover"; West has worked with Mobb Deep and Nas since the track's release.[15] 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.[16] Multiple record companies pushed him aside because he was not the stereotypical hip hop artist.[17] Companies felt he was not as marketable as rappers who portray the "street image" prominent in hip hop culture.[18]

On October 23, 2002, West was involved in a near fatal car crash while driving home from the recording studio. The crash provided inspiration for West's first single, "Through the Wire".[19] 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 wordplay and sampling.[19] The album was eventually certified triple platinum. Guest appearances included Jay-Z, Ludacris, GLC, Consequence, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, and Syleena Johnson. The album also featured the singles, "All Falls Down" and "The New Workout Plan", as well as Twista's number one single, "Slow Jamz."[20]

West 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. West 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.[21] Other Kanye West-produced hit singles during the period The College Dropout was released included "I Changed My Mind" by Keyshia Cole, "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and "Talk About Our Love" by Brandy.[19]

On August 30, 2005, West released his second album Late Registration. Reviews were mostly favorable, with Rolling Stone commenting that "Late Registration is an undeniable triumph,"[22] and with Spin mentioning it is "As ornate and bloated as West's ego."[23] With the help of producer samples in different ways along with compositions of strings and other sounds, the record earned the number one spot on the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2005.[24] The first two singles from Late Registration were "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" (which features vocals from Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever") and "Gold Digger" featuring Jamie Foxx, (which contains an interpolation of Ray Charles's "I Got a Woman"). The album sold over 860,000 copies in its first week,[25] and earned eight Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the song "Gold Digger".[26] The album also included "My Way Home", a track that sampled Gil Scott-Heron's mournful "Home Is Where The Hatred Is". The album is certified triple platinum.[27] Guest appearances include Lupe Fiasco, Jamie Foxx, Adam Levine, Paul Wall, GLC, Cam'ron, Common, Brandy, Nas, Jay-Z, Consequence, The Game, and Really Doe.[28]

In September 2005, West announced that he would release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006:[29] "Now that I have a Grammy under my belt and Late Registration is finished, I am ready to launch my clothing line next spring." The current status of this project is unknown. In that year, West produced the hit singles "Go" by Common and "Dreams" by The Game.[30]

In 2007, it was announced that West would be starring in a series directed by Larry Charles. He has been working on the pilot episode for the past two years with Larry Charles and Rick Rubin. He also had this to say on January 14: "I wouldn't do something as cliché as a reality show. At least give me the credit for being more creative than that. It's a situational half-hour comedy. It's fictional, and loosely based on my life."[41] West collaborated with Japanese hip hop group Teriyaki Boyz to produce the single "I Still Love H.E.R.," a reference to Common's 1994 single "I Used to Love H.E.R.". It is rumored that West's introductory lines preceding his verse are a thinly-veiled jab at producer/rapper Danny!, who was mercilessly compared to West in the beginning of his career.

Further to this, during a radio appearance in early 2007, West, like many of his peers, recorded an impromptu freestyle to the popular song "Throw Some D's." West's version became extremely popular because of the different stance he took. The song that to all other rappers was about automobile rims, was used by West to comically refer to D-cup breasts. Because of the unexpected success of the song, West went on to make a video for the freestyle, in which he is seen playing his 'Old Ass Cousin'.[42]

West was also featured in a new song called "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)". It was believed to be a single from his upcoming album, Graduation, because he is featured on the track, but Nike quickly explained that it was for the Nike Air Force 1's anniversary. It was meant only to be an exclusive track for the company.[43]

On March 25, 2007, he and his father Ray West supported World Water Day by having a "Walk for Water" rally.[44] After a two-year break, West has returned to being a fashion columnist in lifestyle magazine Complex.[45] On July 7, 2007 West performed with The Police and John Mayer at the American leg of Live Earth.[46] West hosted the August 17 edition of British comedy-variety show The Friday Night Project.[47] In May 2007, West split from long-time model girlfriend Alexis Rainey.[48]

In July 2007, West changed the release date of Graduation, his third album, from September 18, 2007, to the same release date as 50 Cent's album Curtis, September 11, 2007.[49] 50 Cent later claimed that if Graduation were to sell more records than Curtis, he would stop releasing solo albums.[50] However, 50 Cent would later dispel his comments.[51] The album has been certified double platinum. Guest appearances included T-Pain, Mos Def, & Lil Wayne.[52]

"I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it [the media] 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's, what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was, if I was down there, and those are, those are my people down there." -KANYE WEST SEPTEMBER 2, 2005-