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.

Dark Fantasy
Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You might think you've peeped the scene
You haven't
The real one's far too mean
The watered down, the one you know
Was made up centuries ago
They made it sound all wack and corny
Yes its awful blasted boring
Twisted fictions, sick addiction

Well gather 'round children
Zip it listen!

Can we get much higher?
So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher?
So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher?
So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher?
So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I fantasized 'bout this back in Chicago
Mercy, mercy me, that Murcielago
That's me, the first year that I blow
How you say broke in Spanish? Me no hablo
Me drown sorrow in that Diablo
Me found bravery in my bravado
DJ's need to listen to the model's
You ain't got no fuckin' Yeezy in your Serato?
(You ain't got no Yeezy, nigga?)
Stupid, but what the hell do I know?
I'm just a Chi-town nigga with a Nas flow
And my bitch in that new Phoebe Philo
So much head, I woke up to Sleepy Hollow

Can we get much higher?
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Look like a fat booty Celine Dion
Sex is on fire, I'm the King of Leon-a Lewis
Beyond the truest
Hey, teacher, teacher
Tell me how do you respond the students?
And refresh the page and restart the memory?
Re-spark the soul and rebuild the energy?
We stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemies
Sorry for the night demons that still visit me
The plan was to drink until the pain over
But what's worse, the pain or the hangover?
Fresh air, rolling down the window
Too many Urkels on your team, that's why your wins low
Don't make me pull the toys out, huh
Don't make me pull the toys
And fire up the engines huh
And then they make noise

Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

At the mall there was a seance
Just kids, no parents
Then the sky filled with herons
(I saw the devil) In a Chrysler LeBaron
And the hell, it wouldn't spare us
(And the fires did declare us)
(But after that, took pills, kissed an heiress)
(And moved her back in Paris)

Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh

Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Overall Meaning

In the opening lines of Kanye West's "Dark Fantasy," he critiques the state of popular culture by suggesting that the true nature of reality is far more cruel and violent than the sanitized version that has been created for public consumption. He asserts that the "real one" is "far too mean" than the "watered down" version that's been presented to us by the media. Kanye encourages the listener to pay attention, "zip it listen!" to the twisted fictions and sick addiction that they've been fed. He then poses the question: can we get much higher? This question serves as an invitation to his listeners to join him in his exploration of what lies beyond the surface level of existence.

As the song continues, Kanye West gives us an autobiographical account of his own rise to fame, detailing his early struggles and his recent successes. His braggadocious lyrics boast of his affinity for luxury items like the Murcielago car and his ability to afford them now that he's made it big. He boasts about his unique style, influenced by Nas and his girlfriend, who wears high-end fashion by designer Phoebe Philo. Kanye West continues with his critique of popular culture as he questions the status quo, challenging his peers by asking them if they have "Yeezy" in their music collection.

Despite Kanye West's past struggles and current success, he acknowledges that inner demons still plague him. In a surrealist turn, the song describes a seance at a mall where children call upon the devil who arrives in a Chrysler LeBaron. Kanye suggests that the devil is all around us and that it's up to us to elevate ourselves to a higher plane of existence to avoid being consumed by the darkness around us.

Line by Line Meaning

You might think you've peeped the scene
You may believe you understand the world as it is

You haven't
You truly have not understood the reality of the world

The real one's far too mean
The actual world is much darker and crueler than you can imagine

The watered down, the one you know
The simplified version of reality that you are accustomed to

Was made up centuries ago
It was invented and has been perpetuated for centuries

They made it sound all wack and corny
The portrayal of reality as you know it is made to seem unimportant and frivolous

Yes its awful blasted boring
It is excruciatingly mundane and uninteresting

Twisted fictions, sick addiction
The stories you believe and consume are distorted and harmful

Well gather 'round children
Listen to what I am about to tell you

Zip it listen!
Shut up and pay attention!

Can we get much higher?
Is it possible to elevate ourselves?

So high
To a state of great enlightenment

I fantasized 'bout this back in Chicago
I had this dream when I was living in Chicago

Mercy, mercy me, that Murcielago
I have achieved the success that I once dreamed of

That's me, the first year that I blow
That's who I was in my first year of success

How you say broke in Spanish? Me no hablo
I have transcended being broke, I no longer understand that state of mind

Me drown sorrow in that Diablo
I cope with my pain by indulging in excessive drinking

Me found bravery in my bravado
I have found courage and confidence in my outwardly bold and aggressive behavior

DJ's need to listen to the model's
DJ's need to pay attention to the people who set the trends

You ain't got no fuckin' Yeezy in your Serato?
Don't you have any Kanye West music?

(You ain't got no Yeezy, nigga?)
(You don't have any Kanye West music, man?)

Stupid, but what the hell do I know?
That was a silly question to ask

I'm just a Chi-town nigga with a Nas flow
I'm just a regular guy from Chicago with a flow similar to that of Nas

And my bitch in that new Phoebe Philo
My partner is dressed in the new collection from Phoebe Philo

So much head, I woke up to Sleepy Hollow
I received so much oral sex that I woke up with a numb head like the character from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Look like a fat booty Celine Dion
She has a big butt and a singing voice like Celine Dion

Sex is on fire, I'm the King of Leon-a Lewis
My sex life is intense like the song 'Sex on Fire' and I'm as talented as the singer Leona Lewis

Beyond the truest
More authentic than the authentic

Hey, teacher, teacher
Hey, teacher, listen up

Tell me how do you respond the students?
How do you explain things to your pupils?

And refresh the page and restart the memory?
How can we change the way we think and remember?

Re-spark the soul and rebuild the energy?
How can we reignite our passion and restore our vitality?

We stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemies
We have defeated ignorance and overcome our adversaries

Sorry for the night demons that still visit me
Apologies for the negative thoughts that still haunt me at night

The plan was to drink until the pain over
My original plan was to numb my pain through alcohol

But what's worse, the pain or the hangover?
Which is worse, the pain of my struggles, or the physical pain of a hangover?

Fresh air, rolling down the window
Taking a breath of fresh air and feeling the breeze

Too many Urkels on your team, that's why your wins low
There are too many weak links on your team, which is why you don't win often

Don't make me pull the toys out, huh
Don't make me resort to violence

And fire up the engines huh
Let's get ready to go

And then they make noise
Everyone will start cheering and making noise

At the mall there was a seance
A gathering to communicate with the dead was taking place at the mall

Just kids, no parents
Only young people were present, without supervision

Then the sky filled with herons
The sky became filled with large birds (possibly bull herons)

(I saw the devil) In a Chrysler LeBaron
(I had a vision of the devil who was) driving a Chrysler LeBaron

And the hell, it wouldn't spare us
We were not forgiven by hell, it was merciless towards us

(And the fires did declare us)
(The fires pronounced judgment upon us)

(But after that, took pills, kissed an heiress)
(But after that, I took some pills and kissed a wealthy woman)

(And moved her back in Paris)
(And moved to Paris with her)

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert F. Diggs, Onika Tanya Maraj, Malik Yusef El Shabbaz Jones, Kanye Omari West, Michael Gordon Oldfield, Ernest Dion Wilson, John Roy Anderson, Mike Dean, Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS