Kanye West
Kanye Omari West (pronounced /ˈkɑnjeɪ/) (born June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American record producer and rapper based in Chicago, Illinois.
Biography
Previously best known for producing hit singles for major Hip-Hop/R&B artists, including Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and Ludacris, West himself worked on his solo album for a long period of time, having the release pushed back time and time again. Due to his appearance and overall style, West struggled to find a way to get his own voice on record. Multiple record companies put him aside due to the fact that West is from the suburbs of Chicago, not a former 'street hustler', or even one that wears the orthodox hip-hop apparel. A car crash on October 23, 2002 left his jaw fractured in three places. With his mouth still wired shut and only weeks after his his accident, he recorded "Through The Wire". "Through The Wire", which sampled Chaka Khan's classic track "Through The Fire", would eventually become his lead single from The College Dropout, which was released on Roc-a-Fella Records in February 2004.
On August 30th, 2005, Kanye West released his second album Late Registration. "Diamonds (From Sierra Leone)" (which contained samples from Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever") and "Gold Digger", were the first two singles from Late Registration, the album sold over 904,000 in its first week. West announced that his 3rd and 4th albums will be titled Graduation and A Good Ass Job, respectively.
Kanye has collaborated with numerous artists including rapper Twista, on songs such as "Overnight Celebrity" and "Slow Jamz" (also featuring Jamie Foxx) - which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. Kanye also features on Brandy's single, "Talk About Our Love". Some of the many other artists he has worked with include Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Dilated Peoples, Mariah Carey and John Legend. Kanye West is also credited with revitalizing and bringing new life into the careers of such rappers as Common and Twista.
In 2004, Kanye appeared on Punk'd, MTV version of Candid Camera. Ashton Kutcher tricked Kanye into thinking that his music video shoot for the song "Jesus Walks" was censored by the Los Angeles Film Commission for violating a law about filming on Sundays without a permit. To the audience's amusement, Kanye stole the music video footage back from them and then jumped into his van for his safety until Kutcher stopped the van. Couple months later, the single went out safely without any destruction by Ashton Kutcher or his crew members, and eventually won the Grammy Awards (see Awards section).
Political views
On 2 July 2005 West appeared on the Philadelphia bill of Live 8, using the global platform to refer to "man-made diseases placed in African communities", expressing his belief that AIDS was created by the U.S. government to exterminate Africans in Africa (see also OPV AIDS hypothesis). He made the parallel between the government using AIDS to exterminate Africans and using crack cocaine to destroy African-American communities and halt the civil rights movement. He also criticized politicians for "riding home in their Benzs and Bentleys while poor Africans starve".
On West's "Heard 'Em Say", he raps the following lyrics - "Before you ask me to go get a job today/ Can I at least get a raise on the minimum wage/ And I know the government administered AIDS", and on "Crack Music", Kanye raps "How we stop the Black Panthers?/ Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer", and in the second verse - "Who gave Saddam anthrax?/ George Bush got the answers."
In a 2005 MTV interview, West criticized the hip-hop community over the discrimination and epithets directed toward homosexuals, "Not just hip-hop, but America just discriminates. And I [wanted to just] come on TV and just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, 'Yo, stop it.'" The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation recently recognized West for these comments, and for the tolerant views that he models.
On September 2, 2005, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on NBC, Kanye West deviated from the prepared script, alleging that the National Guardsmen dispatched to New Orleans were under orders to shoot looters, criticizing the government's response to the crisis and alleging racism in the media. West stated, "I hate the way they portray us in the media - If you see a black family, it says they're looting, [If] you see a white family, it says they're looking for food." He added "the Red Cross is doing everything they can." West also claimed that government authorities are intentionally dragging their feet on aid to the Gulf Coast, adding "They've given them permission to go down and shoot us." [1]. West concluded his remarks with, "George Bush doesn't care about black people". Although the camera quickly cut away, West's comments still reached the US East Coast in the live news-feed, but were censored by the network when the concert was re-broadcast on the West Coast three hours later.
On September 8, 2005, in a live-via-satellite concert for the NFL season opener between the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots, West performed "Heard 'Em Say." West was booed by the crowd at Gillette Stadium, almost certainly as a response to his controversial statements about George W. Bush following Hurricane Katrina. However, his September 9 performance of "Jesus Walks" on the Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast nationwide telethon for Katrina relief went off without controversy.
GOOD Music & Pastelle Clothing
"GOOD Music" (an acronym for Getting Out Our Dreams), the record label founded by Kanye West, has already released John Legend's platinum selling debut album Get Lifted, along with Common's latest album - Be. Other artists on the GOOD Music label include GLC, Consequence, and Farnsworth Bentley.
In September 2005, Kanye announced that he will release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006. He said of the decision, "Now that I have a Grammy under my belt and [West's second album] Late Registration is finished, I am ready to launch my clothing line next spring." [2]
Discography
Studio albums
- 2004: The College Dropout #2 US (2x Platinum), #12 UK, #49 MEX
- 2005: Late Registration #1 US (Platinum), #2 UK
Compilations
Mixtapes
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||||
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | US Rap | UK | MEX | |||
| 2004 | "Through the Wire" | #15 | #8 | #4 | #9 | #125 | The College Dropout |
| 2004 | "All Falls Down" (feat. Syleena Johnson) | #7 | #4 | #2 | #10 | #85 | The College Dropout |
| 2004 | "Jesus Walks" | #11 | #2 | #3 | #16 | #10 | The College Dropout |
| 2004 | "The New Workout Plan" | - | #60 | - | - | #29 | The College Dropout |
| 2005 | "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" | #43 | #21 | - | #8 | - | Late Registration |
| 2005 | "Gold Digger" (feat. Jamie Foxx) | #1 (3 weeks) | #1 (2 weeks) | #2 | #2 | - | Late Registration |
| 2005 | "Heard 'Em Say" (feat. Adam Levine) | Late Registration | |||||
Production
For a list of Kanye's production (including sampling credits), See Kanye West production discography.
Awards
In 2005, Kanye West received ten Grammy Award nominations, making him the most nominated artist of 2005. At the 47th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony held on February 13, 2005, Kanye won Best Rap Album for his album The College Dropout, Best Rap Song for his single "Jesus Walks", and Best R&B Song for producing Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name."
His 2005 Grammy nominations were:
- Album of the Year for The Diary Of Alicia Keys (as a producer)
- Album of the Year for The College Dropout
- Song of the Year for "Jesus Walks"
- Best New Artist
- Best R&B Song for "You Don't Know My Name" (as a songwriter)
- Best Rap Solo Performance for "Through The Wire"
- Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "All Falls Down"
- Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Slow Jamz"
- Best Rap Song for "Jesus Walks"
- Best Rap Album for The College Dropout
His work with pop icon Janet Jackson also earned him a nomination for her single I Want You, produced by West, which was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
After the awards ceremony, West criticized the music industry as he only won 3 of the 10 awards, and he felt he deserved all of them.
Quotes
- "And I'm a big tipper, I don't even be trippin'. This my first real Rolex, it don't even be tickin'. This my first pair of earings I can can wear in the shower, without 'em clouding up in a half an hour!"
- My Baby, Damita Jo, 2004
- "You don't remember when you was my sweetest? You don't remember I called you Reese's Pieces? 'Cause there's no wrong way to do you know what!"
- Talk About Our Love, Afrodisiac, 2004
- "Jay's favorite line, 'Dog, in due time.' Now he look at me like, 'Damn, dog, you're where I am,' a hip-hop legend. I think I died in that accident, 'cause this must be heaven."
- Touch the Sky, Late Registration, 2005
- "George Bush doesn't care about black people."
- A Concert for Hurricane Relief, 2005
- "I hate music where white people are trying to sound black. The white music I like is white."
- "They think they can say those words and take ownership of hip-hop. You can't. It's a lifestyle. It's a culture. It's not just music."
- Interview with GQ Magazine, 2005
See also
External links
- KanyeWest.com - Official Site
- Kanye West lyrics at ohhla.com
- Allmusic.com artist page
- Kanye West Slams Bush - video clip of West's televised speech on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina