Kanye West

Kanye Omari West ( ; born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper ^Rapping , singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from soul ^{Soul music} songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences encompassing '70s R&B, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, folk ^{folk music} , alternative ^{alternative rock} , electronica, synth-pop, and classical music.

West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation ^{Graduation (album)} in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His four albums have received numerous awards, including a cumulative twelve Grammys, All have been very commercially successful, with 808s & Heartbreak becoming his third consecutive #1 album in the U.S. upon release. West also runs his own record label GOOD Music, home to artists such John Legend, Common ^{Common (entertainer)} and Kid Cudi. West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of three of his four albums as well as various single covers and music videos.

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

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At the start of his career, Kanye West's production style often used pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul ^{soul music} songs, with his own drums and instruments. The first major label song he produced was The Truth ^{The Truth (Beanie Sigel album)} by Beanie Sigel, and his first major release featuring his trademark vocal sampling style was "This Can't Be Life", a track from Jay-Z’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West said he sped up the drum beat of Dr. Dre's "Xxplosive" to use as a replacement for his drums on "This Can't Be Life".

West has said that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style, and has said on numerous occasions that Wu-Tang rappers Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard were some of his all-time favorites. Said by Kanye West:



RZA himself has spoken quite positively of the comparisons:



Following the critical and commercial success of his debut The College Dropout, West went on to experiment with his production style for subsequent albums. Late Registration — during which he collaborated with film composer Jon Brion — saw West take on a more "cinematic" approach to hip-hop sound, combining his signature sampling style with horn riffs, piano loops, string ^{String (music)} arrangements, and various other orchestra to produce rich, multi-layered instrumentation. His style evolved even further during the conception of Graduation ^{Graduation (album)} , for which he made heavy use of synth ^Synthesizer -based beats and futuristic sound effects while distancing himself from soul samples, opting for a more eclectic variety of interpolations lifted from artists ranging from Elton John and Michael Jackson to Daft Punk and Public Enemy ^{Public Enemy (band)} .

Alongside his pursuit as a producer and later a rapper, West has additionally displayed an escalating interest in singing over the course of his career. The first signs could be found within The College Dropout, which retained "Spaceship", a track that featured a chorus delivered by West in a melodic, half-rapped, half-sung style — a manner not too different from and occasionally used by his favorite rappers Ghostface and ODB. In mid-2008, while guest starring on multiple other artists' singles, West first began singing verses both with the auto-tune effect on Young Jeezy's "Put On" and without on Fonzworth Bentley's "Everybody". It eventually culminated with the release of the lead single, "Love Lockdown", from West's fourth album 808s & Heartbreak. The song stands as the first solo single by West to feature virtually no rapping whatsoever, instead sang entirely using the auto-tune effect.


While his use of sampling has lessened over time, West's production continues to feature distinctive and intricate string arrangements. This characteristic arose from him listening to the English ^{English people} trip hop group Portishead, whose 1998 live album Roseland NYC Live, with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra inspired him to incorporate string sections into his hip hop production. Though he was unable to afford live instruments beyond violin riffs provided by Israeli ^{Israeli Jews} violinist Miri Ben-Ari around the time of his debut album, its subsequent commercial success allowed him to hire his very own eleven-piece string orchestra. For a time, West stood as the sole current pop star to tour with a string section. Both a fan and supporter of indie culture, West uses his official website to promote obscure indie rock bands, posting up music videos and mp3s on a daily basis. This musical affinity is mutual, as West has collaborated with indie artists such as Santigold, Peter Bjorn and John and Lykke Li while his songs have gone on to be covered countless times by myriad rock bands.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. Additionally, West planned to launch his fashion career, and applied for internships with major European fashion houses. He is due to release his own clothing line called Past Tell ^{Past Tell Clothing} in 2009. He also collaborated with Nike ^{Nike, Inc.} to release his own shoe, Air Yeezys.

On January 22, 2009, during Paris Fashion Week, West introduced his first shoe line designed for Louis Vuitton. The line was released in summer 2009.West started the "Kanye West Foundation" in Chicago in 2003. On August 24, 2007, West hosted the inaugural benefit concert to launch the foundation's partnership with Strong American Schools. It is focused on helping Latino and African American children stay in school and to get a proper education through grade school, high school, and college. The foundation also helps children to stay in high school by finding a path through music. West has contributed over $500,000 to his foundation. The foundation has also been called the "Donda West Foundation".

Kanye West has appeared and participated in many fundraisers, benefit concerts, and has done community work for Hurricane Katrina relief, the Kanye West Foundation, the Millions More Movement, 100 Black Men of America, a Live Earth concert benefit, World Water Day rally and march, Nike ^{Nike, Inc.} runs, and a MTV special helping young Iraq War veterans who struggle through debt and PTSD a second chance after returning home.

In February 2009, West contributed $2 to become a producer of The 1 Second Film, a non-profit collaborative art project, alongside over 11,000 fellow producers worldwide.
Relationships

In May 2007, West split from long-time model girlfriend Alexis Rainey. Kanye West and designer Alexis Phifer ended their 18-month engagement in 2008. The couple had been dating on and off since 2002, with West eventually proposing in August 2006. According to a friend, the couple's relationship had been straining, significantly influenced by the sheer amount of time and attention West was dedicating to his current concert tour. "It's always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends," Phifer told People ^{People magazine} .


Mother's death


On November 10, 2007, West's mother, Donda West, died of complications from cosmetic surgery involving abdominoplasty and breast augmentation. TMZ ^TMZ.com reported that Beverly Hills physician Andre Aboolian had advised Donda West not to have surgery because of a health condition that placed her at risk for a heart attack. He had previously been under scrutiny by the medical board. Adams appeared on Larry King Live on November 20, 2007 but left before speaking. Two days later, he appeared again, with his attorney, stating he was there to "defend himself." He said that the recently released autopsy results "spoke for themselves". The final coroner's report January 10, 2008 concluded that Donda West died of "coronary artery disease and multiple post-operative factors due to or as a consequence of liposuction and mammoplasty."

The funeral and burial for Donda West was held in Oklahoma City on November 20, 2007. West held his first concert following the funeral at The O2 ^{The O2 arena (London)} in London on November 22. He dedicated a performance of "Hey Mama ^{Hey Mama (Kanye West song)} ", as well as a cover of Journey's ^{Journey (band)} "Don't Stop Believin'", to his mother, and did so on all other dates of his Glow in the Dark tour.

At a December 2008 press conference in New Zealand, West spoke about his mother's death for the first time. "It was like losing an arm and a leg and trying to walk through that," he told reporters.

In honor of her death, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger passed the "Donda West Law," a legislation which makes it mandatory for patients to provide medical clearance for elective cosmetic surgery.


Legal troubles

In December 2006, Robert "Evel" Knievel ^{Evel Knievel} sued West for trademark infringement in West's video for "Touch the Sky." Knievel took issue with a "***ually-charged video" in which West takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevel" and attempts flying a rocket over a canyon. The suit filed in federal court claims infringement on his trademarked name and likeness. Knievel also claims the "vulgar and offensive" images depicted in the video damage his reputation. The suit seeks damages and to stop distribution of the video. Knievel eventually settled the suit in November 2007, just days before his death.

On September 11, 2008, West and his road manager/bodyguard Don Crowley were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and booked on charges of felony vandalism after an altercation with the paparazzi in which West and Crowley broke the photographers' cameras. West was later released from the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division ^{Los Angeles Police Department#Pacific Division} station in Culver City on $20,000 bail bond. On September 26, 2008 the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office ^{Los Angeles County District Attorney} said it would not file felony counts against West over the incident. Instead the case file was forwarded to the city attorney's office, which charged West with one count of misdemeanor vandalism, one count of grand theft and one count of battery and his manager with three counts of each on March 18, 2009. West's and Crowley's arraignment was delayed from an original date of April 14, 2009.
West was arrested again on November 14, 2008 at a hotel near Gateshead after another scuffle involving a photographer outside a nightclub in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He was later released "with no further action", according to a police spokesperson.West has had several controversies throughout his career. 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. Actor Mike Myers ^{Mike Myers (actor)} , with whom West was paired to present, spoke next and continued to read the script. Once it was West's turn to speak again, he said "George Bush ^{George W. Bush} doesn't care about black people." At this point, telethon producer Rick Kaplan cut off the microphone and then cut away to Chris Tucker, who was unaware of the cut for a few seconds. Still, West's comment reached much of the United States. and by President ^{President of the United States} Barack Obama, who called West a "jackass" in an off the record ^{Journalism sourcing#Using confidential information} comment. In addition, West's VMA disruption originated a large influx of Internet photo memes with blogs, forums and Twitter.com "tweets ^Twitter " with the "Let you finish" photo-jokes. In an interview with Shave Magazine, Sky Blu of electro-hop group LMFAO ^{LMFAO (band)} revealed that West was drunk during the Taylor Swift MTV VMA incident. West "had a whole bottle of Hennessy and was just havin' a good time".
Studio albums

* The College Dropout (2004)
* Late Registration (2005)
* Graduation ^{Graduation (album)} (2007)
* 808s & Heartbreak (2008)