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.

Gettin
kanye west Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Shorty gettin' it in with me, uh huh
Shorty gettin' it in with me, yeah
She said I brought some friends for me but I don't know why
Because they ain't gettin' in with me, uh-uh

Shorty gettin' it in with me, uh huh
Shorty gettin' it in with me, yeah
She said I brought some friends for me but I don't know why

'Cause they ain't gettin' in with me, uh-uh

Yo, you know me I'm with the ghetto diva, stiletto fever
Jello shots, yellow reefer
Same rules apply, I'm back on top,
You can't drink or smoke if you not gon' pop
See me in the popcorn drop, not gon' stop
Takin' shots of Patron, gettin' top on yachts
The medallions are mountin' rock on rock
The whole world want to know when this lock gon' drop
Without a doubt she acknowledge the wealth
Since she ain't get brains I told her, let me get knowledge yourself
I told be proud of yourself and dig deep,
And try and see what you can get out of yourself
After all that, I told her to fall back
The Ferrari truck parked in the back is all black
Next time, bring some friends and more 'gnac
It depends how I feel in the morn if I call back, what

Shorty gettin' it in with me, uh huh
Shorty gettin' it in with me, yeah
She said I brought some friends for me but I don't know why
Because they ain't gettin' in with me, uh-uh

Shorty gettin' it in with me, uh huh
Shorty gettin' it in with me, yeah
She said I brought some friends for me but I don't know why
Because they ain't gettin' in with me, uh-uh

I'm with this bad Ethiopian chick drinkin' straight up liqueur
I told her I'm Nigerian that's straight up nigga
Now is it just me or do them Uggs have girls feet lookin' like sheepskin rugs
Some rhyme with a name, some rhyme nameless
Don't try an treat me like I ain't famous
My apologies are you into astrology 'cause, um, I'm trying to make it to Uranus
See that's a little Don Juan game,
All across your chest like Sean Jean name
Niggas tryin' to figure out, since kan' came
Who's the rookie of the year, me or Lebron James
They say whoa, don't get caught up in the hype
Ain't no tellin' they gon' love you after tonight
Well if tonight's the night, pop bottles fuck models
Spend money til your broke, my nigga live your life

Shorty gettin' it in with me, uh huh
Shorty gettin' it in with me, yeah
She said I brought some friends for me but I don't know why
Because they ain't gettin' in with me, uh-uh

Shorty gettin' it in with me, uh huh
Shorty gettin' it in with me, yeah
She said I brought some friends for me but I don't know why
Because they ain't gettin' in with me, uh-uh

Shorty getting it in with me, 600 Benz with me
She want to spend with me
She see me roll up the bud, then thug out the club
'Cause I got my men's with me
She said she leaving her friends for me, they ain't gettin' in with her
'Cause she goin' bend for me
Her tongue spin like a rim for me, do what she can for me
Look like a 10 for me
Now shorty is out with me using her mouth for me
She looking out for me,
She said 'kiss where you live, I said you see the bridge
When you step on the balcony
Let's go

Shorty gettin' it in with me, uh huh
Shorty gettin' it in with me, yeah
She said I brought some friends for me but I don't know why
Because they ain't gettin' in with me, uh-uh

Shorty gettin' it in with me, uh huh
Shorty gettin' it in with me, yeah

She said I brought some friends for me but I don't know why
Because they ain't gettin' in with me, uh-uh

Overall Meaning

In Kanye West's song "Gettin in," he is depicting a night out with a woman who is "gettin' it in" with him. The song starts with West conversing with the women about how she brought her friends, but they aren't getting in with her because the night is exclusively for the two of them. He talks about his night out with an Ethiopian girl drinking liqueur, how he is Nigerian, and how some rhymes have names, and some are nameless. He also disses those who try to treat him like he isn't famous and makes a clever pun about wanting to make it to Uranus.

Throughout the song, West portrays himself as living his best life on top of the world, with his shiny medallions, popping bottles on yachts, and taking shots of Patron. He urges the woman to dig deep and be proud of herself, ultimately encouraging her to become more knowledgeable. The final verse talks about the woman being out with him, using her mouth for him, and looking out for him.

Overall, "Gettin in" is a song that portrays a man's pride and pleasure in his lavish lifestyle and control over his romantic night out.

Line by Line Meaning

Shorty gettin' it in with me, uh huh
A woman is engaging in sexual activities with Kanye West

Shorty gettin' it in with me, yeah
Reiteration of the previous line

She said I brought some friends for me but I don't know why
The woman accompanying Kanye West brought friends, but he doesn't understand why

'Cause they ain't gettin' in with me, uh-uh
The friends the woman brought are not allowed to join them

Yo, you know me I'm with the ghetto diva, stiletto fever
Kanye West is with an urban and glamorous woman

Jello shots, yellow reefer
They are drinking and smoking marijuana

Same rules apply, I'm back on top,
Kanye West is successful again and the same lifestyle rules still apply

You can't drink or smoke if you not gon' pop.
They will only drink and smoke if they are going to have sex

See me in the popcorn drop, not gon' stop
Kanye West wants to continue enjoying his luxurious lifestyle

Takin' shots of Patron, gettin' top on yachts.
Drinking tequila and receiving oral sex on boats

The medallions are mountin' rock on rock
Kanye West is wearing expensive jewelry

The whole world want to know when this lock gon' drop
Fans are eagerly waiting for his new album to be released

Without a doubt she acknowledge the wealth
The woman is aware of Kanye West's wealth

Since she ain't get brains I told her, let me get knowledge yourself
Since she didn't give him oral sex, Kanye suggests she focus on educating herself

I told be proud of yourself and dig deep,
Kanye encourages her to find strength within herself

And try and see what you can get out of yourself
Kanye encourages her to strive for personal growth

After all that, I told her to fall back
After their conversation, Kanye tells her to take a step back and relax

The Ferrari truck parked in the back is all black
Kanye West's expensive car is parked behind them

Next time, bring some friends and more 'gnac
Kanye suggests the woman bring more friends and cognac in the future

It depends how I feel in the morn if I call back, what
Kanye is unsure if he will call her again, depending on how he feels in the morning

I'm with this bad Ethiopian chick drinkin' straight up liqueur
Kanye is with an attractive woman from Ethiopia, drinking straight liquor

I told her I'm Nigerian that's straight up nigga
Kanye jokes that because he is Nigerian, he is a 'straight up' n***a

Now is it just me or do them Uggs have girls feet lookin' like sheepskin rugs
Kanye comments on the appearance of Ugg boots

Some rhyme with a name, some rhyme nameless
Some rappers are well-known, some are not

Don't try and treat me like I ain't famous.
Kanye demands to be treated as a celebrity

My apologies are you into astrology 'cause, um, I'm trying to make it to Uranus
Kanye makes a sexual joke with a planet pun, referencing astrology

See that's a little Don Juan game,
Kanye is playing a seductive game with the woman

All across your chest like Sean Jean name
Kanye describes his sexual prowess, like the branding on Sean John clothing

N****s tryin' to figure out, since kan' came
People are trying to determine if Kanye West or LeBron James is the rookie of the year

Who's the rookie of the year, me or LeBron James
Kanye is comparing himself to LeBron James as a rising star

They say whoa, don't get caught up in the hype.
Others warn Kanye not to get too caught up in his own success

Ain't no tellin' they gon' love you after tonight.
Kanye is unsure if people will continue to support him after tonight

Well if tonight's the night, pop bottles fuck models
If this is the last night of his success, Kanye will celebrate by drinking and having sex

Spend money til your broke, my nigga live your life
Kanye encourages his friend to live his life to the fullest, even if it means spending all his money

Shorty getting it in with me, 600 Benz with me
The woman is engaging in sexual activities with Kanye while they ride in his luxury car

She want to spend with me
The woman wants to spend time with Kanye

She see me roll up the bud, then thug out the club
The woman sees Kanye smoking marijuana and acting tough in the club

'Cause I got my men's with me
Kanye has his friends with him for protection

She said she leaving her friends for me, they ain't gettin' in with her
The woman is leaving her friends to be with Kanye, but they can't join them

'Cause she goin' bend for me
The woman is willing to perform oral sex for Kanye

Her tongue spin like a rim for me, do what she can for me,
The woman performs oral sex well and does everything she can for Kanye

Look like a 10 for me
The woman is very attractive to Kanye

Now shorty is out with me using her mouth for me
The woman is currently performing oral sex on Kanye

She looking out for me
The woman is taking care of Kanye's needs

She said 'kiss where you live, I said you see the bridge,
The woman suggests kissing where Kanye lives, but he points out a nearby bridge instead

When you step on the balcony
Kanye is telling her to come out to the balcony