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Kanye Omari
West ( /ˈkɑːnjeɪ/; born June 8, 1977)[1] is an American rapper, 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 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, alternative, electronica, synthpop, and classical music.[2]
West released his debut
album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005,
his third album Graduation in 2007, his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008,
and his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. West released a
collaborative album, Watch the Throne, with Jay-Z on August 8, 2011, which is
the duo's first collaborative album. His five solo albums, all of which have
gone platinum, have received numerous awards and critical acclaim.[3] As of
2012, West has won a total of eighteen Grammy Awards, making him one of the most
awarded artists of all time.[4] All albums have been very commercially
successful, with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy becoming his fourth
consecutive No.1 album in the U.S. upon release.[5] West has had 5 songs exceed
3 million in digital sales as of July 2011, 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[6][7] placing
him third in overall digital sales of the past decade.[8][9] He has sold over 30
million digital songs in the United States making him one of the best selling
digital artists of all time.[10]
West also runs his own
record label GOOD Music, home to artists such as John Legend, Common and Kid
Cudi.[11] West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a teddy bear which has
appeared on the covers of three of his five albums as well as various single
covers and music videos.[12] About.com ranked Kanye West No.8 on their "Top 50
Hip-Hop Producers" list.[13] On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as
the year's No.1 "Hottest MC in the Game."[14] On December 17, 2010, Kanye West
was voted as the MTV Man of the Year by MTV.[15] Billboard ranked Kanye West No.
3 on their list of Top 10 Producers of the decade.[16] West has also been
included in the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world as
well as being listed in a number of Forbes' annual lists.[17]
****
Background information
Birth name Kanye Omari
West
Born June 8, 1977
(1977-06-08) (age 34)
Atlanta, Georgia,
United States
Origin Chicago,
Illinois, United States
Genres Hip hop
Occupations Producer,
rapper, musician, singer
Instruments Vocals,
keyboards, sampler, percussion, synthesizer
Years active
1996–present
Labels GOOD Music,
Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Associated acts Go
Getters, Child Rebel Soldier, Jay-Z, The Throne, Common, John Legend, Kid Cudi,
Rihanna, Jeff Bhasker, Pusha T, Mos Def, Mr Hudson, Talib Kweli, Big Sean,
A-Trak, Pharrell, Lupe Fiasco, RZA
Website kanyewest.com
****
Early life
Kanye West was born in
Atlanta, Georgia,[18] where he lived with his parents. When he was three years
old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois.[19]
His father was Ray West, a former Black Panther who was one of the first black
photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and is now a Christian
counselor.[19] West's mother, Dr. Donda West, was a Professor of English at
Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago
State University before retiring to serve as West's manager. He was raised in a
middle-class background, attending Polaris High School[20] in suburban Oak Lawn,
Illinois after living in Chicago.[21] When asked about his grades in high
school, West replied, "I got A's and B's. And I'm not even frontin'".[22]
West attended art
classes at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and also enrolled at Chicago
State University, but dropped out to focus on his music career.[23] While
attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by
producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Talib
Kweli, Cam'ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The
Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend among others. He also
"ghost-produced" for his mentor Deric Angelettie, according to his song "Last
Call" and the credits of Nas' "Poppa Was a Playa".[23]
Music career
1996–2003: Career
beginnings
Kanye West's first
career productions came on Chicago rapper Grav's 1996 debut album Down to Earth.
West produced eight tracks on the album. While the album did not attract much
attention and would be the only album released by Grav, West would soon be
producing for higher profile artists. In 1998–1999 he produced for well-known
artists such as Jermaine Dupri, Foxy Brown, Goodie Mob, and the group Harlem
World.
West got his big break
in the year 2000, when he began to produce for artists on Roc-a-Fella Records.
He produced the well-received Jay-Z song "This Can't Be Life" off of the album
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West would later state that to create the beat for
"This Can't Be Life", he sped up the drum beat from Dr. Dre's song
"Xxplosive".[24]
After producing for
Jay-Z earlier, West’s sound was featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed
album The Blueprint, released September 11, 2001.[25] His work was featured on
the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and a
diss track against Nas and Mobb Deep named "Takeover"; West has worked with Mobb
Deep and Nas since the track's release.[25]
After meeting great
commercial success and critical acclaim for his productions on The Blueprint,
West became a sought after producer in the hip-hop industry, even before he
became known as a rapper and solo artist. In the years 2002–2003 he would
produce for artists such as Nas, Scarface, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, T.I., Ludacris,
DMX, and Monica. He also continued producing for Roc-a-Fella Records artists and
contribued four tracks to Jay-Z's follow up album to The Blueprint, The
Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse.
After great successes
as a producer, West now looked to pursue a career as a rapper and solo artist,
but struggled to get a record deal. Chris Anokute, then A&R at Def Jam, said
that when West regularly dropped by the office to pick up his producer checks he
would play demos of solo material to Anokute in his cubicle and bemoan the fact
that no one was taking him seriously as a rapper.[26] Jay-Z admitted that
Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that
he saw him as a producer first and foremost.[27] Multiple record companies felt
he was not as marketable as rappers who portray the "street image" prominent in
hip hop culture.[24] Beginning his career as a rapper, Kanye West recorded the
third verse on the song "The Bounce" off of Jay-Z's The Blueprint²: The Gift &
the Curse, an album he produced for, from the same label he was signed to as a
rapper.
2004–05: The College
Dropout and Late Registration
On October 23, 2002,
West was involved in a near fatal car crash while driving home from the
recording studio. The crash provided inspiration for West's first single,
"Through the Wire".[28] West's faith is apparent in many of his songs, such as
"Jesus Walks", which became a staple at his benefit performances, such as the
Live 8 concert. These songs were featured on West's debut album, The College
Dropout, which was released on Roc-A-Fella Records in February 2004, and went on
to receive critical acclaim. The album also defined the style for which West
would become known, including wordplay and sampling.[28] The album was
eventually certified triple platinum. Guest appearances included Jay-Z,
Ludacris, GLC, Consequence, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, and Syleena Johnson.
The album also featured the singles, "All Falls Down" and "The New Workout
Plan", as well as Twista's number one single, "Slow Jamz".[29] During 2003 West
also co-produced songs for British singer Javine Hylton, even appearing in the
music video to Real Things playing the love interest of Javine.
West was involved in a
financial dispute over Royce Da 5'9"'s song "Heartbeat", produced by West and
released on Build & Destroy: The Lost Sessions. West maintains that Royce never
paid for the beat, but recorded to it and released it; hearing him on the beat,
the original customers decided not to buy it from West. After the disagreement,
West vowed to never work with Royce again.[30] Other Kanye West-produced hit
singles during the period The College Dropout was released included "I Changed
My Mind" by Keyshia Cole, "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and "Talk About Our
Love" by Brandy.[28]
Taking a more eclectic
route, West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion to
construct his second album, Late Registration, which was released on August 30,
2005.[31] Like its predecessor, the sophomore effort garnered universal acclaim
from music critics.[32] Late Registration topped countless critic polls and was
revered as the best album of the year by numerous publications, including USA
Today, Spin, and Time.[33][34] Rolling Stone awarded the album the highest
position on their end of the year record list and hailed it as a "sweepingly
generous, absurdly virtuosic hip-hop classic."[35] The record earned the number
one spot on the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2005 for the second
consecutive year.[36] Late Registration was also a commercial success, selling
over 860,000 copies in its first week alone and topping the Billboard 200.[37]
Grossing over 2.3 million units sold in the United States alone by year's end,
Late Registration was considered by industry observers as the sole majorly
successful album release of the fall of 2005, a season that was plagued by
steadily declining CD sales.[38] The second album earned eight Grammy Award
nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the song
"Gold Digger".[39] The album is certified triple platinum.[40]
On August 22, 2005, the
MTV special All Eyes On Kanye West aired, in which West spoke out against
homophobia in hip-hop. He claimed that hip-hop has always been about "speaking
your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop
discriminates against gay people."[41] He then reflected on a personal
experience. He said that he had a "turning point" when he realized one of his
cousins was gay. He said regarding this experience: "This is my cousin. I love
him and I've been discriminating against gays." He drew comparison between
African Americans' struggle for civil rights and today's gay rights movement.
The following year, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, West further
expounded his experiences with and views on the relationship between the black
and gay communities.[42]
In September 2005, West
announced that he would release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006:[43]
"Now that I have a Grammy under my belt and Late Registration is finished, I am
ready to launch my clothing line next spring." In that year, West produced the
hit singles "Go" by Common and "Dreams" by The Game.[44]
2007–09: Graduation and
808s & Heartbreak
In 2007, it was
announced that West would be starring in a series directed by Larry Charles. He
has been working on the pilot episode for the past two years with Larry Charles
and Rick Rubin. He also had this to say on January 14: "I wouldn't do something
as cliché as a reality show. At least give me the credit for being more creative
than that. It's a situational half-hour comedy. It's fictional, and loosely
based on my life.[45] " West also collaborated with Japanese hip-hop group
Teriyaki Boyz to produce the single "I Still Love H.E.R.," a reference to
Common's 1994 single "I Used to Love H.E.R.". Further to this, during a radio
appearance in early 2007, West, like many of his peers, recorded an impromptu
freestyle to the popular song "Throw Some D's." The song that to all other
rappers was about automobile rims, was used by West to comically refer to D-cup
breasts. Because of the unexpected success of the song, West went on to make a
video for the freestyle, in which he is seen playing his 'Old Ass Cousin'.[46]
West was also featured
in a new song called "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)". It was believed to
be a single for, Graduation, because he is featured on the track, but Nike
quickly explained that it was for the Nike Air Force 1's anniversary. It was
meant only to be an exclusive track for the company.[47]
On March 25, 2007, he
and his father Ray West supported World Water Day by having a "Walk for Water"
rally.[48] After a two-year break, West has returned to being a fashion
columnist in lifestyle magazine Complex.[49] On July 7, 2007, West performed
with The Police and John Mayer at the American leg of Live Earth.[50] West
hosted the August 17 edition of British comedy- variety show The Friday Night
Project.[51]
In July 2007, West
changed the release date of Graduation, his third album, from September 18,
2007, to the same release date as 50 Cent's album Curtis, September 11,
2007.[52] 50 Cent later claimed that if Graduation were to sell more records
than Curtis, he would stop releasing solo albums. However, 50 Cent would later
dispel his comments.[53] The album has been certified double platinum. Guest
appearances included T-Pain, Mos Def, and Lil Wayne.[54]
“ When I heard that
thing about the debate, I thought that was the stupidest thing. When my albums
drops and 50's album drops, you're gonna get a lot of good music at the same
time.[55] ”
On August 26, 2007,
West appeared as himself on the HBO television show Entourage which he used as a
platform to premier his new single "Good Life" during the end credits. On
September 9, 2007, West performed at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, losing in
every category he was nominated for; he gave an angry speech immediately
afterward. (see "Controversies" section)
Following the MTV
stint, West was nominated in eight Grammy Award categories for the 50th annual
Grammy Awards.[56] He won four of them,[57] including Best Rap Album for
Graduation and Best Rap Solo Performance for "Stronger" from Graduation. During
the four-hour televised Grammy Awards ceremony, West also performed two songs:
"Stronger" (with Daft Punk) and "Hey Mama" (in honor of his recently deceased
mother).[58]
West kicked off the
Glow in the Dark Tour in Seattle at the Key Arena on April 16. The tour was
originally scheduled to end in June in Cincinnati but was extended into August.
Over the course of the tour West was joined by a varying group of opening acts,
including Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, N.E.R.D., DJ Craze, and Gnarls Barkley. On June
15, West was scheduled to perform a late night set at the Bonnaroo Music
Festival. His performance started almost two hours late and ran for half of its
alloted time, angering many fans in the audience. West later wrote an outraged
entry on his blog, blaming the festival organizers as well as Pearl Jam's
preceding set, which ran longer than expected.
On September 7, West
debuted a new song "Love Lockdown" at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. "Love
Lockdown" features no rapping and only singing using an auto-tune device. This
song appears on West's fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. The new album was
expected to be released on December 16, but West announced on his blog on
September 24, 2008, that he had finished the album and would be releasing it
sometime in November, earlier than previously scheduled. In early October, West
made a surprise appearance at a T.I. concert in Los Angeles, where he stated
that 808s & Heartbreak was scheduled to be released on November 25, though it
was actually released on the 24th, and that the second single is "Heartless".
The album was another number one album for West, even though the first week
numbers fell well short of Graduation with 450,145 sold.[59]
West performed at the
American Music Awards ceremony on November 23.[60] That same night he won two
AMA awards, including Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for Graduation and Favorite
Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist. West performed at the Democratic National Convention in
Denver in August 2008, along with Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D. in support of Barack
Obama. On January 20, 2009, Kanye West performed at the Youth Inaugural Ball
hosted by MTV for Obama's inauguration.
On February 17, 2009,
West was named one of Top 10 Most Stylish Men in America by GQ.[61] The next
day, February 18, 2009, West won International Male Solo Artist at The Brit
Awards 2009. West was not in attendance but accepted his award with a video
speech, saying "Barack is the 'Best Interracial Male' but I'm proud to be the
Best International Male in the world.[62]
In April 2009, Kanye
West recorded a song called "Hurricane" with 30 Seconds to Mars to appear on
their album This Is War, but was not released due to legal issues with both
record companies. The song was eventually released on the deluxe version of This
Is War, titled "Hurricane 2.0".[63][64][65]
2010–present: My
Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne
In May 2010, West made
an animated television guest appearance on Fox's animated television series The
Cleveland Show (a spin-off of Family Guy) as the voice behind "Kenny West", a
rival of Cleveland Brown's son.[66] In his first episode he performed in a rap
battle with Cleveland's son. The producers stated working with West was a very
good experience and a reason they chose him was because they knew he was a fan
of Family Guy.[67] Kenny West re-appeared in the season 2 premiere of The
Cleveland Show.
West spent the first
half of 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii, working on his new album with the working
title "Good Ass Job", later named My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, released on
November 22, 2010.[68] West has cited Maya Angelou, Gil Scott-Heron and Nina
Simone as his musical inspirations for this album. Outside production is said to
come from RZA, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier.[69][70] West also had Justin
Vernon flown into his studio on Oahu after seemingly expressing interest in
sampling one of Bon Iver's songs; Vernon proceeded to feature on a number of new
tracks, including "Lost In The World," which features Vernon's vocal line from
Woods.[71]
On May 28, the
Dwele-assisted first single from the album, entitled "Power", leaked to the
Internet. On June 30, the track was officially released via iTunes. The upcoming
music video was quoted as being "apocalyptic, in a very personal way" by the
director Marco Brambilla.[72]
On September 12, 2010,
West performed a new song, "Runaway" featuring Pusha T, at the 2010 MTV Video
Music Awards.[73] Shortly after the performance, Kanye revealed he was working
on a 35 minute short film based around the song. The movie is said to be
influenced by film noir and concerns a fallen phoenix whom Kanye falls in love
with.[74] On October 15, 2010, Kanye West was ranked 3rd in BET's "Top Ten
Rappers of the 21st Century" list.[75]
Watch the Throne, a
collaborative studio album by West and Jay-Z,[76] was released by Def Jam
Recordings on August 8, 2011.[77] It has been under production since August 2010
as part of West's GOOD Friday initiative of releasing new songs every Friday
between August 20 and Christmas 2010.[78] West said through a recent interview
with MTV that the album is "going to be very dark and sexy, like couture hip
hop."[78][79][80] He appeared at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, performing
the track "Lost in the World" from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[81] On
January 6, 2011, Kanye announced via Twitter that the first official single from
Watch the Throne would be a song called "H•A•M" produced by Lex Luger. The song
was released on January 11, 2011.[82]
On April 17, 2011, West
closed the Coachella Festival with a headlining set that received glowing praise
from fans and critics alike.[83][84] On July 20, a track titled "Otis" from the
album was released in the iTunes Store. It samples "Try a Little Tenderness" by
Otis Redding.[85] On October 19, 2011, West announced on his Twitter plans for a
Spring 2012 GOOD Music album release.[86]
Other ventures
Business ventures
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.[87] Additionally, West planned to launch his fashion career, and
applied for internships with major European fashion houses.[88] He was due to
release his own clothing line called Past Tell in 2009. He also collaborated
with Nike 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.
On October 01, 2011,
Kanye West premiered his women's fashion label, DW Kanye West[89] at Paris
Fashion Week. He received support from DSquared2 duo Dean and Dan Caten, Olivier
Theyskens, Jeremy Scott, Azzedine Alaïa, and the Olsen twins, who were also in
attendance during his show. His debut fashion show received mixed-to-negative
reviews,[90][91] ranging from reserved observations by Style.com[92] to
excoriating commentary by The Wall Street Journal,[93] the New York Times,[94]
the International Herald Tribune, Elleuk.com, The Daily Telegraph, Harper's
Bazaar and many others.[95][96][97]
Philanthropy
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 runs, and a MTV special helping young Iraq War
veterans who struggle through debt and PTSD a second chance after returning
home.[98]
Musical style and
influences
At the start of his
career, Kanye West's production style often used pitched-up vocal samples,
usually from soul songs, with his own drums and instruments.[25] 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".[24]
West has said that
Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style,[21][99] and has said on
numerous occasions that Wu-Tang rappers Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard
were some of his all-time favorites, "Wu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this
all the time... We think Wu-Tang had one of the biggest impacts as far as a
movement. From slang to style of dress, skits, the samples. Similar to the
[production] style I use, RZA has been doing that."[100] RZA himself has spoken
quite positively of the comparisons, stating in an interview for Rolling Stone,
"All good. I got super respect for Kanye. He came up to me about a year or two
ago. He gave me mad praising and blessings... For people to say Wu-Tang inspire
Kanye, Kanye is one of the biggest artists in the world. That goes back to what
we say: 'Wu-Tang is forever.' Kanye is going to inspire people to be like
him."[101] After hearing his work on The Blueprint, RZA claimed that a
torch-passing had occurred between him and West, saying, "The shoes gotta be
filled. If you ain't gonna do it, somebody else is gonna do it. That's how I
feel about rap today."[101]
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 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.[2] Though he was unable
to afford live instruments beyond violin riffs provided by Israeli 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.[2]
West has stated on
several occasions that outside of work, he favors listening to rock music over
hip-hop. He cites Franz Ferdinand, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Killers as
some of his favorite musical groups. Additionally, on Graduation, West drew
inspiration from arena rock bands such as U2, The Rolling Stones and Led
Zeppelin for melody and chord progression.[102] 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.[103] 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.[104]
Personal life
Relationships
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 become increasingly
strained, burdened 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.[105]
West was also in a high
profile on/off relationship with Amber Rose from 2008 until the summer of 2010.
Mother's death
On November 10, 2007,
West's mother, Donda West, died of complications from cosmetic surgery involving
abdominoplasty and breast augmentation.[106] TMZ reported that Beverly Hills
plastic surgeon Andre Aboolian refused to do the surgery because Donda West had
a health condition that placed her at risk for a heart attack.[106] Aboolian
referred her to an internist to investigate her cardiac issue.[106] Donda never
met with the doctor recommended by Aboolian and had the procedures performed by
a third doctor, Jan Adams.[106] She was 58 years old (1949–2007).
Adams sent condolences
to Donda West's family but declined to publicly discuss the procedure because of
confidentiality.[107] He had previously been under scrutiny by the medical
board.[108][109][110] 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".[111] 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."[112]
The funeral and burial
for Donda West was held in Oklahoma City on November 20, 2007.[113] West held
his first concert following the funeral at The O2 in London on November 22. He
dedicated a performance of "Hey Mama", as well as a cover of Journey's "Don't
Stop Believin'", to his mother, and did so on all other dates of his Glow in the
Dark tour.[114]
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.[115]
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.[116]
Legal issues
In December 2006,
Robert "Evel" Knievel sued West for trademark infringement in West's video for
"Touch the Sky." Knievel took issue with a "sexually-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.[117] West's attorneys argued that the music video
amounted to satire and therefore was covered under the First Amendment. Just
days before his death in November 2007, Knievel amicably settled the suit after
being paid a visit from West, saying, "I thought he was a wonderful guy and
quite a gentleman."[118]
On September 11, 2008,
West and his road manager/bodyguard Don "Don C." 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.[119][120] West was later released from the Los Angeles
Police Department's Pacific Division station in Culver City on $20,000 bail
bond. On September 26, 2008 the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
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.[121] West's
and Crowley's arraignment was delayed from an original date of April 14,
2009.[122]
West was arrested again
on November 14, 2008 at the Hilton hotel near Gateshead after another scuffle
involving a photographer outside the famous Tup Tup Palace nightclub in
Newcastle Upon Tyne. He was later released "with no further action", according
to a police spokesperson.[123]
Controversies
General media
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. When West was presenting alongside actor Mike
Myers, he deviated from the prepared script. Myers spoke next and continued to
read the script. Once it was West's turn to speak again, he said "George 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.[124][125] Bush stated in an interview that the comment was "one of the
most disgusting moments” of his presidency.[126]
In January 2006, West
again sparked controversy when he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in the
image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.[127]
In November, 2010,
Kanye West, in a taped interview with Matt Lauer for the Today Show, West
expressed regret for his criticism of Bush. "I would tell George Bush in my
moment of frustration, I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist," he told
Lauer. "I believe that in a situation of high emotion like that we as human
beings don't always choose the right words." The following day, Bush reacted to
the apology in a live interview with Lauer saying he appreciated the rapper's
remorse. "I'm not a hater," Bush said. "I don't hate Kanye West. I was talking
about an environment in which people were willing to say things that hurt.
Nobody wants to be called a racist if in your heart you believe in equality of
races."
Reactions were mixed,
but some felt that West had no need to apologize. "It was not the particulars of
your words that mattered, it was the essence of a feeling of the insensitivity
towards our communities that many of us have felt for far too long," noted Def
Jam co-founder Russell Simmons.[128] Dr. Boyce Watkins said that West was, "now
part of the establishment, where waffling on your principles is fully expected.
Bush deserved no apology, for you don’t apologize to a criminal after
repudiating him for an egregious crime.[129] " Bush himself was acceptive
towards the apology, saying, "I appreciate that. It wasn't just Kanye West who
was talking like that during Katrina, I cited him as an example, I cited others
as an example as well. You know, I appreciate that."[130]
Award shows
In 2004, West had his
first of a number of incidents involving music award events. At the American
Music Awards of 2004, West stormed out of the auditorium after losing Best New
Artist to country singer Gretchen Wilson. He later commented, "I felt like I was
definitely robbed [...] I was the best new artist this year."[131] After the
2006 Grammy nominations were released, West said he would "really have a
problem" if he did not win the Album of the Year, saying, "I don't care what I
do, I don't care how much I stunt – you can never take away from the amount of
work I put into it. I don't want to hear all of that politically correct
stuff."[132] On November 2, 2006, when his "Touch the Sky" failed to win Best
Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards, West went onto the stage as the award was
being presented to Justice and Simian for "We Are Your Friends" and argued that
he should have won the award instead.[133][134] Hundreds of news outlets
worldwide criticized the outburst. On November 7, 2006, West apologized for this
outburst publicly during his performance as support act for U2 for their Vertigo
concert in Brisbane.[135] He later spoofed the incident in the season premiere
of Saturday Night Live.
On September 9, 2007,
West suggested that his race had to do with his being overlooked for opening the
2007 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in favor of Britney Spears; he claimed,
"Maybe my skin’s not right."[136] West was performing at the event; that night,
he lost all 5 awards that he was nominated for, including Best Male Artist and
Video of the Year. After the show, he was visibly upset that he had lost at the
VMAs two years in a row, stating that he would not come back to MTV ever again.
He also appeared on several radio stations saying that when he made the song
"Stronger" that it was his dream to open the VMAs with it. He has also stated
that Spears has not had a hit in a long period of time and that MTV exploited
her for ratings.[137]
On September 13, 2009,
during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards while Taylor Swift was accepting her
award for Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me", West went on stage and
grabbed the microphone to proclaim that Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put
a Ring on It)", nominated for the same award, was "one of the best videos of all
time". He was subsequently removed from the remainder of the show for his
actions.[138][139][140] When Beyoncé later won the award for Best Video of the
Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", she called Swift up on stage so
that she could finish her acceptance speech.[138] West was criticized by various
celebrities for the outburst,[139][141][142][143][144] and by President Barack
Obama, who called West a "jackass".[145][146][147][148][149] In addition, West's
VMA disruption sparked a large influx of Internet photo memes with blogs, forums
and "tweets" with the "Let you finish" photo-jokes.[150] Subsequently, West
posted two apologies for the outburst on his personal blog; one on the night of
the incident and the other the same day he appeared on The Jay Leno Show, on
September 14, 2009, where he apologized again.[142][151] After Swift appeared on
The View two days after the outburst, partly to discuss the matter, West called
her to apologize personally. Swift said she accepted his apology.[152][153][154]
In September 2010, West wrote a series of apologetic tweets addressed to Swift
including "Beyonce didn't need that. MTV didn't need that and Taylor and her
family friends and fans definitely didn't want or need that" and concluding with
"I'm sorry Taylor." West also revealed he had written a song for Swift and if
she did not accept the song, he would perform it himself.[155] However, on
November 8, 2010, in an interview with a Minnesota radio station, West seemed to
recant a bit of his past apologies by attempting to describe the act at the 2009
awards show as "selfless" and downgrade the perception of disrespect it
created.[156][157]
Discography
Solo Albums
The College Dropout
(2004)
Late Registration
(2005)
Graduation (2007)
808s & Heartbreak
(2008)
My Beautiful Dark
Twisted Fantasy (2010)
Collaborations
G.O.O.D. Morning,
G.O.O.D. Night (2009) - with Malik Yusef
Watch the Throne (2011)
– with Jay-Z
G.O.O.D. Music (2012) –
with GOOD Music artists[86]
Filmography
We Were Once a
Fairytale (2009)
Runaway (2010)
Awards and nominations
Main article: List of
awards and nominations received by Kanye West (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Kanye_West)
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