The US Trends | Kanye West | Kanye West is an American rapper, record producer,and singer. Kanye first became to fame as a record producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he finally got recognition for his project on Jay-Z///'s album TheBlueprint,as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris,and JanetJackson. His production style to begin with used samples of pitched-up vocal from soul songs incorporated with his own instruments and drums. But, the next productions saw him broadening his musical palette and showing influences encompassing '///70s R & B, pop baroque, folk, trip hop, alternative, arena rock, electronica, classical music and synth-pop.
Kanye West released 'The College Dropout', his debut album in2004, his 2nd album 'Late Registration' in2005, 3rd album 'Graduation' in2007, 4th album '808 s & Heartbreak' in2008,and his 5th album 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' in2010. West released a collaborative album, 'Watch the Throne',with Jay-Z onAugust 8,2011, which is the duo///'s 1st collaborative album.His 5 solo albums,all of which have gone platinum,have received numerous awards and critical acclaim.As of2011, West has won a total of 14Grammy Awards.All albums have been very commercially successful,with 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' becoming his 4th consecutive No.#1 album in theU.S. uponRelease.West has had 5 songs exceed 3,000,000 in digital sales as of July2011,with "Gold Digger" selling 3, 086, 000 ,"Stronger" selling 4, 402, 000 ,"Heartless" selling 3, 742, 000 ,"E.T."selling over 4, 000, 000 and"Love Lockdown" selling over 3, 000, 000 placing him 3rd in overall digital sales of the past decade. West has sold over 25,000,000 digital songs in the UnitedStates placing him 2nd for solo male artists on the list and 6th overall for digital artists best seller .
Kanye West also runs his own record label"GOOD Music" ,home to artists such as John.Legend, Common and KidCudi. West///'s mascot and trademark is "DropoutBear,"a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of 3 of his 5 albums as well as various single covers and music videos. About.com ranked Kanye West No.#8 on their "Top50 Hip-Hop Producers" list. OnMay 16,2008, KanyeWest was crowned by MTV as the year///'s No.#1 "Hottest MC in the Game."OnDecember 17,2010, Kanye West was voted as the MTVMan of the Year byMTV. Billboard ranked Kanye West No.#3 on their list of Top 10Producers of the decade.West has also been included in the Time 100list ofThe Most Influential People inThe World as well as being listed in a number of Forbes///' annual lists.
Kanye West was born Kanye Omari West in Atlanta,Georgia, onJune 8,1977. His parents divorced when he was 3.He was raised on Chicago///'s South Side by his mother,an EnglishProfessor,and spent summers with his father,an awardwinning photographer who became Achurch counselor.
Kanye West graduated from Polaris High School and completed 1 year of art school at Chicago State University.After spending time rapping and working with local artists,West moved to NewYork in2001 to pursue his music career full time.Respected rapper JayZ hired him to produce songs for his album TheBlueprint,which sold more than 420, 000 copies in the 1st week alone. Kanye went on to produce for a handful of stars including rapper Ludacris and singer Beyonce.
While servingAs producer to the stars, West cut his own demo and began shopping it around.He signed a deal with RocAFella Records, Jay-Z///'s label, in2002 and began recording inThe studio.
OnThe way home from a session in LosAngeles, Kanye fell asleep atthe wheel and was involved in a head-on car collision that left him with a fractured jaw.With his jaw wired shut,West returned to the recording studio to complete his debut release "The College Dropout".The album,which was released in2004,sold 2,600.000 copies and earned him a BestRap Album Grammy.He matched that feat with 2005///'s "Late Registration" and 2007///'s "Graduation".
Kanye West also has won three Best Rap Song Grammys for his hits"Jesus Walks,""Diamonds from Sierra Leone"and"Good Life."For his hit "Gold Digger," he took home the Best Rap Solo Performance award in2005. West also won a Grammy for Best R & B Song for "You Don't Know My Name," sung by Alicia Keys. His collaboration with Common on "Southside" earned West the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in2007.
Kanye West was devastated when his mother,Donda West,died to complications from cosmetic surgery onNovember 10,2007.During his first concert following the funeral, West dedicated a performance of"Hey Mama"to his mother.
Moving on after his tragic loss, Kanye West put out his next album, "808s & Heartbreak",in 2008.The recording reached the top of the charts and featured several hits,including "Heartless" and "Amazing."That same year,West earned 2Grammys for his work with other artists.His duet with Estelle,"American Boy,"won for Best Rap / Sung Collaboration,and his work with Jay Z,Lil Wayne,and T.I. netted the honor for Best Rap Performance by a Duo orGroup.
TheFollowing year,West released 2albums on the same day -\\\Good Morning Good Night: Dusk\\\ and \\\Good Morning Good Night: Dawn\\\. Also in2009, Kanye West debuted the line of shoes he designed for the luxury goods brand Louis Vuitton. West engages in a number of charitable activities as well.Founded by his mother in2007, West supports the "Kanye West Foundation",which works to reduce the number of high school drop-outs.
Kanye West & designer AlexisPhifer began dating in2002. West proposed inAugust 2006,but the engagement ended 18months later. West has also been romantically linked to model AmberRose.
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