Kanye West

In many ways, Kanye West is the new face of American rap. Touching on subjects from South African diamonds to gold-diggers, West has taken his unique spin on hip-hop and found incredible success.

Kanye Omari West was born on June 8th, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia. Growing up he absorbed rap culture, namely the work of Run D.M.C. and A Tribe Called Quest. After dropping out of Columbia College and Chicago State University, West realized his true passion rested in making and producing music. However due to his suburban image, he was perceived as too removed from the traditional hip-hop persona. He focused on production, starting with Chicago-area bands, but moving on to such major artists as Ludacris and Alicia Keys through working with rap label Roc-A-Fella.

Yet a tragic event would turn West’s life in a new direction. On October 23, 2002, he was involved in a car accident, fracturing his jaw. Recovering from the accident, his jaw was wired shut-yet he managed to record the song ‘Through the Wire’. It became the lead single for West’s debut album, the smash The College Dropout (released in February of 2004). Further singles ‘All Falls Down’ and ‘Jesus Walks’ were huge successes, defying the belief that Kanye’s music would fail to find an audience. Perhaps most inspired and renowned was West’s use of sampling in his music- from such varied sources as The Doors, the Jackson 5, and Shirley Bassey.

His second album, Late Registration, was released in August 2005, featuring the top singles ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and ‘Gold Digger’. The album was an enormous hit, and West was more in demand than ever, working as both a recording artist and a producer. In the wake of its release, he made several controversial statements, from deriding the homophobia in rap to denouncing the federal response to Hurricane Katrina as racially motivated. Today Kanye West is a powerful force in hip-hop, constantly challenging perceptions and beliefs.
 
Discography:

‘The College Dropout’ (Roc-A-Fella 2004)
‘Late Registration’ (Roc-A-Fella 2005)