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.

Through The Wire
Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yo, Gee, they can't stop me from rappin', can they?
Can they, Hop?

(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall)
I spit it through the wire, man
(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all)
There's too much stuff on my heart right now, man
I'd gladly risk it all right now

(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may)
It's a life-or-death situation, man
(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way)
Y'all, y'all don't really understand how I feel right now, man
It's your boy, Kanye to the
(Right down to the wire, even through the fire)
Chi-Town, what's goin' on?
Uh-huh, yeah, yeah

I drink a Boost for breakfast, an Ensure for dessert
Somebody ordered pancakes, I just sip the sizzurp
That right there could drive a sane man berserk
Not to worry, Mr. H-to-the-Izzo's back to wizzerk
How do you console my mom or give her light support
Tellin' her her son's on life support?
And just imagine how my girl feel
On the plane, scared as hell that her guy look like Emmett Till
She was with me before the deal, she been tryna be mine
She a Delta, so she been throwing that Dynasty sign
No use me tryna be lyin', I been tryna be signed
Tryna be a millionaire, how I used two lifelines
In the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died
The doctor said I had blood clots, but I ain't Jamaican, man
Story on MTV and I ain't tryna make a band
I swear, this right here, history in the makin', man

(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall)
I really apologize to everyone right now
If, if it's unclear at all, man
(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all)
They got my mouth wired shut
For like, I dunno, the doctor said like six weeks
You know, he had reconstruct, I had reconstructive surgery on my jaw
(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may)
I looked in the mirror, half my jaw was in the back of my mouth, man
(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way)
I couldn't believe it
But I'm still here for y'all right now, man
(Right down to the wire, even through the fire)
This what I got to say right here, dawg
Yeah, turn me up, yeah, uh

What if somebody from the Chi' that was ill got a deal
On the hottest rap label around?
But he wasn't talkin' 'bout coke and birds
It was more like spoken word
'Cept he's really puttin' it down?
And he explained the story 'bout how Blacks came from glory
And what we need to do in the game
Good dude, bad night, right place, wrong time
In the blink of a eye, his whole life changed
If you could feel how my face felt, you would know how Ma$e felt (Mason Betha)
Thank God I ain't too cool for the safe belt (uh-huh)
I swear to God, driver two wanna sue
I got a lawyer for the case to keep what's in my safe safe
My dawgs couldn't tell if I
I looked like Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky, it was televised
There's been an accident like GEICO
They thought I was burnt up like Pepsi did Michael
I must got a angel, 'cause look how death missed his ass
Unbreakable, what, you thought they'd call me Mr. Glass?
Look back on my life like the Ghost of Christmas Past (uh-huh)
Toys "R" Us where I used to spend that Christmas cash
And I still won't grow up, I'm a grown-ass kid
Swear I should be locked up for stupid shit that I did
But I'm a champion, so I turned tragedy to triumph (uh-huh, yeah, yeah)
Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire (woo)

(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall)
You know what I'm sayin'?
When the doctor told me I had a, um, I was gonna have to have a plate in my chin
(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all)
I said, dawg, don't you realize I'll never make it on a plane now?
It's bad enough I got all this jewelry on
(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may)
You can't be serious, man

(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way)
(Right down to the wire, even through the fire)

Overall Meaning

Kanye West's song "Through the Wire" describes the rapper's experience of surviving a car crash and the aftermath which included nearly losing his life, reconstructive surgery on his jaw, and having to live with his mouth wired shut for six weeks. The song's title refers to the wired jaw which West raps through, showing his dedication to continuing his craft despite the obstacles he faces. The lyrics express West's determination to succeed in his music career despite the challenges he faces, and also allude to the difficulties he has faced in his personal life, including his relationship with his girlfriend.

West references his hometown of Chicago throughout the song, referring to himself as "Chi-Town" and shouting out to his hometown fans. He also includes a reference to Black history and the struggle for equality in his lyrics, indicating his commitment to more than just his personal success. Additionally, the song features a sample from the Chaka Khan song "Through the Fire," which is used as the song's hook and adds to the emotional impact of the lyrics.

Overall, "Through the Wire" is a powerful and personal song that showcases Kanye West's resilience and dedication to his art.

Line by Line Meaning

Yo, Gee, they can't stop me from rappin', can they?
Is there anyone or anything that can prevent me from rapping?

(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall) I spit it through the wire, man
I rap with so much passion that I'll do it even if it's difficult.

(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all) There's too much stuff on my heart right now, man I'd gladly risk it all right now
I have so much love for someone that I am willing to take any risk for a chance to be with them.

(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may) It's a life-or-death situation, man
This situation is so important that I am willing to go through anything, even if it's dangerous.

(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way) Y'all, y'all don't really understand how I feel right now, man
Nobody truly understands how much I love someone and what I am willing to do for them.

It's your boy, Kanye to the (Right down to the wire, even through the fire) Chi-Town, what's goin' on? Uh-huh, yeah, yeah
Introducing myself as Kanye from Chicago and I will continue rapping even if it's hard.

I drink a Boost for breakfast, an Ensure for dessert Somebody ordered pancakes, I just sip the sizzurp That right there could drive a sane man berserk
I have unconventional eating habits, and it might sound crazy to some people.

Not to worry, Mr. H-to-the-Izzo's back to wizzerk How do you console my mom or give her light support Tellin' her her son's on life support?
I am back to doing what I do best, but it's hard to talk to my mother about the fact that I am on life support.

And just imagine how my girl feel On the plane, scared as hell that her guy look like Emmett Till She was with me before the deal, she been tryna be mine She a Delta, so she been throwing that Dynasty sign No use me tryna be lyin', I been tryna be signed Tryna be a millionaire, how I used two lifelines
I can only imagine how scared my girlfriend must have been when she saw me looking like Emmett Till. She's been with me since before my success, and she's a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. I am telling the truth about my efforts to get signed and become a millionaire.

In the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died The doctor said I had blood clots, but I ain't Jamaican, man Story on MTV and I ain't tryna make a band
I had to go to the same hospital where Biggie Smalls passed away. The doctor told me I had blood clots, which is odd for someone who is not Jamaican. My story was televised on MTV, but I am not trying to form a band.

I swear, this right here, history in the makin', man
I believe that what I am doing right now is a historic moment.

(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall) I really apologize to everyone right now If, if it's unclear at all, man
I apologize to everyone for my unclear communication due to my wired shut jaw.

(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all) They got my mouth wired shut For like, I dunno, the doctor said like six weeks You know, he had reconstruct, I had reconstructive surgery on my jaw
My mouth is wired shut due to reconstructive surgery on my jaw, and I am willing to go through this pain just for the chance to be with someone.

(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may) I looked in the mirror, half my jaw was in the back of my mouth, man
When I looked in the mirror, I saw that half of my jaw was stuck in the back of my mouth despite the reconstruction.

(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way) I couldn't believe it But I'm still here for y'all right now, man
Even though I can't believe the pain I am going through, I am still here for my fans and loved ones.

(Right down to the wire, even through the fire) This what I got to say right here, dawg Yeah, turn me up, yeah, uh
This is my message to everyone, even in a challenging situation, and I want you to turn up the music.

What if somebody from the Chi' that was ill got a deal On the hottest rap label around? But he wasn't talkin' 'bout coke and birds It was more like spoken word 'Cept he's really puttin' it down? And he explained the story 'bout how Blacks came from glory And what we need to do in the game Good dude, bad night, right place, wrong time In the blink of a eye, his whole life changed
What if someone from Chicago, who was extremely talented but not talking about the usual topics, got signed to a major label? And he was talking about important issues such as Black history, game rules, and so on. Such as myself, who was doing spoken word for Def Jam. But then, something unexpected happened and my career was in danger.

If you could feel how my face felt, you would know how Ma$e felt (Mason Betha) Thank God I ain't too cool for the safe belt (uh-huh) I swear to God, driver two wanna sue I got a lawyer for the case to keep what's in my safe safe
If you were in my shoes, you would know how painful it was. I am grateful that I wasn't too cool to wear a seatbelt, as it might have saved my life. My second driver might even sue me, and I am taking legal action to protect my assets.

My dawgs couldn't tell if I I looked like Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky, it was televised There's been an accident like GEICO They thought I was burnt up like Pepsi did Michael I must got a angel, 'cause look how death missed his ass Unbreakable, what, you thought they'd call me Mr. Glass?
My friends couldn't recognize me, and my accident was even covered on television. People thought I was badly injured, but I was lucky to survive. I am unbreakable, so nobody can call me Mr. Glass anymore.

Look back on my life like the Ghost of Christmas Past (uh-huh) Toys "R" Us where I used to spend that Christmas cash And I still won't grow up, I'm a grown-ass kid Swear I should be locked up for stupid shit that I did But I'm a champion, so I turned tragedy to triumph (uh-huh, yeah, yeah) Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire (woo)
I think about my past mistakes and how I used to spend my money at Toys "R" Us. Even though I should be more mature, I still act like a kid. But the fact that I am a champion helps turn tragedy to success. I also make great music that comes from my soul.

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Cynthia Weil, David Foster, Tom Keane

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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