Ye (born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia), profession… Read Full Bio ↴Ye (born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia), professionally known as Kanye West, is a Grammy award-winning American rapper, producer, singer, author, director, performance artist and fashion designer.

West began making beats and rapping in the early 90s in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, when he formed the rap group Go Getters with Chicago natives GLC and Really Doe. He later gained nationwide popularity through his work in New York, where he began producing tracks for artists such as Jay-Z, Twista, Mase, Talib Kweli and Alicia Keys.

West's style of production often utilizes pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his drums and instruments. The first major label song he produced was The Truth by Beanie Sigel, and his first major release featuring his trademark vocal sampling style was This Can’t Be Life, a track from Jay-Z’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West said he sped up the drum beat of Dr. Dre’s Xxplosive to use as a replacement for his drums on This Can’t Be Life.

West has said that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style, and has said on numerous occasions that Wu-Tang rappers Ghostface Killah and Ol’ Dirty Bastard were some of his all-time favorites. Said Kanye West: “Wu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this all the time… We think Wu-Tang had one of the biggest impacts as far as a movement. From slang to style of dress, skits, the samples. Similar to the [production] style I use, RZA has been doing that.”

In 2004 (after being pushed aside by many record companies who felt he wasn't a marketable hip-hop artist), he managed to release his debut solo album, The College Dropout on Roc-A-Fella Records. The album received critical acclaim, including 10 Grammy nominations and the awards for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album, as well as defining the style for which West would become known: "wordplay" and heavy sampling of the 70s soul and RnB tracks.

Not content to rest on his laurels, West invested two million dollars and hired a string orchestra to help with his latest effort, Late Registration (2005). West collaborated with Jon Brion to help develop the sound of the album, despite his lack of experience in hip hop production. The album received widespread acclaim like its predecessor and again claimed the Best Rap Album award at the Grammys.

West was no stranger to controversy, such as storming out at the 2004 American Music Awards after not receiving Best New Artist, but just days after the release of his second studio album, West began embroiled in a major controversy after going off-script during Hurricane Katrina broadcast, proclaiming "George Bush doesn't care about black people", which Bush claimed was "one the most disgusting moments of my presidency". In January 2006, West posed on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing a crown of thorns, once again attracting controversy.

For his third release, West was keen to produce songs that could be used more effectively when performing in arenas. For Graduation, the third and ultimately final entry into his 'Dropout Bear' series, West drew musical inspiration from The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. In the lead up to the album he became involved in a friendly rivalry with 50 Cent over which of the two artists' upcoming albums would sell more, as they were both released on the same day. West ultimately sold 957,000 copies in the first week of release, outselling Curtis by a large margin. The albums lead single "Stronger" sampled Daft Punk, and was West's third number one on Billboard 200. Many proclaim West's 'victory' over 50 Cent to be the 'death' of gangster rap as the dominant hip hop subgenre.

Following the death of his mother, Donda West, and the end of his engagement to long term partner Alexis Phifer, West abandoned his initial plan to release a fourth album entitled Good Ass Job, and shocked his fans by releasing 808s and Heartbreak, which was full of autotune singing, extensive use of the TR-808 drum machine, themes of love, loss and loneliness and very little rapping. It received slightly more mixed reviews than his previous efforts, but many critics cite 808s and Heartbreak as the catalyst for a new wave of rappers, most prominently Drake, due to its themes which were uncommon in mainstream hip-hop.

West's grief seemed to lead to a spiral out of control which culminated in him storming on stage at the 2009 VMAs to interrupt Taylor Swift's award acceptance speech to proclaim that Beyoncé deserved the award instead, in a move that is infamous in pop culture and was vilified by the entire world in the aftermath. West disappeared from the public eye following this, and his upcoming tour with Lady Gaga was cancelled. The disgraced West, who was described as a 'jackass' by President Obama, seemed to have much work to do to return to the his former glory, but he was about to embark on what some critics consider to be the best run of his career.

West holed up in Hawaii for a few months and worked tirelessly to produce what many consider to be his magnum opus. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West's fifth studio album, was released in November 2010 to rave reviews from critics, which solidified his comeback. In stark contrast to his previous effort, which featured a minimalist sound, Dark Fantasy adopts a maximalist philosophy and deals with themes of celebrity and excess. The record included the international hit All of the Lights, and Billboard hits Power, Monster, and Runaway, the latter of which accompanied a 35-minute film of the same name. During this time, West initiated the free music program G.O.O.D. Fridays through his website, offering a free download of previously unreleased songs each Friday of the week, a portion of which were included on the album. Dark Fantasy went on to go platinum in the United States, but its omission as a contender for Album of the Year at the 54th Grammy Awards was viewed as a "snub" by several media outlets.

Following a headlining set at Coachella 2011 that was described by The Hollywood Reporter as "one of greatest hip-hop sets of all time," West released the collaborative album Watch the Throne with Jay-Z. By employing a sales strategy that released the album digitally weeks before its physical counterpart, Watch the Throne became one of the few major label albums in the Internet age to avoid a leak. Niggas in Paris became the record's highest charting single, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2012, West released the compilation album Cruel Summer, a collection of tracks by artists from West's record label GOOD Music. Cruel Summer produced four singles, two of which charted within the top twenty of the Hot 100: Mercy and Clique. West also directed a film of the same name that premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in custom pyramid-shaped screening pavilion featuring seven screens.

Sessions for West's sixth solo effort begin to take shape in early 2013 in his own personal loft's living room at a Paris hotel. Determined to "undermine the commercial," he once again brought together close collaborators and attempted to incorporate Chicago drill, dancehall, acid house, and industrial music. Primarily inspired by architecture, West's perfectionist tendencies led him to contact producer Rick Rubin fifteen days shy of its due date to strip down the record's sound in favor of a more minimalist approach. Initial promotion of his sixth album included worldwide video projections of the album's music and live television performances.

Yeezus, West's sixth album, was released June 18, 2013 to rave reviews from critics. It became the rapper's sixth consecutive number one debut. Def Jam issued "Black Skinhead" to radio in July 2013 as the album's lead single. On September 6, 2013, Kanye West announced he would be headlining his first solo tour in five years, to support Yeezus, with fellow American rapper Kendrick Lamar, accompanying him along the way.

In November 2013, West stated that he was working on and recording his next studio album. The album was to be produced by Rick Rubin and Q-Tip.. Kanye released a single entitled "Only One", on December 31, 2014 featuring Paul McCartney, as well as collaborating with McCartney on the Rihanna track " FourFiveSeconds", released in January 2015. West appeared on the SNL 40th Anniversary Special on February 15th 2015 to debut a new song Wolves, featuring Sia Furler and Vic Mensa. Another single, entitled "All Day" was released on March 2, 2015, again featuring McCartney as well as Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom. In June of the same year, Kanye headlined the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, which garnered much outrage including a petition with 135,000 signatures against his appearance, leading to West declaring he was "the greatest living rock star on the planet" towards the end of his set, and the performance receiving a mixed reaction among fans and critics, due to its controversy. In September 2015, West performed {album artist kanye west]808s and Heartbreak in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl over two nights, which received rave reviews a featured a 60 person orchestra, guests such as Kid Cudi and Mr Hudson, and over 70 dancers. West released "Facts" at the turn of the new year.

West had originally stated that his upcoming album would be called 'So Help Me God' before changing the title to 'SWISH' and announcing that it would be released on February 11th. In January 2016 he released "Real Friends" and "No More Parties in LA", featuring Kendrick Lamar. As well as renaming the album once again to "Waves", West became involved in several twitter controversies in the lead up to the album, including with rapper Wiz Khalifa after he suggested that West had stolen the idea of the wave from other artists and seemingly dissed Kim Kardashian, which later turned out to be a misunderstanding over the use of "KK". West again changed the name of the album just days before it's release, this time to "{album artist=kanye west]The Life of Pablo", and debuted it at Madison Square Garden on February 11, but delayed it's release for a few days. On February 14, West released the album are a performance on SNL. West initially claimed the album was to be a Tidal exclusive, but it was later released on other streaming platforms, although it is yet to receive a physical release. West continued to tinker with the mixing and production of the album even after it was released, and it was updated several times, including the final song "Saint Pablo" in June 2016. West had also made public his plans to release an album in the summer of 2016, entitled "Turbo Grafx 16", based on the 1990s games console, which never surfaced, although he did release a single thought to be from the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album "Cruel Winter", called Champions. In the same month, a video for "Famous" was released, including nude wax figures of celebrities such as West, Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Bill Cosby and George W. Bush.

In August 2016, West embarked on the ambitious Saint Pablo Tour, which included a mobile stage suspended from the ceiling. After the violent robbery of Kim's jewellery in Paris in October, West had to end a show early and postpone shows following it. In the following performances, West cancelled shows early and went on long winded rants against fellow artists such as Jay Z and Beyoncé among others, as well as making controversial political statements including implying his support for Donald Trump. On November 21st 2016, West cancelled the rest of the tour and was hospitalised due to sleep deprivation and extreme dehydration. Following this, West disappeared from social media, and only resurfaced 11 months later with a series of tweets which included many philosophical thoughts and the announcements two albums in June 2018, a solo album which would include 7 tracks on June 1, and a collaboration with Kid Cudi to be released on June 8.

On August 29th, 2021, Kanye released his 10th highly anticipated studio release Donda via GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings after a series of three listening parties.

Personal life:
West was born in Atlanta, Georgia. When he was three years old (as mentioned in Hey Mama) his parents divorced, and he moved with his mother to Chicago, Illinois. His father, Ray West, was a former Black Panther; one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and is now a Christian counselor. Kanye’s late mother, Dr. Donda West, worked as a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as Kanye’s manager. He was later raised in an upper middle class background, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago.

After attending The American Academy of Art, a Chicago art school, West attended Chicago State University but eventually dropped out due to poor grades and to continue working on his music career. While attending school, West produced for local artists, including on rapper Grav’s debut album Down to Earth. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Cam’ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and John Legend among others. He also “ghost-produced” for his once mentor Deric Angelettie according to his song Last Call and the credits of Nas’ Poppa Was a Playa.

West was married to Kim Kardashian. Together they had four children: daughters named North (*2013) and Chicago (*2018); and sons named Saint (*2015) and Psalm (*2019). In 2021, Kardashian filed for divorce.

In 2020, West launched an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that primarily advocated for a consistent life ethic. In 2022, he faced backlash and lost a number of sponsors and partnerships—including his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga—after making antisemitic statements.

Clinton Sparks Intro
Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I gotta testify
Come up in the spot lookin' extra fly
Fore the day I die, I'mma touch the sky
Gotta testify
I'm up in the spot lookin' extra fly
'Fore the day I die, I'mma touch the sky

Back when they thought pink Polos would hurt the Roc

Before Cam got the shit to pop
The doors was closed, I felt like Bad Boy's street team
I couldn't work the locks
Now let's go, take 'em back to the plan
Me and my momma hopped in that U-Haul van
Any pessimists I ain't talk to them
Plus I ain't have no phone in my apart-a-ment
Let's take 'em back to the club
Least about an hour I stand on line
I just wanted to dance, I went to Jacob an hour
After I got my advance, I just wanted to shine
Jay favorite line: "Dawg, in due time!"
Now he look at me, like, "Damn, dawg! You where I am!"
A hip-hop legend, I think I died
In that accident, cause this must be heaven

I gotta testify
Come up in the spot lookin' extra fly
Fore the day I die, I'mma touch the sky
Gotta testify
I'm up in the spot lookin' extra fly
'Fore the day I die, I'mma touch the sky

Now let's take them hi-ah-igh-igh-igh-ighhhh(Top of the world baby)
(Top top of the world)
A-la-la-la-lah-la-lahhhhh(Top of the world baby)
(On top of the world)

Back when Gucci was the shit to rock
Back when Slick Rick had the shit to pop
I'd do anything to say I got it
Damn, them new loafers hurt my pocket
Before anybody wanted K. West beats
Me and my girl split the buffet at KFC
Dog, I was having nervous breakdowns
Like "Man - these niggas that much better than me?"
Baby, I'm going on an airplane
And I don't know if I'll be back again
Sure enough, I sent the plane tickets
But when she came to kick it, things became different
Any girl I cheated on, sheets I skeeted on
Couldn't keep it at home, thought I needed a Nia Long
I'm trying to right my wrongs
But it's funny them same wrongs helped me write this song

Guess who's on third?
Lupe steal like Lupin the 3rd
Here like ear 'til I'm beer on the curb
Peachfuzz buzz but beard on the verge
Let's slow it down like we're on the syrup
Bottle shaped body like Mrs. Butterworth
But, before you say another word
I'm back on the block like I'm laying on the street
I'm trying to stop "lion" like I'm Mumm-Ra
But I'm not lyin' when I'm laying on the beat
En garde, or touché, Lupe cool as the unthawed
But I still feel possessed as a gun charge
Come as correct as a porn star
In a fresh pair steps in my best foreign car
So, I represent the first
Now let me end my verse right where the horns are

We back at home, baby!

Sky high, I'm, I'm sky high!
Feels good to be home, baby!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kanye West's song Clinton Sparks Intro are a reflection of his life and journey to success. He starts by saying that he has to testify and prove his worth. He then talks about his humble beginnings where he couldn't even work the locks and had no phone in his apartment. He talks about how he used to stand in line for hours at the club just to dance and how he had to struggle to shine, but when he finally did, it was like he had died and gone to heaven.

Kanye then reflects on his past mistakes of cheating and how they helped him write this song. He also speaks about how he aspires to fight against his past mistakes and make things right. In the last verse, he introduces Lupe Fiasco who talks about how he is back on the block and ready to take on the world. They both end the song by saying that they are sky high and it feels good to be home.

The song is a testament to Kanye's journey through life and how he never gave up on his dream. It's a call to action for anyone who is struggling to achieve their goals to keep pushing and never give up.

Line by Line Meaning

I gotta testify
I need to bear witness

Come up in the spot lookin' extra fly
I arrive looking especially stylish

Fore the day I die, I'mma touch the sky
Before I die, I'll achieve greatness

Back when they thought pink Polos would hurt the Roc
In the past, people didn't respect my fashion choices

Before Cam got the shit to pop
Before the artist Cam'ron became popular

The doors was closed, I felt like Bad Boy's street team
I felt like an outsider, unable to access success

I couldn't work the locks
I was unable to break through the barriers to success

Now let's go, take 'em back to the plan
Let's revisit my plan for success

Me and my momma hopped in that U-Haul van
My mother and I drove away to pursue our dreams

Any pessimists I ain't talk to them
I avoided negative people who doubted me

Plus I ain't have no phone in my apart-a-ment
I didn't have a phone in my humble apartment

Let's take 'em back to the club
Let's revisit my early days in the nightclub scene

Least about an hour I stand on line
I waited for an hour in line

I just wanted to dance, I went to Jacob an hour
I wanted to dance and shopped at a jewelry store

After I got my advance, I just wanted to shine
After receiving my payment, I wanted to show off my success

Jay favorite line: "Dawg, in due time!"
Jay-Z's favorite saying was "It'll happen when it's supposed to."

Now he look at me, like, "Damn, dawg! You where I am!"
Now Jay-Z admires my success

A hip-hop legend, I think I died
I achieved legendary status

In that accident, cause this must be heaven
I feel like I'm in heaven because of my success

Now let's take them hi-ah-igh-igh-igh-ighhhh(Top of the world baby)
Now let's take them higher, to the top of the world

(Top top of the world)
The very top of the world

A-la-la-la-lah-la-lahhhhh(Top of the world baby)
We're still at the top of the world

(On top of the world)
We're still at the very top

Back when Gucci was the shit to rock
In the past, Gucci was the most stylish brand

Back when Slick Rick had the shit to pop
In the past, Slick Rick was a popular artist

I'd do anything to say I got it
I wanted to have any popular item, no matter what it cost

Damn, them new loafers hurt my pocket
Those new shoes were expensive

Before anybody wanted K. West beats
Before I was popular as a beat producer

Me and my girl split the buffet at KFC
My girlfriend and I shared food from KFC

Dog, I was having nervous breakdowns
I was experiencing extreme anxiety

Like "Man - these niggas that much better than me?"
I felt inferior to other artists

Baby, I'm going on an airplane
I'm traveling on a plane

And I don't know if I'll be back again
I'm uncertain if I will return

Sure enough, I sent the plane tickets
I booked the plane tickets as promised

But when she came to kick it, things became different
But when she arrived, things changed

Any girl I cheated on, sheets I skeeted on
I was unfaithful to my partners

Couldn't keep it at home, thought I needed a Nia Long
I was unable to stay faithful and wanted a new partner

I'm trying to right my wrongs
I'm attempting to correct my transgressions

But it's funny them same wrongs helped me write this song
Ironically, my negative experiences inspired this song

Guess who's on third?
Guess who is in a prominent position?

Lupe steal like Lupin the 3rd
Lupe Fiasco is like an infamous thief

Here like ear 'til I'm beer on the curb
I'm here, present, until I'm drunk and passed out on the sidewalk

Peachfuzz buzz but beard on the verge
I have a light mustache and beard that is going to grow out more

Let's slow it down like we're on the syrup
Let's take it easy, like we're on a drug that slows us down

Bottle shaped body like Mrs. Butterworth
My body looks like a bottle, shaped like Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottle

But, before you say another word
Wait, let me say something first

I'm back on the block like I'm laying on the street
I'm back in the neighborhood like I'm chilling on the street

I'm trying to stop "lion" like I'm Mumm-Ra
I'm trying to bring peace like the TV character Mumm-Ra

But I'm not lyin' when I'm laying on the beat
I'm honest when I rap on this beat

En garde, or touché, Lupe cool as the unthawed
Lupe is unbothered and not easily provoked

But I still feel possessed as a gun charge
But I still feel like I'm charged with a serious crime

Come as correct as a porn star
Come perfectly, like a porn star performs

In a fresh pair steps in my best foreign car
Stepping out of my fresh shoes and into my luxurious foreign car

So, I represent the first
I'm the first of my kind

Now let me end my verse right where the horns are
Now I'll finish my rap where the horns start

We back at home, baby!
We're back in our element, baby!

Sky high, I'm, I'm sky high!
I'm extremely successful!

Feels good to be home, baby!
It's great to be back in my element, baby!

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: WASALU MUHAMMAD JACO, CURTIS L MAYFIELD, JUSTIN GREGORY SMITH, KANYE WEST, KANYE OMARI WEST

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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