'''Kanye West''' (born ''Kanye Omari West'' on June 8 1977) is a six-time Grammy Award-winning American producer/rapper.
Biography
West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved to Chicago, Illinois with his family when he was three years old. His father, Ray West, was an award-winning photo-journalist at the time, and now works as a pastoral marriage counselor.
Kanye's mother, Dr. Donda West, worked as the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as Kanye's manager.
After attending Columbia College Chicago, a Chicago art school, West attended Chicago State University, but eventually dropped out in order to begin working on his music career. While attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip-hop/R&B artists, including Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Cam'ron, Janet Jackson, Brandy, Talib Kweli, Dilated Peoples, Ludacris, Carter Hays, and John Legend.
West's style of production utilized pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his own drums and instruments. The first song he produced featuring vocal samples was "This Can't Be Life," a track from Jay-Z's ''The Dynasty: Roc La Familia''. Kanye admitted that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style;
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Kanye is also credited with revitalizing the careers of such rappers as Common and Twista.
2001
Kanye West's sound featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically-acclaimed album ''The Blueprint'', released September 11 2001, most notably on the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)". West soon became a major name in hip-hop production following the release of the album, but due to his appearance and overall style, struggled to find a way to get his own voice on record. Jay-Z admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that he saw him as a producer first and foremost, and multiple record companies put him aside because he was not a former street hustler and did not wear stereotypical hip-hop apparel. He was therefore not marketable the way other rappers were.
2002-2004
On October 23, 2002, Kanye was involved in a car crash after he fell asleep at the wheel while driving home from the recording studio. The crash left his jaw fractured in three places, and he barely survived. The crash also provided inspiration for West's first single, "Through the Wire," which he recorded two weeks after the incident while his mouth was still wired shut. Following his recovery, Kanye became a born again Christian, crediting Jesus for his quick recovery. West's faith is apparent in many of his songs, such as "Jesus Walks," which became a staple at his benefit performances, such as the Live 8 concert. These
