Kanye West
Kanye West is a producer and rapper who has
worked with some of the biggest names in hip hop, including Jay-Z, Alicia Keys,
Janet Jackson and John Legend, and is widely regarded as one of the most
talented producers to emerge in the last decade. His influences span the music
spectrum and his work is known for its melody as well as his quirky use of
sampling.
After a number of years in the limelight as an artist in his own right, he is now almost as famous for his opinionated outbursts as he is for his music.
West was born in Atlanta Georgia but moved to Chicago with his mother when his parents divorced. After graduating from high school he enrolled at Chicago State University, but dropped out early to focus on his music. He began his career producing for local artists and it was clear from very early on that West had something new to bring to the hip hop table. He was soon picked up by Roc-A-Fella records where he would eventually work with Jay-Z on his critically acclaimed album ‘The Blueprint.’ However his success as a producer meant that record labels were reluctant to sign him as an artist, assuming that his talent was best put to use behind the mixing desk. His middle class background and upbringing also meant that he lacked the street edge that most hip hop artists bring to their sound and record heads were unsure if hip hop fans would connect with him.
Eventually West’s persistence paid off and Roc-A-Fella released his first album, ‘The College Drop Out’ in 2002. The album was very well received by critics and he gained an army of fans in the hip hop world who appreciated his wordplay and his clever use of sampling. The album was eventually certified as triple platinum and put Kanye West on the world music map. His sophomore offering, ‘Late Registration’ saw him collaborate with Jon Brion, an American film score composer and again West had another hit on his hands. The album was revered by the critics and given ‘album of the year’ status by a number of influential music magazines, with Rolling Stone describing it as ‘a virtuosic hip hop classic.’ ‘Late Registration’ earned him a total of 8 Grammy Award nominations and spawned the massive hit ‘Gold Digger’ which featured guest vocals by the actor Jamie Foxx. Since ‘Late Registration’ West has released a further two albums, ‘Graduation’ in 2007 and ‘808s and Heartbreak’ in 2008. The latter album was his third consecutive number one album in the US.
Always one to speak his mind, West has whipped up a storm of controversy at more than one awards show over decisions he didn’t agree with. The first outburst took place when he was denied the award for ‘Best Video’ at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, losing out to Justice. Three years later he leapt onto the stage as Taylor Swift was receiving her award for Best Female Video and declared that Beyonce’s video for Single Ladies was one of the’ best videos of all time.’
