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.
You're My Type
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That hate when the weakest ho in
The club try to approach him
Some songs the ladies love me
The girls gon' hate me for this one
But I got to do it, come on
Bitch, do I look like your type?
You still gotta look cool to me
Bitch, do I look like your type?
She asked, "Is that pronounced N-Y-C?", no
That's a niche
Rock Clavin Klein so she can see K
I'm still doing one-twenty on the freeway
She still got a prom picture in her key-chain
I told her, "Look
This ain't high school no more"
And I'm tryna fuck, we ain't cool no more
Some niggas go bald just to perform
Cause all these rats be talking up a storm
I know what they worn
I know what they be liking
If they hair short
Said "They probably be dyking"
Probably'll try it and probably like it
I can't know, what, he probably a psychic?
I know a crazy bitch by the look in her eyes
I know a cheating bitch gonna look at my guys
I know a fat bitch gon' look at them fries
Tell me on the side like, "Can I supersize?"
Got my meat in the ride
Go down while I drive
Some hoes ain't for show
You just keep 'em inside
Call 'em at 3AM and get deep up inside
Blow me and my homie
When you see me you don't know me you heard?
Bitch, do I look like your type?
Don't get me wrong
You still gotta look cool to me
Bitch, do I look like your type?
You sing the song I made for
Ugly hoes and start approaching me
Bitch, do I look like your type?
Don't get me wrong
You still gotta look cool to me
Bitch, do I look like your type?
She rock the jeans above the knees
Oh, them must be some kid capris
So I spend cheese, urge, bitch, please
Your girlfriend ain't tell you 'bout me?
Kanye fuck 'em and leave 'em
Act like he don't need 'em
See titties and squeeze 'em
For no fucking reason
"Ugh, he's so classless grabbing asses
How would you do a nerd bitch with glasses"?
Pimp nigga never spent no dough on a booty
I wish I would take this
Fat hoe to the movies
Them niggas must not know the
Price of the coochie
I'ma little too rich to fuck this broke bitch
The survey says, "By the streets according
Kanye more important than Michael Jordan
Got this rap game locked
You could call the warden
Give hoes cock, then I'm gone by morning
I'm gone
Bitch, do I look like your type?
Don't get me wrong
You still gotta look cool to me
Bitch, do I look like your type?
You sing the song I made for
Ugly hoes and start approaching me
Bitch, do I look like your type?
Don't get me wrong
You still gotta look cool to me
Bitch, do I look like your type?
Damn, I was wrong how could I stoop so low?
Come on, pull up in a four door Volvo
Dropped the top and swooped your hoe
I don't want no wild body bitch
In my wild body six
No fucking weak hoes in my fucking Regal
No bitch that's wack in my Cadillac
No bitch with a fade in my Escalade
No sluts with a gut in my Beamer truck
No road daggers in my gold Jaguar
Deep voice bitches like "Da huh da huh"
"I never thought Kanye would take
It this far, uh, huh"
Remember back in high school?
Like, prom queen, right? She was like
Thirty-seven-twenty-five-twenty-six
Now she thirty-seven with twenty-five kids
You know what I'm saying?
Now she on the come up
Trying to get a baller nigga
Bitch heard my song on the radio
She heard me on that Jagged Edge shit
Memorized my cell phone number out the blue
Called me on some
"I wasn't sure if that was you or not"
Bitch, you ain't hear me say
Kanye Titter at the beginning?
Gold-digging bitch
The lyrics of "You're My Type" by Kanye West depict his disdain for women who try to approach him in the club, specifically targeting those who are not physically attractive to him. The song starts by acknowledging that some songs may be loved by women, but this particular one will make them hate him. Kanye proceeds to question if he looks like the type of person these women would be interested in, sarcastically suggesting they still need to impress him.
He continues by mentioning a woman he interacted with who asked if "N-Y-C" is pronounced as "niche," indicating her lack of knowledge. Kanye makes references to his fashion choices, stating that he wears Calvin Klein so that she can see the letter "K" prominently displayed. He emphasizes that he has moved on from high school and is only interested in casual sexual encounters, indicating a shift in his mindset and priorities.
Kanye's lyrics express his perception of women based on physical appearances, categorizing them as "crazy bitches," "cheating bitches," and "fat bitches." He suggests that some women are only for sexual pleasure and should be discreetly contacted late at night. The lyrics also touch on Kanye's persona as a confident, rich individual who believes he is more important than cultural icons like Michael Jordan. He criticizes women who are attracted to him solely because of his fame and success, calling them gold-digging bitches.
Overall, the lyrics of "You're My Type" present Kanye West's superficial and objectifying attitude towards women, highlighting his desire for physical attraction and his disregard for emotional connections.
Line by Line Meaning
This one for my baller niggas
This song is dedicated to my wealthy friends
That hate when the weakest ho in
The club try to approach him
They dislike it when the least attractive girl in the club tries to talk to them
Some songs the ladies love me
Some of my songs are loved by women
The girls gon' hate me for this one
But I got to do it, come on
Female fans may not like this song, but I feel compelled to release it
Bitch, do I look like your type?
Do I appear to be the kind of person you are interested in?
Don't get me wrong
You still gotta look cool to me
However, you still need to have a certain level of attractiveness
She asked, 'Is that pronounced N-Y-C?', no
That's a niche
She asked if 'NYC' is pronounced that way, but it's actually a niche
Rock Clavin Klein so she can see K
Wearing Calvin Klein clothing so she can see the letter 'K'
I'm still doing one-twenty on the freeway
I'm still driving at a high speed on the freeway
She still got a prom picture in her key-chain
She still carries a picture from her prom on her key-chain
I told her, 'Look
This ain’t high school no more'
I told her that we are no longer in high school
And I'm tryna fuck, we ain't cool no more
And I'm trying to have sex, so we can't just be friends anymore
Some niggas go bald just to perform
Cause all these rats be talking up a storm
Some guys shave their heads to appear more energetic on stage because there are a lot of gossipers
I know what they worn
I know what they be liking
If they hair short
Said 'They probably be dyking'
I know what clothes they wear and what they are interested in. If their hair is short, I assume they might be lesbians
Probably’ll try it and probably like it
I can’t know, what, he probably a psychic?
They would probably try it and enjoy it, but who knows, maybe they are psychic?
I know a crazy bitch by the look in her eyes
I can identify a crazy girl by looking into her eyes
I know a cheating bitch gonna look at my guys
I know that a cheating girl will check out other guys
I know a fat bitch gon' look at them fries
I know that an overweight girl will look at French fries
Tell me on the side like, 'Can I supersize?'
She asks me privately if she can get a larger portion
Got my meat in the ride
Go down while I drive
My penis is inside her while I continue to drive
Some hoes ain't for show
You just keep 'em inside
Some girls are not suitable for public display, so you keep them hidden
Call 'em at 3AM and get deep up inside
You call them at 3 AM and have deep sexual penetration
Blow me and my homie
When you see me you don't know me you heard?
Perform oral sex on both me and my friend. When you see me, pretend you don't know me, got it?
Damn, I was wrong how could I stoop so low?
Wow, I made a mistake. How did I lower myself to this level?
Come on, pull up in a four door Volvo
Come on, arrive in a four-door Volvo
Dropped the top and swooped your hoe
Opened the convertible roof and stole your girl
I don't want no wild body bitch
In my wild body six
I do not want a girl with an uncontrollable body in my luxury car
No fucking weak hoes in my fucking Regal
I don't want to have sex with unattractive girls in my classy car
No bitch that's wack in my Cadillac
I don't want an ugly girl in my Cadillac
No bitch with a fade in my Escalade
I don't want a girl with a buzz-cut hairstyle in my Escalade
No sluts with a gut in my Beamer truck
I don't want promiscuous girls with a big stomach in my BMW truck
No road daggers in my gold Jaguar
I don't want unattractive girls in my golden Jaguar
Deep voice bitches like 'Da huh da huh'
Girls with deep voices saying 'Da huh da huh'
'I never thought Kanye would take
It this far, uh, huh'
Some people never expected me, Kanye, to achieve this much success
Remember back in high school?
Like, prom queen, right? She was like
Thirty-seven-twenty-five-twenty-six
Remember in high school when she was the prom queen and had those measurements
Now she thirty-seven with twenty-five kids
Now she is 37 years old with 25 children
Now she on the come up
Trying to get a baller nigga
Now she is attempting to find a wealthy man
Bitch heard my song on the radio
This girl heard my song on the radio
She heard me on that Jagged Edge shit
She heard me singing on that Jagged Edge track
Memorized my cell phone number out the blue
She randomly memorized my phone number
Called me on some
'I wasn't sure if that was you or not'
She called me with the excuse that she wasn't sure if it was really me
Bitch, you ain't hear me say
Kanye Titter at the beginning?
Didn't you hear me say 'Kanye Titter' at the start of the song?
Gold-digging bitch
She is a woman who seeks financial gain through relationships
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lemon w
But remember, kanye isnt just a rapper. he's a producer, a director, and a rapper. But man true that
Obinna Patrick
WE NEED THIS KANYE BACK FAST
TyBeenTrill
Got me hitting moves 🕺🏿
Jaze Blaze
Classic. Before I was the man I man, a player of the game.. this was my blueprint
Jura Kez
the beat is sooo DOPE!!!I like kanye's 2nd verse...KILLA
Obinna Patrick
One of the funniest songs hes ever produced
The Realest Idealist
In this era, Kanye was my FAVORITE!!! Damn, I miss when ye made music like this!!! All those exclusive ass mixtapes.
The Realest Idealist
@2005 YouTube OG What’s so funny about “exclusive” ?
The Realest Idealist
@Spirits Over the Horizon 🌅 Maybe some mixtapes was so exclusive even you two don’t even know what I’m talking about.
The Realest Idealist
@Spirits Over the Horizon 🌅 Just cause you say they not exclusive doesn’t make that a fact…the word exclusive can be subjective, so we just disagree…move along with our lives…good day.