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.
Imagine 2008
kanye west Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Imagine no rappin'
Imagine niggas trapped
Imagine it havin action
Imagine how these niggas could be actin
If you never got this shit crackin
Imagine life so hard
You can't imagine it's like livin' in city of god
Imagine life on the yard
I'm tryin' to get that dollar on some shitty ass job
Imagine Biggie with his son
Imagine Pac gettin' call pop 'bout one
Imagine a mother struggling
Dealing with a system that don give a fuck about who shot her son
Imagine life where you can't win
When you get out of the ghetto and go right to the pen
When you get out to the pen you go right to the jenz
So if you get back to the streets you go right back in
Imagine Russell still struggling
No Def Jam just antoher nigga hustlin'
And no rocks on them fellaz
Just rocks on them fellaz
Just try and keep it bubblin'
Imagine niggas dressed up
From the east to the west coast, everybody fucked up
I can't imagine no less
But it don't take imagination
To know niggas been blessed with
HIP-HOP
Kanye West's song Imagine 2008 is a call to his listeners to imagine a world without hip-hop, and what the lives of the people who live and thrive in this culture would be like. He implores the listener to imagine a life without rap, and how different the people living in the streets of America would be without it. He postulates that without hip-hop, the world would be a much darker and more hostile place, with more people living in poverty and despair.
He speaks of how he imagines these lives, with people trapped and struggling to find jobs, mothers grieving for lost sons who the system has failed to protect, and people unable to leave the ghetto due to the prison system. He discusses the struggles that hip-hop moguls like Biggie and Russell Simmons faced before they found success, as well as the struggles of common folk. Kanye makes it clear that he sees hip-hop as a blessing to the world, a rare refuge for the downtrodden, and a place where hard work and talent can make a difference.
The lyrics of Imagine 2008 are a powerful reminder of what hip-hop means to people and how it can transform lives for the better. It is a rallying cry to the community not to take this culture and its benefits for granted. Through his lyrics, Kanye West asks us to value hip-hop not just as a form of entertainment, but as a cultural lifeline that has made a significant impact on people's lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Imagine it never happened
Picture a world where hip-hop never originated or evolved.
Imagine no rappin'
Imagine a world where no one spits rhymes and there is no hip-hop music.
Imagine niggas trapped
Picture a scenario where people of color are limited by their circumstances and are unable to progress in life.
Imagine it havin action
Imagine the power of hip-hop and how it can motivate and inspire change in individuals and society.
Imagine how these niggas could be actin
Visualize how different people's lives could be if they never had hip-hop to guide them.
If you never got this shit crackin
If hip-hop didn't exist or wasn't as popular, how would life be different?
Imagine life so hard
Imagine a world where life is so difficult that it's comparable to the intense conditions depicted in the movie "City of God."
You can't imagine it's like livin' in city of god
Life is so challenging that it's comparable to the living conditions depicted in the movie "City of God."
Imagine life on the yard
Picture yourself living in a prison yard with limited opportunities and harsh living conditions.
I'm tryin' to get that dollar on some shitty ass job
In a scenario where there are limited opportunities, people are willing to take on any job available no matter how challenging or low-paying it may be.
Imagine Biggie with his son
Picture the late Notorious B.I.G. with his young son who never got the chance to know his father.
Imagine Pac gettin' call pop 'bout one
Visualize a world where rapper Tupac Shakur is still alive and receives a phone call about his child.
Imagine a mother struggling
Picture a mother trying to cope with the pain and heartache of losing her child, while simultaneously dealing with a system that remains indifferent to her struggles.
Dealing with a system that don give a fuck about who shot her son
A commentary on the broken criminal justice system that fails to provide justice for victims and their families.
Imagine life where you can't win
Imagine a world where there are no opportunities to succeed or get ahead despite one's best efforts.
When you get out of the ghetto and go right to the pen
Even when one leaves the dangerous and oppressive living conditions of the ghetto, they often end up in jail, with limited opportunities awaiting them upon their release.
When you get out to the pen you go right to the jenz
When one goes to jail, they are destined to struggle upon release and often end up back in jail due to limited opportunities and society's stigma against ex-convicts.
So if you get back to the streets you go right back in
Returning to life on the streets without opportunities is a surefire way to end up back in jail or prison.
Imagine Russell still struggling
Russell Simmons, one of the pioneers of hip-hop, is used as an example of someone who struggles even with the success of hip-hop.
No Def Jam just antoher nigga hustlin'
Trying to make it in the music industry without the success of Def Jam Records requires an intense level of hard work and perseverance.
And no rocks on them fellaz
In a world without hip-hop success, there would be no jewelry or flashy accessories worn by those in the industry.
Just rocks on them fellaz
Jewelry or "rocks" would still be worn by those in the industry, but its meaning and value would be different if there was no hip-hop success.
Just try and keep it bubblin'
Despite the struggles and challenges, hip-hop remains a force to be reckoned with and must be kept alive and growing.
Imagine niggas dressed up
Picture a scenario where all individuals, regardless of their race or background, are well-dressed and prosperous.
From the east to the west coast, everybody fucked up
People are struggling in every part of the country, not just specific communities or regions.
I can't imagine no less
Despite the challenges and obstacles, hip-hop remains a powerful and transformative force that gives hope and provides a way forward for many people.
But it don't take imagination
The power of hip-hop and its ability to inspire and transform has been proven and no imagination is needed to see its impact.
To know niggas been blessed with HIP-HOP
Hip-hop has been a blessing to many people, providing a way out of difficult circumstances and giving voice to their struggles and triumphs.
Contributed by Hunter B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ShreyasWalkthroughs
***** Fine. Lets take this into consideration. And i expect a valid rebuttal or else i will not reply.
Kanye changed hip-hop. He has 6 of the most acclaimed albums ever released (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is regarded the best album of the 2010's so far). Lets not ignore the fact that he has 21 Grammy awards.
His albums have been well received by legendary musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Bono, Bruno Mars, Nas, Elton John, and even Obama (despite his Jackass comment referring to Kanye). The list goes on but i'll stop there.
He changes his style on every single album of his. He began with soul sampling on his first album, to a baroque approach on his second album, then he incorporated electro/disco in his third..... all the way to his most recent album Yeezus, which was industrial hip-hop. He can mix genres, sample without difficulty, and is a VERY creative artist, who is overlooked because of his childlike antics.
I feel you haven't listened to his music and hate because you do what the other brainwashed sheep do. But there i proved your point wrong.
@OSyaz90
No matter what Kanye does or how irrationally he acts in the present day, nothing will ever take away from the fact that he’s made some of the best music in his generation.
@chrism7163
Thats what im saying
@chathamhart5637
onm
@MadCon93spiracy
he an artist, he emotional and sensitiv....he wants to prove himself to the world....problem he already way bigger than he realizes
Good luck yeezy...get well and be yourself.....fuck the rest cause u one o the best
@simulationone
Absolutely
@yvangogh6655
True!
@Dylanmaharaj
So many people complain about how much of a "rude, disrespectful, and outrageous" person Kanye West is, but at the end of the day, the man is completely talented with what he does. He makes true art, and although he may be very opinionated, aren't we all? I give him so much respect for his hustle. I hope one day I can inspire the world with my music the way Kanye continues to do each day. Feel free to give my songs a listen, if you like what you hear, that's all that really matters to me.
@bigpunforever5546
Dylan Maharaj love the music man, you from the east coast?
@Dylanmaharaj
keith mitchells Thank you so much for giving my music a chance brother, I'll definitely keep it up!
@Dylanmaharaj
BigPun Forever Thank you for giving me a chance homie! But nah, I'm actually born and raised in California :D