Kanye West
Ye[a] (/jeɪ/ YAY; born Kanye Omari West /ˈkɑːnjeɪ/ KAHN-yay; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. A subject of widespread controversy and public interest, West is a figure in contemporary pop culture.
"Kanye" redirects here. For other uses, see Kanye (disambiguation) and Kanye West (disambiguation).
Kanye West
- Ye[a]
- Yeezus
- Saint Pablo
- Yeezy
- Louis Vuitton Don
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- fashion designer
1996–present
Bianca Censori (2022–present)[b]
4
- Donda West (mother)
- Devo Harris (cousin)
- Tony Williams (cousin)
West's first six solo albums—The College Dropout (2004), Late Registration (2005), Graduation (2007), 808s & Heartbreak (2008), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), and Yeezus (2013)—were included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020, with the same publication naming him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.[3] He has also released the collaborative albums Watch the Throne (2011) with Jay-Z, Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Kid Cudi, and Vultures 1 (2024) with Ty Dolla Sign. West holds the joint record (with Bob Dylan) for most albums (4) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015.[4][5] In fashion design, he has collaborated with Nike, Inc., Louis Vuitton, Gap Inc., and A.P.C. on clothing and footwear, and led the Yeezy collaboration with Adidas.
West's outspoken views have received significant media coverage. He has been a frequent source of controversy due to his conduct on social media[6] and at awards shows and public settings, as well as his comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, race, and slavery. His Christian faith, high-profile marriage to Kim Kardashian, and mental health have also been topics of media attention.[7][8] In 2020, West launched an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that advocated for a consistent life ethic. In October 2022, he was widely condemned and lost many sponsors and partnerships—including his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga—after making a series of antisemitic statements, including praising Adolf Hitler and denying the Holocaust.
One of the world's best-selling music artists with 160 million records sold, West has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint 11th-most of all time and most awarded for any hip hop artist jointly with Jay-Z.[9] His other accolades include a Billboard Artist Achievement Award, a joint-record three Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist, and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.[10]
Early life
West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia.[c] After his parents divorced when he was three years old, he moved with his mother to Chicago, Illinois.[13][14] His father, Ray West, is a former Black Panther and was one of the first black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ray later became a Christian counselor,[14] and in 2006, opened the Good Water Store and Café in Lexington Park, Maryland, with startup capital from his son.[15][16] West's mother, Donda C. West (née Williams),[17] 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 his manager.
West was raised in a middle-class environment, attending Polaris School for Individual Education[18] in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois, after living in Chicago.[19] At the age of 10, West moved with his mother to Nanjing, China, where she was teaching at Nanjing University as a Fulbright Scholar.[20] According to his mother, West was the only foreigner in his class, but he settled in well and quickly picked up the language, although he has since forgotten most of it.[21] When asked about his grades in high school, West replied, "I got A's and B's."[22]
West demonstrated an affinity for the arts at an early age; he began writing poetry when he was five years old.[23] West started rapping in the third grade and began making musical compositions in the seventh grade, eventually selling them to other artists.[24] West crossed paths with producer No I.D., who became West's friend and mentor.[25]: 557 After graduating from high school, West received a scholarship to attend Chicago's American Academy of Art in 1997 and began taking painting classes. Shortly after, he transferred to Chicago State University to study English. At age 20, he dropped out to pursue his musical career.[26] This greatly displeased his mother, who was also a professor at the university, although she would later accept the decision.[25]: 558
Musical career
1996–2002: Early work and Roc-A-Fella
West began his early production career in the mid-1990s, creating beats primarily for burgeoning local artists in the Chicago area. He received his first official production credits at age nineteen, when he produced eight tracks on Down to Earth, the 1996 debut album of Chicago-based underground rapper Grav.[27] In 1998, West was the first producer signed to the management-production company Hip Hop Since 1978, founded by Gee Roberson and Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua.[28] For a time, West acted as a ghost producer for Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie. Due to his association with Angelettie, West was not able to release a solo album, so he formed the Go-Getters, a hip hop group composed of him and fellow Chicago natives GLC, Timmy G, Really Doe, and Arrowstar.[29][30] The Go-Getters independently released their first and only studio album, World Record Holders in 1999 through West's company, Konman Productions.[29] West spent much of the late 1990s further producing for several musical acts.[31] He produced the third track on Foxy Brown's second studio album Chyna Doll (1999), which became the second hip-hop album by a female rapper to peak atop the US Billboard 200 chart.[31]
Other ventures
Fashion
Early in his career, West made clear his interest in fashion and desire to work in the clothing design industry.[2][103] He launched his own clothing line in spring 2006,[230] and developed it over the following four years before the line was ultimately cancelled in 2009.[231][232] In January 2007, West's first sneaker collaboration was released, a special-edition Bapesta from A Bathing Ape.[233][234] In 2009, West collaborated with Nike to release his own shoe, the Air Yeezys, becoming the first non-athlete to be given a shoe deal with the company.[235] In January 2009, he introduced his first shoe line designed for Louis Vuitton during Paris Fashion Week. The line was released in summer 2009.[236] West has additionally designed shoewear for Italian shoemaker Giuseppe Zanotti.[237]
In fall 2009, West moved to Rome, where he interned at Italian fashion brand Fendi, giving ideas for the men's collection.[238] In March 2011, West collaborated with M/M Paris for a series of silk scarves featuring artwork from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[239] In October 2011, West premiered his women's fashion label at Paris Fashion Week.[240] His debut fashion show received mixed-to-negative reviews.[241] In March 2012, West premiered a second fashion line at Paris Fashion Week.[242][243] Critics deemed the sophomore effort "much improved" compared to his first show.[244]
On December 3, 2013, Adidas officially confirmed a new shoe collaboration deal with West.[245] After months of anticipation and rumors, West confirmed the release of the Adidas Yeezy Boosts. In 2015, West unveiled a Yeezy clothing line, premiering in collaboration with Adidas early that year.[246] In June 2016, Adidas announced a new long-term contract with Kanye West that extended the Yeezy line to a number of stores, planning to sell sports performance products like basketball, football, and soccer,[247] although Adidas terminated the partnership with West in October 2022 due to his antisemitic remarks.[248] In May 2021, West signed a 10-year deal linking Yeezy with GAP to create Yeezy Gap, however, in September 2022, West announced that he was ending the deal.[249]
Business ventures
West founded the record label and production company GOOD Music in 2004, in conjunction with Sony BMG, shortly after releasing his debut album, The College Dropout. West, alongside then-unknown Ohio singer John Legend and fellow Chicago rapper Common were the label's inaugural artists.[250] The label houses artists including West, Big Sean, Pusha T, Teyana Taylor, Yasiin Bey / Mos Def, D'banj and John Legend, and producers including Hudson Mohawke, Q-Tip, Travis Scott, No I.D., Jeff Bhasker, and S1. GOOD Music has released ten albums certified gold or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In November 2015, West appointed Pusha T the new president of GOOD Music.[251]
In August 2008, West revealed plans to open 10 Fatburger restaurants in the Chicago area; the first was set to open in September 2008 in Orland Park. The second followed in January 2009, while a third location is yet to be revealed, although the process is being finalized. His company, KW Foods LLC, bought the rights to the chain in Chicago.[252] Ultimately, in 2009, only two locations actually opened. In February 2011, West shut down the Fatburger located in Orland Park.[253]
In January 2012, West announced his establishment of the creative content company Donda, named after his late mother.[254] In his announcement, West proclaimed that the company would "pick up where Steve Jobs left off"; Donda would operate as a "design company" with a goal to "make products and experiences that people want and can afford".[255] In stating Donda's creative philosophy, West articulated the need to "put creatives in a room together with like minds" in order to "simplify and aesthetically improve everything we see, taste, touch, and feel."[255] West is notoriously secretive about the company's operations, maintaining neither an official website nor a social media presence.[256][257] Contemporary critics have noted the consistent minimalistic aesthetic exhibited throughout Donda creative projects.[258][259][260]
West expressed interest in starting an architecture firm in May 2013, saying "I want to do product, I am a product person, not just clothing but water bottle design, architecture ... I make music but I shouldn't be limited to one place of creativity"[261][262] and then later in November 2013, delivering a manifesto on his architectural goals during a visit to Harvard Graduate School of Design.[263] In May 2018, West announced he was starting an architecture firm called Yeezy Home, which will act as an arm of his already successful Yeezy fashion label.[264] In June 2018, the first Yeezy Home collaboration was announced by designer Jalil Peraza, teasing an affordable concrete prefabricated home as part of a social housing project.[265][266]
In March 2015, it was announced that West is a co-owner, with various other music artists, in the music streaming service Tidal. The service specialises in lossless audio and high definition music videos. Jay-Z acquired the parent company of Tidal, Aspiro, in the first quarter of 2015.[267] Sixteen artist stakeholders including Jay-Z, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Madonna, Chris Martin, Nicki Minaj co-own Tidal, with the majority owning a 3% equity stake.[268] In October 2022, in direct response to bans he received on Twitter and Instagram stemming from his antisemitic comments,[269] West reached an agreement in principle to acquire the alt-tech social network Parler for an undisclosed amount.[270][271] Parler and West mutually agreed to terminate the proposed deal in mid-November.[272]
Philanthropy
West, alongside his mother, founded the Kanye West Foundation in Chicago in 2003, tasked with a mission to battle dropout and illiteracy rates, while partnering with community organizations to provide underprivileged youth access to music education.[273] In 2007, West and the Foundation partnered with Strong American Schools as part of their "Ed in '08" campaign.[274][275] As spokesman for the campaign, West appeared in a series of PSAs for the organization, and hosted an inaugural benefit concert in August of that year.[276] In 2008, following the death of West's mother, the foundation was rechristened The Dr. Donda West Foundation.[273][277] The foundation ceased operations in 2011.[278] In 2013, Kanye West and friend Rhymefest founded Donda's House, Inc., a program aimed at helping at-risk Chicago youth.[279]
West has contributed to hurricane relief in 2005 by participating in a Hurricane Katrina benefit concert after the storm had ravaged black communities in New Orleans[280] and in 2012 when he performed at a Hurricane Sandy benefit concert.[281] In January 2019, West donated $10 million towards the completion of the Roden Crater by American artist James Turrell.[282] In June 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the following protests, he donated $2 million between the family of Floyd and other victims of police brutality, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. The donation funded legal fees for Arbery and Taylor's families, as well as establishing a 529 plan to fully cover college tuition for Floyd's daughter.[283]
Acting and filmmaking
West made cameo appearances as himself in the films State Property 2 (2005) and The Love Guru (2008),[284][285] and in an episode of the television show Entourage in 2007.[286] West provided the voice for "Kenny West", a rapper, in the animated sitcom The Cleveland Show.[285] In 2009, he starred in the Spike Jonze-directed short film We Were Once a Fairytale (2009), playing himself acting belligerently while drunk in a nightclub.[287] West wrote, directed, and starred in the musical short film Runaway (2010), which heavily features music from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[95] The film depicts a relationship between a man, played by West, and a half-woman, half-phoenix creature.[288]
In 2012, West wrote and directed another short film, titled Cruel Summer, which premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in a custom pyramid-shaped screening pavilion featuring seven screens constructed for the film. The film was inspired by the compilation album of the same name. West made a cameo appearance in the comedy Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) as a MTV News representative in the film's fight scene. In September 2018, West announced the starting of a film production company named Half Beast, LLC.[289] A documentary shot over 21 years featuring footage of West's early days in Chicago through the death of his mother to his presidential run was announced to debut in 2021. Titled Jeen-Yuhs, it was acquired by Netflix for $30 million.[290]
Musical impact
West is among the most critically acclaimed popular music artists of the 21st century, earning praise from music critics, industry peers, and cultural figures.[429][430] In 2014, NME named him the third most influential artist in music.[431] Billboard senior editor Alex Gale declared West "absolutely one of the best, and you could make the argument for the best artist of the 21st century."[215] Sharing similar sentiments, Dave Bry of Complex Magazine called West the twenty-first century's "most important artist of any art form, of any genre."[432] The Atlantic writer David Samuels commented, "Kanye's power resides in his wild creativity and expressiveness, his mastery of form, and his deep and uncompromising attachment to a self-made aesthetic that he expresses through means that are entirely of the moment: rap music, digital downloads, fashion, Twitter, blogs, live streaming video."[433] Joe Muggs of The Guardian argued that "there is nobody else who can sell as many records as West does [...] while remaining so resolutely experimental and capable of stirring things up culturally and politically."[434]
Rolling Stone credited West with transforming hip-hop's mainstream, "establishing a style of introspective yet glossy rap" while deeming him "a producer who created a signature sound and then abandoned it to his imitators, a flashy, free-spending sybarite with insightful things to say about college, culture, and economics, an egomaniac with more than enough artistic firepower to back it up."[435] Writing for Highsnobiety, Shahzaib Hussain stated that West's first three albums "cemented his role as a progressive rap progenitor".[436] AllMusic editor Jason Birchmeier described West as "[shattering] certain stereotypes about rappers, becoming a superstar on his own terms without adapting his appearance, his rhetoric, or his music to fit any one musical mold".[2] Lawrence Burney of Noisey has credited West with the commercial decline of the gangsta rap genre that once dominated mainstream hip-hop.[437] The release of his third studio album has been described as a turning point in the music industry,[438] and is considered to have helped pave the way for new rappers who did not follow the hardcore-gangster mold to find wider mainstream acceptance.[439][440][441]
Hip-hop artists like Drake,[442] Nicki Minaj,[443] Travis Scott,[444] Lil Uzi Vert,[445] and Chance the Rapper[446] have acknowledged being influenced by West. Several other artists and music groups of various genres have named West as an influence on their work.[f]