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21-time Grammy award-winner Kanye West is one of the most controversial and talented celebrities of our time.
His hard work and dedication to his craft cannot go unnoticed. To get to these incredible heights, Kanye has had to fight. He's worked for every opportunity he's received.
The rapper was not always the successful artist and business mogul that he is today. He comes from a humble background in Chicago, Illinois.
Early Life & Music Journey:
He was raised by his mother Donda West. Kanye's mother the namesake of his most recent album, as well as the inspiration behind songs like "Hey Mama" and "Coldest Winter" - was a huge inspiration for his work before and after her death in 2007.
At the age of 5, Kanye was already composing poems in the backseat of his mother's car and by age 13, he'd written his first rap, "Green Eggs and Ham," which he recorded in a basement studio with a microphone hanging from the ceiling by a wire.
It would be years of music, and a lot of trial and error - including dropping out of college - before his ascension to stardom.
After dropping out of Chicago State University, the rapper persistently pursued music. Focusing all of his energy on his craft.
According to Jake Brown's biography of the rapper, Kanye "would be up until 4 in the morning ... focusing on my dream and praying for the day where I could just do that all the time."
Ye's significant break(s)
Ye's first big break came when he sold a beat to a Chicago rapper named Gravity for $8,000.
His second followed after he sold a beat to Jermaine Dupri for the track "Life in 1462," after relocating to New Jersey to shop his demos around New York.
He then produced for Mase, Foxy Brown, Dead Prez, Goodie Mob, Lil' Kim, and eventually Jay Z, for whom Kanye produced several classic cuts on his sixth studio album, The Blueprint, including the album's first single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)."
This incredible run prompted his signing to the Roc-A-Fella Records; which is currently owned by Jay Z. Once this happened, Kanye was dead set on working on his debut album as a rapper, not as a producer.
However, this did not sit well with Jay Z; who felt as though Kanye's MO was too soft for the rap industry at the time.
Through the Wire:
Kanye didn't get a shot at actually prioritizing his album until after almost dying in a car crash on Oct. 23, 2003. While he was in the hospital, he had a vision.
"I remember when I first talked to him after the accident, and his mouth was all messed up..."
"He was like, 'I figured it out.' I was like, 'What did you figure out?' He said, 'I'm going to rap about this accident. I'm going to use a song and change the direction. I'm going conscious with my music.'" No I.D. told Billboard.
Kanye later recorded "Through the Wire," rapping with his jaw literally wired shut. His lyrics were hilarious and spoke of an entirely new direction for rap.
The track proved his merit as a rapper. It showed the industry just how badly he wanted this. Thus, The College Dropout was born; an album that shaped shifted an re-imagined Hip Hop for the better.
The College Dropout:
The College Dropout was more than a hit. For most, the album was relatable to them.
It spoke to the concerns of everyday people at a time when Hip Hop icons seemed out of touch with reality, pretending to be immortal and untouchable.
Kanye filled a huge gap in the rap industry at the time, the need for authenticity; which garnered him a super hardcore fan base.
Whereas now rap music is a lot more authentic than before, a little too authentic at times, that would not have been the case without Kanye Omari West. He fathered the new rap wave.
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