Kanye West is the definition of controversy. From his humble beginnings all the way to his grandiose luxury rap. He is the first person to tell you that he deserves his wealth and fame, and he truly does. Kanye West became involved in the hip hop scene in Chicago as a teen, where he crossed paths with No I.D., a producer who quickly picked up Kanye as a student, and thus started Kanye’s career as a producer. Making beats for local artists, he eventually developed a unique style that changed the face of hip hop. By adding samples of soul music, he was picked up quickly as a full time producer, and at the age of nineteen, he earned his first production credit on the debut album of a Chicago rapper, Grav. From there, he struggled to break into the mainstream throughout the late 90s, producing beats just to keep the lights on. At 20, he dropped out of college to focus on his musical work. His big break happened in 2000, where he began to produce for Roc-A-Fella Records, with influential artists such as Jay-Z on board. Kanye is credited with bringing Jay-Z’s career back to the limelight, with his production values on “The Blueprint,” which is often ranked as one of the greatest hip hop records. This success created an incredible amount of interest in West as a producer. Producing as an in-house producer at Roc A Fella, he also produced hit singles for artists such as Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and Janet Jackson. Kanye West struggled with his career on a personal level, as his real
Kanye West began making beats primarily for up and coming local artists in his early
When it comes to running a business, your hustle and work ethic are your bread and butter. Sure, you may have a product that is out of this world, but if your business model is shaky, it could spell trouble for your brand. There is something to be said for Kanye’s consistency in his message and branding. Likeable or not, the rapper believes in his goals, which is crucial to the equation.
Kanye Omari West, an icon of hip-hop, pop culture, fashion and music in general. Kanye Omari West, a person belittled against and a person subjected to a life of racism and hate. Born on June 8th, 1977, Donda West, West’s mother, always knew he was destined for greatness, but did she know her son would turn out to be the Kanye West, a man lacking the respect he deserves for transforming a big part of the music we listen to on this very day? West came onto the scene in the late nineties but didn’t release The College Dropout until 2004, an album that took everybody by surprise. Kanye West changed the gangster filled rap genre by releasing his positive, soulful debut album, changing the way rappers
Kanye West also known as "Yeezy" is American rapper, fashion disaster, and also music producer. People may say that Mr. West is our youth of today voice. He has made a tremendous mark in the music and fashion industry. As we all know Mr. West is known for having his moments. It is safe to say that he has the best and top “omg” Moments, such as interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMA’s. Kanye in the begging when he first came on the hip hop scene was this calm, joyful, his music in my eyes was the most different music out at the time, just because he wasn’t rapping about what everyone else was. Kanye was one of those joyful guys, everybody wanted him on his record or produce it. Then a tragic event occurred where his mom died. After then you see
He is not a politician. He is not pastor. He is not the CEO of a company. But, he brings the discussion to social issues. From how African-Americans were depicted in the media and treated by the government during Hurricane Katrina, to the lack of recognition for art, to the lack of quality luxury items for the middle and lower class, to the killings that have been plaguing his city Kanye is unafraid and unapologetic when it comes to speaking his mind. And in doing so, every “outburst” he has promotes discussion about each topic. Kanye’s actions are laying the groundwork for a discussion that could, eventually, lead to a solution to these social problems, and a big change to the world. Throughout history, it is the most outspoken and freethinking people that make the biggest changes to government, philosophy, and behaviour. These are intelligent and well known people such as Ghandi, Walt Disney, Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and Nelson Mandela. And, I firmly believe that Kanye’s name should be included in that
Violent lyrics, a bad-boy image, and a long criminal record are what attracted and connected millions of young adults to the now legendary rapper Tupac Shakur. Tupac was a man of contradictions; for example, his music degraded and also praised strong women. Tupac Shakur rapped about problems that inner-city black Americans could relate to, along with his legal and personal drama; you could not get away from Tupac in the 1990’s. From the womb to the day Tupac Shakur died he went through the struggles many self-proclaimed “gangsters” these days do as well; but using these problems he took the rap and hip-hop game to another level.
Somehow the artist convinced Dash to sign him: “With reluctance Damon Dash signed West to Roc-A-Fella in 2002…” (“Kayne”). That was his big break. Kanye West was not given everything he has today. To get to the place where he is today, he had to fight like a warrior. He fought until he got signed to Roc-A-Fella, but soon after he got signed, he got into a serious accident that caused his jaw to be wired shut. Thankfully that didn’t stop him. He wrote an amazing song “Through the Wire,” and later got it produced. As stated before, Kanye West went through especially hard obstacles. He got rejected many times from various producers. He even got his jaw to be wired shut, but that didn’t stop him from fighting for his dream. He achieved his dream of becoming a serious rapper, and on top of that, he created a successful fashion line, and became a record producer.
You may know him from his Lisa Simpson haircut or his mouth full of 24-karat gold teeth; he is the 19-year-old rapper that is taking the music industry by storm. In the past, two years his music has gained national recognition and appealed to all types of fan bases. He is a force not to be reckoned with and his name is Kodak Black. He is the self-proclaimed “Project-Baby” from South Florida that is giving rapper a run for their money. Jon Caramanica, from the New York Times, described Black as “an unlikely savior for a hip-hop industry that has lately been preoccupied with melodic-minded Drake clones. Instead, he’s an old-fashioned literalist and represents the perennial power of grit even in a time that’s squeaky clean.” Kodak Black is an
Music can rock your world, enlighten your mind and change your perspective. When you think of rap music who comes first to mind? Without hesitation, it must be the self acclaimed best rapper alive, Lil Wayne. He alone can make such statements as “My picture should be in the dictionary next to the definition of definition” (Wayne, “Shoot Me Down”). Lil Wayne is a prominent force in the rap world. His debut Album in 1999, Tha Block is Hot went double platinum upon its release and even his lowest selling album is still certified as gold according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Rollingstone Magazine declares “Lil Wayne is one of the most popular — and prolific — recording artists in the world” (Kreps). Top this with
“Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you…I’ll let you finish. But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!” (West). Most people if they don’t know anything about Kanye West, they know this quote. When anybody hears his name everybody always has an opinion. Some people love him, while a lot of other people hate him, each for a variety of reasons. Though most people only see the arrogant and egotistic side of Kanye, the more important side that people don’t always see is the hardworking musician. In order to fully understand Kanye’s motives and to fully appreciate him, people have to know how he got to the point he is now today.
Kanye West has proven himself over time that he is much more than just a producer. With each new album he releases, he constantly pushes the boundaries of music influencing artist across all genres. Kanye has an ever evolving sound that changes almost year to year. Kanye West’s Yeezus album is an album that takes a much darker and more minimalist turn in his discography. This approach to music makes Yeezus a much harder album to listen through because it is not filled with nice, polished sounds. Having the album made this way makes us look over what the message of a song and the album are. Among many rough songs one the most popular on the album was Blood on the Leaves. Blood on the Leaves samples from another song called Strange Fruit sung by Nina Simone which is a very political song talking about gruesome lynchings that happened before and at the turn of the century. With help from the sample, West uses the pain of lynching and drug abuse to compare with the break ups he goes through.
First, does one know of the greatest artist of all time, Kanye West? Some hold the opinion that he is a talented artist who deserves more credit. Furthermore, West has done great things in the world and continues to motivate and influence people from all countries. Kanye West is one of the most influential and inspirational men to walk the earth.
Every generation has their musical icons. In Todays time, you hear the name Kanye West the self proclaimed voice of this generation. He worked for many years to reach his current status. Kanye has influenced more than music with the resurrection of the soul sound and emergence of auto-tune after the passing of his mothe; he has had an influence on pop culture as well. Whether he is interprutting the teenage white girl or making hits songs, Kanye West can not be denied his greatness or his impact.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy boasted an amazing maximalist approach that boarded on a hip hop opera symphony with lyrics that were memorable and verses that can rank as the best hip hop verses of all time. It was an album filled with legendary moments that music fans will remember for ages, and moments Kanye fan boys will yell at his concerts. This reaction by hip hop fans for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was immediate. For Yeezus, it was different. Yeezus’ minimalistic approach threw fans and critics off due to the very left field and experimental approach he took for this album, both sonically and thematically. In spite of this, Yeezus still manages to hold up it’s quality, value, and impact in comparison to his preceding albums while becoming one of the most important hip hop albums of all time.
With twenty-one Grammy’s and fifty-seven nominations, Kanye West is often regarded as one of the most influential and important artists of our time (The GRAMMYs 2). But many believe he is a musical fluke, who seeks attention and controversy. West first broke into the music industry by producing beats under the guidance of famous hip hop producer No I.D. (“The Mentor” 1). After his highly praised groundbreaking album, The College Dropout, was released, Kanye quickly found himself in the spotlight. His second album, Late Registration, was met also met with critical acclaim. With his recent successes and connection to the youth of America, West took an opportunity to help the people affected by Hurricane Katrina by appearing on TV alongside Michael Myers for a Red Cross event.