Kanye West

Ye Ye).}}}} ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After dropping out of college to pursue a career in music, West began producing for regional artists in the Chicago area. As an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, he co-produced albums including Jay-Z's ''The Blueprint'' (2001) before signing with the label as a recording artist. West's debut studio album, ''The College Dropout'' (2004), was met with critical acclaim and yielded the ''Billboard'' Hot 100-number one single "Slow Jamz". He peaked the chart on four other occasions with the singles "Gold Digger" (2005), "Stronger" (2007), "E.T." (2011, as a featured artist), and "Carnival" (2024).

''The College Dropout'', along with five of West's subsequent albums—''Late Registration'' (2005), ''Graduation'' (2007), ''808s & Heartbreak'' (2008), ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' (2010), and ''Yeezus'' (2013)—were included on ''Rolling Stone''s 2020 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, with the same publication naming him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. Despite faltering critical responses, his next four albums—''The Life of Pablo'' (2016), ''Ye'' (2018), ''Jesus Is King'' (2019), and ''Donda'' (2021)—continued his series of consecutive number one debuts on the ''Billboard'' 200. Meanwhile, West also released the collaborative albums ''Watch the Throne'' (2011) with Jay-Z, ''Kids See Ghosts'' (2018) with Kid Cudi, and the ''Vultures'' (2024) duology with Ty Dolla Sign. His first visual album, ''Bully'', and eleventh studio album, ''Donda 2'' (both 2025), followed thereafter. In fashion design, he has collaborated with Nike, Inc., Louis Vuitton, and Gap Inc. on clothing and footwear, and led the Yeezy collaboration with Adidas.

One of the world's best-selling music artists with 160 million records sold, West has won 24 Grammy Awards, making him the 12th-most awarded of all time. His other accolades include a ''Billboard'' Artist Achievement Award, a joint-record three Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist, and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. West holds the joint record (with Bob Dylan) for most albums (4) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll. ''Time'' named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015.

West's outspoken views have received significant media coverage. He has been a frequent source of controversy due to his conduct on social media, at award shows and in public settings, as well as his comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, race, and slavery. His Christian faith, high-profile marriage to Kim Kardashian, and mental health have also been topics of media attention. In 2020, West ran an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign. Starting in 2022, West has drawn widespread condemnationand lost sponsors and partnershipsfor his antisemitic views. He has self-identified as a Nazi, praised Adolf Hitler, used swastika imagery, and denied the Holocaust. Provided by Wikipedia