Kanye West

ABOUT THE BOOK

Love him or hate him, Kanye West is one of the biggest rap artists in history. With numerous Grammy Awards and six platinum albums, West has diversified the face and sound of rap music. Before Kanye took rap by storm in 2004, the rap scene was almost completely dominated by gangster rap. Kanye's middle class background and preppy image breathed new life into what had become a one-dimensional music genre.

Kanye's rise to fame did not come easy. His mother, Dr. Donda West, had always hoped Kanye would graduate college and pursue higher education. Professionally, Kanye struggled to be taken seriously as a solo rapper, even after he successfully collaborated with notable rappers like Jay Z. As soon as Roc-A-Fella music signed Kanye, though, he began churning out platinum albums.

Once Kanye was firmly established in his music career, the only person getting in the way of Kanye West was Kanye West. His public temper tantrums, though interesting at first, have slowly whittled away at his professional image. His petulant behavior has garnered him enormous amounts of negative attention from the general public and people in public office. Two United States Presidents have criticized Kanye West's attitude and actions.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

Kanye Omari West was born June 8th, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. Both of his parents came from an intellectual background. Kanye's father, Ray West, was a photographer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a former member of the Black Panthers. His mother, Dr. Donda West, was a professor of English. In Atlanta, Donda taught at Clark Atlanta University.

When Kanye was only three years old, his parents divorced. His mother left Clark Atlanta University for Chicago, Illinois. There, Donda assumed a position as the chair of the English Department at Chicago State University. Kanye grew up in a middle class neighborhood in on the South Side of Chicago with his mother, though he spent each summer with his father in Washington, D.C.. In an interview Donda recalls, "We had such a full and rich lifestyle when we didn't have a lot. There were benefits to being a university professor. Our staying in China for a year was because I was a foreign expert to the People's Republic of China, teaching English."

Donda made sure that Kanye received the best education possible. She sent Kanye to good schools, and arranged extra curricular activities that stimulated his artistic inclinations. Donda was consciously trying to raise a future leader, and taught Kanye to always speak his mind. Donda says "There is no room for shyness. I raised him that way, to think critically and analytically and not be afraid to voice what you feel. I helped shape that. I think leaders are people who must do that."

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Kanye West

• Introduction

• A Middle Class Youth:

• Behind the Scenes

• The Turning Point

• ...and much more

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