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.
Livin' a Movie
kanye west Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get ya popcorn, get ya condiments, you don't wanna miss nothin, ok listen
[Verse 1]
They call me Edward Scissorhands cuz i'm tryin to cut
She claim she got cramps, I'm gone get you to suck
And you not gon use ya teeth ya hear?
You gon find out What Lies Beneath right here
The kids been callin you the headless horseman
Like Sleepy Hollow see she swallow
Suck like ol girl got booed at Apollo
13 Ghost use my Hollow Mans for Friday 13th
You be Ghost, Backdraft from the toast
Niggaz who drop names is, oh so shameless
Get a chain thats stainless, they Almost Famous
My bling got 'em callin me, Lord Of The Rings
The Shining make it hard for her to Do The Right Thing
But I Don't Say Word, I'll never tell
Until you get a Kanye beat, you'll never sell
[Chorus]
I'm livin a movie, not livin by rules
It's just a movie, don't lose ya cool
1,2 Ye comin for you, 3,4 better lock your door
5,6, 7,8, 9,10 never sleep again
[Verse 2]
Shits deeper, than The Sleepers
Jeeper Creep-up on your block and cops Clock-us
Try to Baller Block-us, use Absolute Power
You gave him 9 1/2 Weeks, why you tryin to Rush Hours huh?
And in The Cell don't drop soap in the showers huh
They try to give me Life, I'm out in a hour huh
Back on the block wit more Juice than Pac
Makin Mo' Money cuz of The, The, The, The Roc
[Chorus]
I said some shit like, umm, you in my things like Suicide Kings
There's only Three Kings, Me, Myself and Irene, you know what I'm sayin
In “Livin' a Movie,” Kanye West is describing his life as if it were a movie. He tells listeners to grab their popcorn and sit back and enjoy the show. The song contains a lot of film references in its lyrics, as if Kanye is trying to create a cinematic experience for his listeners. The song’s chorus states that he’s not living by the rules, and that his life is just a movie. In verse one, he compares himself to Edward Scissorhands, and talks about how he’s going to make a woman suck him off without using her teeth. He then uses movie references like The Preacher's Wife and Sleepy Hollow to describe how he likes his women. Kanye continues to refer to movies in the song, and even talks about his own celebrity status, and how his heroes are Lord Of The Rings and The Shining.
In verse two Kanye talks about the deeper aspects of his life, using movies like The Sleeper and Jeeper Creepers as examples. He talks about how the cops are always watching him and that he's always being clocked. He then references Absolute Power and Rush Hour, and uses them to describe how his life is like a movie plot. In the end he tells his love interest that she's like the Suicide Kings, and he's the only true king. The song's chorus repeats many times and is likely to be stuck in your head long after the song is over.
Line by Line Meaning
They call me Edward Scissorhands cuz i'm tryin to cut
People refer to me as Edward Scissorhands because I aim to cut.
She claim she got cramps, I'm gone get you to suck
She alleges that she has menstrual cramps, but I will make her perform oral sex on me.
You gon find out What Lies Beneath right here
You will know what secrets lie beneath when you are with me.
The Preachers Wife don't give head? Get a divorce man
If a preacher's wife refuses to perform oral sex, then the husband should get a divorce.
Like Sleepy Hollow see she swallow
Like the movie Sleepy Hollow, she also swallows (referring to oral sex).
Suck like ol girl got booed at Apollo
She performs oral sex so poorly that it is like the woman who got booed off stage at the Apollo.
13 Ghost use my Hollow Mans for Friday 13th
I use hollow bullets from 13 Ghosts during Friday the 13th.
You be Ghost, Backdraft from the toast
You will be dead, and I will raise a toast in commemoration.
Niggaz who drop names is, oh so shameless
People who name-drop are very shameful.
Get a chain thats stainless, they Almost Famous
If you get a stainless steel chain, you'll only be almost famous.
My bling got 'em callin me, Lord Of The Rings
People refer to me as the Lord of the Rings because of my jewelry.
The Shining make it hard for her to Do The Right Thing
The shining (his fame and success) make it hard for her to do the right thing (be faithful).
But I Don't Say Word, I'll never tell
I will never reveal any secrets.
Until you get a Kanye beat, you'll never sell
Unless you get a beat from me, you will not be successful.
I'm livin a movie, not livin by rules
I am living my life like a movie and not following any rules.
It's just a movie, don't lose ya cool
It's just a movie, don't get too emotional.
1,2 Ye comin for you, 3,4 better lock your door
Kanye is coming for you, so you should lock your door.
5,6, 7,8, 9,10 never sleep again
You should never sleep again, as danger is always lurking around.
Shits deeper, than The Sleepers
The situation is more profound than the movie The Sleepers.
Jeeper Creep-up on your block and cops Clock-us
Someone, like the character Jeepers Creepers, is lurking on your block and the cops are watching us.
Try to Baller Block-us, use Absolute Power
People try to block our dreams using their absolute power.
You gave him 9 1/2 Weeks, why you tryin to Rush Hours huh?
You took nine and a half weeks to give him love, so why are you trying to limit my time with you (like the movie Rush Hour)?
And in The Cell don't drop soap in the showers huh
When in prison, avoid dropping the soap while taking a shower.
They try to give me Life, I'm out in a hour huh
They sought to imprison me for life, but I was out in just an hour.
Back on the block wit more Juice than Pac
I'm back in the game with more power than Tupac.
Makin Mo' Money cuz of The, The, The, The Roc
I am making more money because of The Roc (a reference to his collaboration with Roc-A-Fella Records).
I said some shit like, umm, you in my things like Suicide Kings
I have said something like 'you are in my head' like in the movie Suicide Kings.
There's only Three Kings, Me, Myself and Irene, you know what I'm sayin
There are only three kings: me, myself, and (a reference to the movie) Irene.
Contributed by Cameron I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@NathanCrumrine
I love almost all these early R&B soul raps and beats of Kanye's, but I also love alot of his newer "more mainstream" dance tracks and dark/introspective songs. It's called artistic evolution, someone this talented can't be restricted to one sound always and in my opinion has done great in almost all sound's he's tried.
@cikie100
kanye west stays a legend, with or without you.those who hate have no place for love.
@xinad333
Hi
@lilmabu17
do you still agree with this statement?
@ciskokid7893
@Mabu si
@aroningikevinsson5322
This statement is more applicable now than 9yrs ago
@kingofthewise
@Aron Ingi Kevinsson yes
@rollingpeacefully1524
This guy misses the old Kanye before the old Kanye was a thing
@donjam33
lmaoo he callin kanye washed in 2007
@cuyxjrplays
@@donjam33 graduation was so different from late and college dropout so is understandable and also Kanye west old music aged like fucking wine used in the roman empire age imo.