Kanye West

Ye, born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, is one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful hip-hop artists in history, a producer, rapper, fashion designer, and cultural provocateur whose innovations across the full spectrum of hip-hop — from the sped-up soul samples of The College Dropout to the orchestral maximalism of Late Registration, the electro-influenced 808s and Heartbreak to the industrial austerity of Yeezus, and the soul-baring emotional directness of The Life of Pablo — have made him one of the most influential figures in early 21st-century popular music regardless of the profound personal and professional controversies that have surrounded him in recent years. Raised in Chicago by his mother Dr. Donda West, an English professor and department chair at Chicago State University, and his father Ray West, a former Black Panther and photographer, Kanye showed exceptional creative ability from childhood, writing poetry and creating artwork from an early age. He attended Chicago State University and then transferred to the American Academy of Art before dropping out to pursue music production full-time, a decision his mother immortalized in the title of his debut album. He established himself as one of the most sought-after hip-hop producers of the early 2000s, producing tracks for Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001), Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and Talib Kweli, before releasing The College Dropout (2004) as his own debut. Late Registration (2005), Graduation (2007), 808s and Heartbreak (2008), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010, widely considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever made), Watch the Throne (2011), Yeezus (2013), The Life of Pablo (2016), ye (2018), and Donda (2021) represent a discography of extraordinary range, influence, and commercial power.