Kanye West is a musical chameleon. Whether it be the lush and orchestral textures of Late Registration or the minimalist landscape of Yeezus, he dares never to work with a comfortable and proven formula. He’s always challenging contemporaries.
Challenging listeners. Challenging popular music. And challenging himself with an amorphous musical philosophy. He is not in the business of communicating his art through a prism of conventions; in a method accurate to him, he demonstrates an obsession to destroy them.
Releasing eight solo albums, including four in four years, with moderately to radically different musical backdrops in just over a decade, Kanye West is Beatles-esque in his ability to stand unequivocally in popular music while remaining the world’s premier nonconformist.
He boasts maybe the most extensive and diverse collaborator list ever. Electro/House duo Daft Punk, record producer Rick Rubin, film score composer Jon Brion, R.Z.A. from the Wu-Tang Clan; and on the performer side, Neo-Soul Singer-Songwriter Sampha, Electro/Indie Pop Singer-Songwriter Sia appreciate Kanye West.
Not only these but Chris Martin from Coldplay, Justin Vernon from Indie Folk band Bon Iver, Adam Levine from Maroon 5, and many more musicians in and outside Hip Hop genre can say they have had prominent features in his music.
And these features from these many performers are not weak, frivolous inputs. They are commonly robust and even eclectic, with some even stealing the show from Kanye himself.
It is a hallmark of a great music producer in another sense—here West finds, in this endless sea of musical and thematic shifts, a way to optimize said collaborator’s talent. His ability to distinguish, and more importantly, showcase talent—more than the artist realizes, is remarkable.
Early Life
Kanye Omari West, who is famous by his stage name Kanye West, took birth in Atlanta, Georgia, America, on the date 8th of July, 1977. While he was only three years old, his parents got divorced, and the little Kanye used to live with his mom in Chicago.
His father, Ray West, is an earlier Black Panther, and after divorce, he moved to Maryland, where he used to run a small café in partnership with his other son.
Kanye West started rapping as early as he was in the third standard in school. Moreover, he started making his musical appearances when he was in the seventh standard.
Not only this, but he was a bright student of his school, and because of that, he also received a scholarship after completing high school. In the year 1997, he attended Chicago’s American Academy of Arts. West left his school in the middle when he was 20 years old to follow his passion, which is music.
Career
He got his big step forward when he became the producer for artists on Roc-A-Fella Records.
Kanye West started his career as a successful producer, but his heart’s sincere desire was to become a rapper.
In the year 2004, he got the breakthrough in his rapping career when he released his debut album ‘The College Dropout,’ which sold 441,000 copies in its first week.
In the year 2005, he worked together with composer Jon Brion to initiate work on West’s new album ‘Late Registration.’ His previous album had, by this time, sold 2.3 million copies only in the United States.
Two years later, he made public his third studio album named ‘Graduation,’ which peaked and ranked as No.1 at the U.S. Billboard 200 and sold about 957,000 copies in the first week in the United States. The track titled ‘Stronger’ became Kanye’s major single hit by far.
In the year 2010, West released his fifth album ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,’ which topped the Billboard charts and was appreciated as a genius piece of work by the critics. The album became platinum in the States.
Awards And Achievements
He has received so many awards and appreciations throughout his music career, some of them are awards, and some of them are gold, silver, and platinum certificates.
Kanye West is one of the most prosperous artists in Grammy Awards history. As of the year 2017, he has won a total of 21 Grammys.
Discography
Following are the discographies of Kanye West
- The College Dropout (2004)
- Late Registration (2005)
- Graduation (2007)
- 808s & Heartbreak (2008)
- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
- Watch the Throne (with Jay-Z) (2011)
- Yeezus (2013)
- The Life of Pablo (2016)
- Ye (2018)
- Jesus Is King (2019)
- Donda (2020)
Filmography
The following are the filmographies of Kanye West.
- The College Dropout Video Anthology (2004)
- Late Orchestration (2006)
- VH1 Storytellers (2010)
- Runaway (2010)
- Jesus Is King (2019)
Kanye West Net Worth
Following are the net estimated assets and liabilities of Kanye West
Assets:
- Real estate assets = $120 million
- Music catalog including G.O.O.D Music = $80 million
- Value of Yeezy brand = $500 million
Other assets = $20 million
Total assets = $720 million
Liabilities and other considerations = $100 million
We have estimated Kanye West’s net worth by accumulating his earnings from music, and other businesses he owns. Kanye West’s net worth as of 2022 is $6.6 billion.
Moreover, Kanye expended $74,000 on gifts for his firstborn daughter, North, who was 18 months old at the time. The haul consisted of a $62,000 diamond-encrusted tiara and a $12,000 toy facsimile of his black S.U.V.
Conclusion
Kanye West has reformulated what it means to be a rapper and musician by operating in his vein, one that is without mold or boundary.
Though he may be the most divisive man of his day, make no mistake about his musicianship. A resolute exploratory figure, he is the most influential artist of the 21st century. And he is a genius.
Indeed, Kanye West is one of the most famous rappers of all time. West has worked in partnership with stars all over the world and has made his name well-known by also opening a fashion company and a record label which he started by himself.