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About Kanye West
West was born in Georgia
Atlanta in 1977.
Following his parents’
separation, West was
raised in South Side
Chicago. He attended one
year of university
before dropping out to
pursue a full time
career in rapping and
music. By this time West
was already rapping and
collaborating with local
artists. He started
gaining a reputation for
his mixes and beats, and
moved to New York in
2001.
Jay Z hired West to
produce tracks on his
upcoming album
Blueprint. The album was
a tremendous success,
selling over 420,000
copies in the first week
alone. Following this
break, West became
highly sought after as a
producer and went on to
produce hit singles for
artists like Janet
Jackson, John Legend,
Scarface, The Game,
Alicia Keys, Talib Kweli
and Paul Wall, to name
but a few.
In spite of his success
as a producer, it was
difficult for West to
find a record deal for
himself. He was
perceived primarily as a
producer and companies
didn’t bet on him,
seeing as he was not the
stereotypical hip-hop
artist with a ‘street
image’.
Kanye West eventually
did get a deal with
Roc-a-fella records and
his debut album College
Dropout was released in
early 2004. It featured
artists like Jay Z,
Ludacris, Consequence,
GLC, Mos Def among
others. The album was
also West’s defining
work for the unique
musical style that he
would become known for.
College Dropout became a
triple platinum selling
success.
Late Registration,
West’s sophomore album
was released in 2005.
While his first album
was a commercial success
of massive proportions,
Late Registration had
one over its
predecessor. It became a
critical success of
enormous magnitude as
well as a commercial
success. The album not
only became a triple
platinum selling album,
but also received eight
Grammy nominations. The
third album Graduation
features guest
appearances by the likes
of T Pain, Mos Def, and
Lil Wayne. It was
released in 2007 and
once again, became a
double platinum selling
record.
Apart from being a super
successful musician,
West is also a
philanthropist and
businessman. He owns KW
Foods LLC. West also has
an interest in fashion,
and was slated to launch
his own clothing line
entitled Past Tell
sometime in 2009.
Kanye has also designed
a shoe line for Louis
Vuitton. The Kanye West
Foundation was started
in 2003, which focuses
on helping Latino and
African American
students stay in school.
West has done benefit
work for the Hurricane
Katrina Relief and has
also appeared at several
other benefits and
fundraisers. He is also
an outspoken supporter
of Gay Rights.
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