

He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop musicians of all time, as well as one of the most critically acclaimed artists of his generation. Intent on pursuing a solo career as a rapper, he released his debut studio album, The College Dropout (2004), to critical and commercial success and subsequently founded the record label GOOD Music.

Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s, producing singles for several artists and developing the " chipmunk soul" sampling style.

While KRS-One was the first to proclaim, "I am hip-hop," Kanye West might as well be the first MC to boldly state, "I am pop.Ye ( / j eɪ/ YAY born Kanye Omari West June 8, 1977), commonly known by his birth name Kanye West ( / ˈ k ɑː n j eɪ/ KAHN-yay), is an American rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. Brion's string arrangements and brass flecks add a new dimension to West's beats without overshadowing them, and the results are neither too adventurous nor too conservative. (Ironically, the Just Blaze-helmed "Touch the Sky" tops everything laid down by the pair, despite its heavy reliance on Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up.") West and Brion are a good, if unlikely, match. Crude beats and drastically tempo-shifted samples are replaced with a more traditionally musical touch from Jon Brion ( Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann), who co-produces with West on most of the tracks. The production approach, however, is rather different from the debut. West's beats, me and my girl split the buffet at KFC"). Even so, he can be tremendous as a pure writer, whether digging up uncovered topics (as on "Diamonds") or spinning a clever line ("Before anybody wanted K. Take lead single "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," in which he switches from boastful to rueful more importantly, the conflict felt in owning blood diamonds will be lost on those who couldn't afford one with years of combined income. He uses the same lyrical strategies as well. As an MC, Kanye remains limited, with all-too-familiar flows that weren't exceptional to begin with (you could place a number of these rhymes over College Dropout beats). His follow-up to The College Dropout isn't likely to change the minds of the resistant. It's a paradox, which is exactly what he thrives on. On Late Registration, he finds himself backed into a corner, albeit as king of the mountain. And now that he has proved himself in another way, through his stratospheric success - which also won him a gaggle of haters as passionate as his followers - he doesn't want to be seen as a novelty whose ambitions have been fulfilled. Raised middle class, Kanye didn't have to hustle his way out of poverty, the number one key to credibility for many hip-hop fans, whether it comes to rapper turned rapping label presidents or suburban teens. One thing that remains unchanged is Kanye's hunger, even though his head has swollen to the point where it could be separated from his body, shot into space, and considered a planet. And then, in a flash, Kanye was everywhere, transformed from respected producer to big-name producer/MC, throwing a fit at the American Music Awards, performing "Jesus Walks" at the Grammys, wearing his diamond-studded Jesus piece, appearing on the cover of Time, running his mouth 24/7.
