From humble beginnings in Chicago Ye has in the past 15 years, risen to become one of the most influential people in the world. He has been involved in many controversies and is one of the most talked about celebrities in America. It is no doubt that he is a successful businessman, and has been called the “Steve Jobs of music”.
Early-life
As a child, Kanye West played drums in the youth orchestra at Chicago’s Lincoln Center and was exposed to many different genres of music. He attended art school for three years before dropping out and moving to Chicago.
He began his career as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records and worked with artists such as Jay Z, Ludacris, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and many more.
Kanye West on rise to stardom
The College Dropout (2004) was West’s debut album and had significant commercial success, selling over three million copies worldwide. The College Dropout is often credited with helping popularize alternative hip hop.
The following year, West released his second studio album Late Registration which included the singles Touch The Sky and Gold Digger featuring Jamie Foxx. The critically acclaimed album became a commercial success selling over three million copies worldwide.
Graduation
The next year, Kanye West’s third studio album Graduation was released and became a global hit with the singles Stronger, Good Life featuring T-Pain, Can’t Tell Me Nothing, and the chart-topping single Stronger. Graduation sold over five million copies worldwide and made him a household name in the US.
The following year, West released his fourth studio album 808’s & Heartbreak. The album became a critical and commercial success selling over three million copies worldwide, and it contained the hit singles Love Lockdown, Heartless featuring singer-songwriter John Legend, Amazing featuring singer-songwriter Young Jeezy, and Coldest Winter. West released his fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in November 2010 to rave reviews from critics. It became the first album in history to gain perfect scores from 32 of 38 reviewers on Metacritic. The record also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 496,000 copies in its first week. The album has since sold over 1,700,000 copies in the United States and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
A year later West released his fifth album, and first solo project since 2010: Cruel Summer . The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 350,000 copies in its first week. The album has since sold over 1,300,000 copies in the United States and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Kanye West vs Yeezus
The following year, West released his sixth album, and first solo project since 2014: Yeezus . The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 327,000 copies in its first week. The album has since sold over 1,500,000 copies in the United States and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.
West’s seventh solo album, The Life of Pablo , was released in February 2016 to rave reviews from critics. It became his sixth consecutive number one release on the Billboard 200, with 193,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.
Kanye West produced the majority of tracks on his GOOD Music label’s debut album Cruel Summer (2012) and all of the tracks on Watch The Throne (2011) with Jay-Z. He also contributed to singles “Niggas in Paris” and “No Church in the Wild” off of Watch The Throne , which both received Grammy nominations.
West has been featured on several successful collaborations, including “FourFiveSeconds” with Rihanna and “Bound 2” with Charlie Wilson. West produced the majority of songs on Jay-Z’s highly acclaimed album Magna Carta… Holy Grail (2013), and the single “Otis” which preceded it, won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance.
In recent times
His 2021 release Donda debuted atop the Billboard charts & broke several records.
Pusha T, an American rapper, stated on Instagram on July 19, 2021 that West would host a listening party for the album on July 22 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The next day, during game six of the 2021 NBA Finals, Beats Electronics debuted a commercial with athlete Sha’Carri Richardson, edited and scored by West and featuring the track “No Child Left Behind.” Gesaffelstein, a French producer, eventually admitted to producing the tune, which included Cory Henry on the organ. Def Jam Recordings confirmed the album’s July 23 release date shortly after the commercial aired, as well as the fact that the listening event in Atlanta would be live-streamed globally on Apple Music. On that date, however, the record remained unreleased.
West had taken up temporary residence in one of the stadium’s locker rooms, converting it into a recording studio to finish the recording and mixing with Mike Dean, at the July 22 listening party at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A day before the listening party, videos and photographs on social media showed featured musicians Playboi Carti and 2 Chainz practicing vocals in the locker room. On August 5, 2021, a second listening party was held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with West announcing that the album would be released the following day. This, however, did not happen.
He announced a third listening party on August 26, 2021 at Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago on August 18, 2021.] Donda was finally released on August 29, 2021, after several delays. West stated that the record was released ahead of schedule without his permission. He also claimed that Universal had taken down “Jail, Pt. 2,” a song featuring DaBaby and Marilyn Manson, both of whom have been involved in recent controversies. Soon after its release, the song was added to online music services.
West said on Revolt TV’s “Drink Champs” podcast on November 4, 2021 that a deluxe edition of Donda would be released shortly. On November 14, 2021, the deluxe edition was published to streaming sites, including five new tracks featuring André 3000, Kid Cudi, Young Thug, KayCyy, Conway the Machine, and Westside Gunn. West and rapper Drake stated on November 20, 2021, just days after settling their long-running dispute, that the “Free Larry Hoover” benefit event will take place on December 9, 2021, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
West was announced as one of the 2022 headliners of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on January 5, 2022. West shared the cover for his new single “Eazy” with rapper The Game on Instagram soon afterward. The photograph, which was captured by photographer Nick Knight and prominently features a skinned monkey, drew condemnation from animal rights group PETA. On January 15, the song was released.
Last week, a poster for Donda 2 was posted on the rapper’s Instagram page. The album is slated for a February 22nd release.
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Kanye West has sold over 21 million albums worldwide and has been nominated for 13 Grammys in his career.
Fast forward to 2022, West is a cultural icon. He has become the greatest rapper of all time, and his influence on pop culture can not be overstated.
