Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Ray West, a former Black Panther who was one of the first black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Dr. Donda West, a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University.
Kanye means "the only one" in Swahili.
When Kanye was three years old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she was the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University. Donda was a constant presence at his side and later retired to serve as her son's manager. In 2005 West recorded "
Hey Mama" as a tribute to his mother, who used this song as her ringtone on her cellphone.
When Kanye was ten years old, he spent a year in Nanjing, China, where his mother held a position of visiting professor. He recalled to Paper: "When I was 10 years old I lived in China, and at the time they used to come up to me and rub my face to see if the color would rub off. It was really f---ked up, but I feel like it was preparing me for a world perspective that a lot of my friends who never got a chance to travel didn't get."
West's first career productions came when he helmed eight tracks on Chicago rapper Grav's 1996 first and only album
Down To Move. The album did not attract much attention but within a couple of years he was producing for higher profile artists such as Foxy Brown and Jermaine Dupri. In 2000 West began to produce for artists on Roc-a-Fella Records including the Jay-Z song "
This Can't Be Life."
On his way home from a marathon recording session, West was in a terrible car accident in October 2002 in which he almost died. His jaw was broken in three places and in emergency surgery they had to put a metal plate in his chin. Two weeks after his accident, he recorded his debut single, "
Through The Wire," telling the tale of his time spent in hospital with his jaw wired shut.Dr. West tragically died at the age of 58 on November 10, 2007 from complications arising from cosmetic surgery. Kanye recorded the 2008 track "
Coldest Winter" as a graveside eulogy for his late mom.
Dr. West tragically died at the age of 58 on November 10, 2007 from complications arising from cosmetic surgery. Kanye recorded the 2008 track "
Coldest Winter" as a graveside eulogy for his late mom.
Much of his 808s & Heartbreak album was inspired by the ending of his 18-month engagement to the designer Alexis Phifer. They had dated on and off since 2002, and got engaged in August 2006.
West runs his own record label GOOD Music, home to artists such as Common, Kid Cudi and John Legend.
West has diamonds drilled into his teeth. He explained to Vanity Fare: "I just like diamond teeth and I didn't feel like having to take them out all the time."
West has a teddy bear for his motif, which appeared on the covers of his first three albums as well as various single covers and music videos.
West has a reputation for sometimes engaging his mouth before his brain, most famously at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when 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)" should have won and he was subsequently removed from the remainder of the show for his actions. At the following year's MTV Video Music Awards, he debuted the song "
Runaway," which he said was about having remorse for being a fool. He later told
New York Magazine: "It's maybe parallel to my career. I threw a Molotov cocktail on my career last year, in a way, and I had to come back as a better person."
One of the hostage's ringtones in the 2006 hit thriller
The Inside Man is Kanye West's "
Gold Digger."
Kanye West was voted as the MTV Man of the Year by MTV for 2010.
Ever wondered why Kanye West doesn't smile when posing for photographs? Speaking at Daily Front Row's Fashion Los Angeles Awards he explained why. "Back when I was working on Yeezus, I saw this book from the 1800s and it was velvet-covered with brass and everything," said the rapper. "I looked at all these people's photos and they look so real and their outfits were incredible and they weren't smiling and people, you know the paparazzi, always come up to me, 'Why you not smiling?' and I think, not smiling makes me smile."
He added: "When you see paintings in an old castle, people are not smiling 'cos it just wouldn't look as cool."
So what does West think of his wife's reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians? He said in his usual understated way during an In Camera live interview: "I feel proud to be in a family that has, you know, so many people breaking ground for the generations to come. I just feel it's like, 'Whoa, reality show, that's so f--king new of an art form.' My wife and my family should've had plenty of Emmys by now... everybody I know watches it."
Did David Bowie predict the rise of Kanye West? On the cover of his acclaimed album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Bowie is standing under a sign that reads, "K. West." This was a London furrier.
Asked by Harper's Bazaar what his hidden talent is, West replied: "I can analyze people's intentions. Immediately. That's just a warning. To everyone."
Kanye West was raised a Christian. He said during a 2009 interview that his religion was forced upon him - so much so that he eventually started to separate himself from the idea of belonging to one specific faith. However, following a turn of events, he began attending the Placerita Bible Church in California in May 2019. Yeezy now describes himself as a "born-again Christian."
After several years of dropping hints he'd like to be called Ye, the rapper filed a petition to have his legal name from Kanye Omari West to the mononym. On October 18, 2021, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams signed off on his request.
West has long been a blowtorch in the media, but he crossed a line in 2022 when he made antisemitic on a podcast and doubled down with hateful posts on social media. Companies associated with him dropped him, notably Adidas, which sold his popular Yeezy line of clothing and sneakers.
In March 2023, West retracted his anti-Semitic views and said he likes Jewish people again after watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street.
"No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people," he stated.
Kanye West announced his presidential candidacy on July 4, 2020. This was very late in the election cycle, so he could get on the ballot in only 12 states. West's campaign was controversial from the start. He made several bizarre statements and proposals, and his mental health was a major concern. He also faced criticism for his support of Donald Trump.
Despite the challenges, West received over 60,000 votes after the rapper reportedly pumped $9 million of his own money into the bid. In the states in which he had ballot access, West ranked fourth in vote count and received the seventh-highest national vote count for a presidential candidate.
