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.

We Major )
Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You motherfuckers better do your job and roll up and watch how we roll up and
I can't control it, can't hold it, it's so nuts
I take a sip of that yak, I want to fuck
I take a hit of that chronic, it got me stuck
But really what's amazing is how I keep blazing
Towel under the door smoke until the days end
Puff, puff then pass, don't fuck up rotation
Hypnotic for Henny, now nigga that's your chaser

Turn nothing to something now pimpin' that's a savior
Best things are green now pimp and get your paper
High off the ground instead of skyscraper
Too low thinkin' we local, come on homie, we major

We major (come on, homie, we major)

Feeling better than some head on a Sunday afternoon
Better than a chick that say yes to soon
Until you have a daughter, that's what I call karma
And you pray to god she don't grow breasts too soon.
Projects to' up, gang signs is thrown up
Niggas hats broke off that's how we grow up
Why else you think shorty's write rhymes just to blow up?
Get they first car and then IRS show up
He ain't never had shit but he had that nine
Nigga come through flickin' and he had that shine
Put two and two together in a little bad weather
Gon' be a whole family on that funeral line
Ask the reverend was the strip club cool if my tips help send a pretty girl through school
That's all I want like wino's want they good whiskey
I ain't in the Klan, but I brought my hood with me

You motherfuckers better do your job and roll up and watch how we roll up and
I can't control it, can't hold it, it's so nuts
I take a sip of that yak, I want to fuck
I take a hit of that chronic, it got me stuck
But really what's amazing is how I keep blazing
Towel under the door smoke until the days end
Puff, puff then pass, don't fuck up rotation
Hypnotic for Henny, now nigga that's your chaser
Turn nothing to something now pimpin' that's a savior
Best things are green now pimp and get your paper
High off the ground instead of skyscraper
Too low thinkin' we local, come on homie, we major

I heard the beat and I ain't know what to write
First line, should it be about the hos or the ice?
Four-four's or black Christ? Both flows would be nice
Rap about big paper or the black man's plight
At the studio console asked my man to the right
What this verse sound like, should I freestyle or write?
He said, Nas, what the fans want is Illmatic, Stillmatic
Picked up the pad and pencil and jotted what I feel
Been like 12 years since a nigga first signed
Now I'm a free agent
And I'm thinking it's time
To build my very own Motown
Cause rappers be deprived of executive 9 to 5s
And it hurts to see these companies be stealing the life
And I love to give my blood sweat and tears to the mic
So y'all copped the LPs and y'all fiends got dealt
I'm Jesse Jackson on the balcony where King got killed
I survived the livest niggas around
Lasting longer than more than half of you clowns
Look, I used to cook before I had the game took
Either way my change came like Sam Cooke

Feeling better than I ever felt before today
Like better late than never is orientation
Still we can make it better throwing all your cares away

You motherfuckers better do your job and roll up and watch how we roll up and
I can't control it, can't hold it, it's so nuts
I take a sip of that yak, I want to fuck
I take a hit of that chronic, it got me stuck
But really what's amazing is how I keep blazing
Towel under the door smoke until the days end
Puff, puff then pass, don't fuck up rotation
Hypnotic for Henny, now nigga that's your chaser
Turn nothing to something now pimpin' that's a savior
Best things are green now pimp and get your paper

High off the ground instead of skyscraper
Too low thinkin' we local, come on homie, we major

Overall Meaning

The song "We Major" by Kanye West featuring NaS is an anthem of self-confidence and success. It begins with Kanye urging his listeners to pay attention to how he rolls, and boasts about his ability to keep smoking and drinking without losing control. He acknowledges that his actions are "so nuts" but he can't hold back. What's remarkable is how he keeps going, blazing up until the day's end; he urges his audience to maintain the rotation so no one messes it up. NaS comes in on the second verse, reflecting on how hard it was to grow up. He speaks about the poverty, the gangbanging and the hurdles that young black men fight to overcome in order to get ahead. He also references how women who become whores always end up receiving a stroke of bad luck or karma. Kanye's final verse shows the extent of his love for music and how he wants to make a difference in the industry. He's been in the game for over a decade and now that he's in charge, he wants to create new opportunities for performers who are just starting out.

A key theme of "We Major" is the importance of keeping on, despite the obstacles that come your way. Kanye's self-assuredness and NaS's reflections on surviving the inner-city create a message of determination and resilience. Beyond the confidence and swagger, the song also highlights the role of karma and the need to help one another as you move towards your dreams.

Line by Line Meaning

You motherfuckers better do your job and roll up and watch how we roll up and
You guys better step up and pay attention to how we do things

I can't control it, can't hold it, it's so nuts
I'm so crazy and out of control

I take a sip of that yak, I want to fuck
When I drink that cognac, I get really turned on

I take a hit of that chronic, it got me stuck
When I smoke that marijuana, I get really high and can't move

But really what's amazing is how I keep blazing
What's astonishing is how I can keep smoking without ever stopping

Towel under the door smoke until the days end
I'll smoke until the day is over, and I even use a towel to keep the smoke in the room

Puff, puff then pass, don't fuck up rotation
When smoking with others, follow the round-robin and don't ruin the order

Hypnotic for Henny, now nigga that's your chaser
Use Hypnotic (a brand of liqueur) as a chaser for Hennessy (a type of cognac)

Turn nothing to something now pimpin' that's a savior
By becoming a pimp and using your skills, you can turn nothing into something

Best things are green now pimp and get your paper
The best things in life are money, so become a pimp to earn it

High off the ground instead of skyscraper
It's better to be high off drugs than in a tall building

Too low thinkin' we local, come on homie, we major
Just because we're from a small area, doesn't mean we're not important

Feeling better than some head on a Sunday afternoon
Feeling very good, like after receiving oral sex on a lazy Sunday afternoon

Better than a chick that say yes to soon
Feeling even better than a woman who agrees to have sex too quickly

Until you have a daughter, that's what I call karma
Having a daughter will make someone realize the consequences of their past actions

And you pray to god she don't grow breasts too soon.
A father hopes his daughter won't grow up too quickly or be sexualized too early

Projects to' up, gang signs is thrown up
The projects are run-down, and gang signs are being thrown to show territory

Niggas hats broke off that's how we grow up
Boys grow up so poor that their hats are worn and tattered

Why else you think shorty's write rhymes just to blow up?
Young women write rap lyrics to become successful and famous

Get they first car and then IRS show up
When someone becomes successful, the IRS will come after them for taxes

He ain't never had shit but he had that nine
He's never had anything, but he has a gun (nine millimeter pistol)

Nigga come through flickin' and he had that shine
A man would come through showing off his shiny possessions

Put two and two together in a little bad weather
In tough situations one can gain a new perspective

Gon' be a whole family on that funeral line
Violent actions can cause many family members to suffer and mourn

Ask the reverend was the strip club cool if my tips help send a pretty girl through school
If a man's tips could help a young woman pay for school, is it morally acceptable to spend money at a strip club, even if it benefits the workers?

That's all I want like wino's want they good whiskey
I want that one simple thing in life (like how a wine-enthusiast wants good whisky)

I ain't in the Klan, but I brought my hood with me
I'm not part of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan), but I brought my neighborhood with me wherever I go.

I heard the beat and I ain't know what to write
When I heard the music, I didn't know what lyrics to put with it

First line, should it be about the hos or the ice?
Should the first line be about women or jewelry?

Four-four's or black Christ? Both flows would be nice
Should I talk about guns or religion in my lyrics? Both would sound good

Rap about big paper or the black man's plight
Should I rap about money or about the struggles of black men?

At the studio console asked my man to the right
I asked my friend sitting next to me at the studio for advice

What this verse sound like, should I freestyle or write?
What should this verse sound like? Should I improvise or plan it out?

He said, Nas, what the fans want is Illmatic, Stillmatic
My friend advised me that my fans want music similar to my past albums Illmatic and Stillmatic

Picked up the pad and pencil and jotted what I feel
I grabbed a notepad and pen and started writing what I felt

Been like 12 years since a nigga first signed
It's been around 12 years since I first signed to a record label

Now I'm a free agent
Now I'm not signed to a record label

And I'm thinking it's time
And I think it's time to start something new

To build my very own Motown
To create a music company like Motown that's owned by African Americans

Cause rappers be deprived of executive 9 to 5s
Rappers don't have many opportunities for business jobs

And it hurts to see these companies be stealing the life
It's frustrating to see record labels taking advantage of artists

And I love to give my blood sweat and tears to the mic
I love working hard to create great music

So y'all copped the LPs and y'all fiends got dealt
So my fans purchased my albums and they received good music in return

I'm Jesse Jackson on the balcony where King got killed
I'm making a political and social statement in my music, like Jesse Jackson did on the balcony where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated

I survived the livest niggas around
I've survived being around dangerous people

Lasting longer than more than half of you clowns
I've been successful longer than many of my peers

Look, I used to cook before I had the game took
Back when I wasn't famous, I used to hustle by cooking drugs

Either way my change came like Sam Cooke.
Either way (legally or illegally), I've made money just like Sam Cooke did (a famous musician who also started in the gospel genre)

Feeling better than I ever felt before today
I'm feeling amazing right now

Like better late than never is orientation
It's better to start late than never start at all

Still we can make it better throwing all your cares away
We can still make things better by letting go of our worries

Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Warryn Campbell, Nasir Jones, Maureen Elizabeth Reid, Russell W Simmons, Lawrence Smith, W Trotter, Kanye Omari West, Anthony Williams, Antony Williams, Dontae Winslow

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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