Kanye West

From LoveToKnow Celebrity

Kanye West
Born As:	Kanye Omari West
Birthdate:	June 8, 1977
Best Known As:	Musician
Website:	KanyeUniverseCity.com

What can be said about Kanye West that hasn't already been said time and time again? Well, not much really. It can't be denied that this musician/producer/clothing designer/jewelry designer/philanthropist/egomaniac is five feet and eight inches of, amongst other things, talent.

Back Story

Kanye West's story begins like this:

Born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia
Son of Donda and Ray West
Parents divorced when Kanye was three
Father Ray was a former member of the Black Panther Party
Mother Donda is an English professor and currently heads the English department at Chicago State University.
Lived in China from ages 10 to 11 while his mother taught English there.
Attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Illinois

Kanye West Discography

With three hugely successful releases, there is no sign of Kanye slowing down anytime soon.

College Dropout – Released in 2004, this was Kanye West's official debut album and won "Best Rap Album" at the 2005 Grammy Awards.
Late Registration – West's sophomore album was well received by both fans and critics. Released on August 30, 2005, it climbed to the number one spot on the Billboard charts by September 17 of that same year. This proved that Kanye was not suffering from a "sophomore slump."
Graduation – His latest album, released on September 11, 2007, also found itself at the top of the Billboard charts within one month of its debut. The September 11 release date sparked a "feud" between Kanye and 50 Cent, who released his new album, Curtis, on the same day. 50 claimed that he would retire if Curtis sold fewer copies than Graduation. The score as of September 20: Graduation- 957,000 copies sold. Curtis – 691,000 copies sold.

Other Releases

Aside from his major releases, there are a few other, lesser-known albums that Kanye has released over the years.

Late Orchestration: Live at Abbey Road Studios – This album was recorded live at the studio made famous by the Beatles, in front of 300 fans. West performed 12 of his most well known songs, backed by an all-female orchestra.
Live in Amsterdam – This live album was released in 2006 (along with Late Orchestration) and includes 22 tracks, plus two unreleased bonus tracks.
Chicago's Finest – Also released in 2006, Chicago's Finest includes guest artists Twista, Jamie Foxx, Dipset, Diszwone, Trey Songz and Faith Evans.
Freshman Adjustment: Volume 2- Another 2006 effort by Kanye includes 20 tracks. If you're looking to buy this one, take note that it is an import disc, so it will cost you a few more dollars.

Collaborations

Aside from his own work, Kanye West continues to build his kingdom through collaborations with other artists. Here are a few of the most notable.

Brandy – Talk About Our Love
Ludacris – Stand Up
Jon Legend – Number One
Common – The Corner
Cam'ron – Down and Out
Jamie Foxx – Extravaganza
Jay-Z – The Blueprint
Alicia Keys – If I Ain't Got You
Janet Jackson – My Baby

Mr. West also has plans to work with both John Mayer and Lauryn Hill in the near future.

Notable Kanye Moments

Kanye West at the The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

You can equate West's "moments" as temper tantrums if you would like, because he has had a few.

MTV Europe Music Awards – Lost the "Best Video" award to European artists Justice Vs Simian. As a result, he charged up on stage and released an expletive filled rant about how he should have won because his video "Touch the Sky" cost over $1 million to make, he was featured jumping across canyons in it and claimed that although he hadn't actually seen the Justice Vs Simian video that it "Possibly could have been quite good, but no way better than Touch the Sky." Visit Starpulse for the full naughty word filled story.
A Concert for Hurricane Relief – Possibly the most infamous Kanye moment, in a speech given along with comedian Mike Myers, he uttered the phrase "George Bush doesn't care about black people." This comment triggered a hailstorm or criticism from around the world.
2004 American Music Awards – His loss to Gretchen Wilson in the "Breakthrough New Artist" category resulted in an attack of Wilson's music, for which he later apologized to her for his comments.

A Final Focus on the Positive

Fortunately for both Kanye and his droves of fans, his positive actions and talent far outweigh his temper tantrums. His positive efforts include the following: