Kanye West is a world famous American, rapper, singer, and producer. He rose to fame in the early 2000s producing hti singles for such famous artists as Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Talib Kweli, Paul Wall, Commone, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, John Legend, Cam’ron, and Mobb Deep. West’s trademark became pitching-up vocal samples in the background of songs. This became known as chipmunking, as the sped-up vocals sounded like they were being sung by The Chipmunks.
After working with Jay-Z on his 2001 album The Blueprint, West became a major player in the world of hip-hop. In 2004, he released his debut album The College Dropout, about his educational career and a near-fatal car crash he was involved in 2002. The album produced such hits as “Through the Wire” and “Jesus Walks”, and would go on to be triple platinum.
Other notable Kanye West hits include “All Falls Down”, “The New Workout Plan”, “Slow Jamz”, “Gold Digger”, “Diamond from Sierra Leone”, “Touch the Sky”, “Drive Slow”, “Heard ‘Em Say”, “Stronger”, ‘Flashing Lights”, “Homecoming”, “Love Lockdown”, and “Heartless”.
West made headlines in 2008, when in a drastic change in style he opted to sing on his latest album 808’s & Heartbreak. His use of an auto-tuner on most of the album tracks was a bold move that paid off, and the album went on to sell well. The use of the auto-tuner which he popularized would go on to become a popular trend in hip-hop music, including artists such as Lil Wayne.
He has made headlines with his politics too. In 2005 after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, West went on television and, in an unscripted moment, said of the President, “George Bush doesn't care about black people." The event caused a lot of controversy and the disaster went on to be one of the biggest blemishes in Bush’s legacy.
In his personal life, Kanye West has been connected to many women, including Iman, Jennifer Metcalfe, Alexis Eggleston, Brooke Crittenton, and Amelle Berrabah.
