Kanye West: all news and scoops!

• Occupation: singer
• Real name: Kanye Omari West
• Sign: Gemini
• Date of birth: Wednesday 08 June 1977 (age: 43)
• Country: United States

Born June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, Kanye West grew up in Chicago. He is the son of Ray West, a former member of the Black Panthers, and Donda West, an English professor at the University of Chicago. He began studying at an art school, the International Academy of Art and Design and Technology, based in Chicago, and then at the University of Chicago, but eventually dropped out of college and became a producer and became best known in 1998 for Jermaine Dupri’s album, Jermaine Dupri Presents : Life in 1472. He then became the beatmaker for many artists on the Roc-A-Fella Records label (Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Freeway, Beanie Sigel). He then produced the albums of Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Scarface and Mary J. Blige. But after nearly dying in a car accident on October 23, 2002, he decided to diversify and embarked on a solo career. In 2004, he released his debut album, The College Dropout, a worldwide success and best hip hop album of the year, which earned him three Grammy Awards among his ten nominations.

A year later, Kanye West released Late Registration, the most anticipated hip hop album of the year in which he signed numerous collaborations (with Jay-Z, John Legend, Brandy…). More accomplished, the album, nominated in the category album of the year and song of the year for the title Gold Digger, is again a huge success. In September 2007, it’s the turn of the excellent Graduation, a tribute album to Jay-Z, to be released. The album is definitely of quality, and the songs, like Stronger, produced in collaboration with Daft Punk, are excellent. In 2008, on the occasion of his fourth album, 808’s Heartbreak, Kanye West gives way to a much more pop sound, which makes this opus a composition apart in his discography. But this change of style is just as appealing to his audience. In 2011, he will release Watch the Throne, an album he shares with Jay-Z. The first single, H.A.M., was released in mid-January 2011 on the Internet.

In addition to his success in production and songwriting, Kanye West is known for his outspokenness, particularly in his critical stance against the Bush administration. Recently, he invested in the famous French bar-club-lounge 96 avenue and promised to make it a major venue for Parisian parties. Kanye West is also known for his attraction to fashion and his tendency to wear brand names. Brands, quickly grasping his important image capital, have therefore offered him several collaborations, such as Louis Vuitton, which in July 2009 released a brand of sneakers in collaboration with Kanye, or Nike with the Air Yeezy model which was a dazzling success. The rapper also spent two years learning the basics of luxury footwear alongside Giuseppe Zanotti, and designed his women’s ready-to-wear collection presented in October 2011.

In terms of his private life, after dating model Amber Rose for several years, he has been performing with American celebrity Kim Kardashian since April 2012. They welcomed a little girl, named North, on June 15, 2013. On October 21, 2013, the day of his 33rd birthday, the rapper rented the AT&T Park baseball stadium in San Francisco to propose in front of their numerous guests! On May 24, 2014 he married his fiancée in Florence in front of the cameras of the E! channel for the Kardashian family reality show. In May 2015, Kim Kardashian announces his second pregnancy during an episode of his reality show. On December 5, 2015, she gave birth to a baby boy named Saint. On 15 January 2018, they welcome a little girl named Chicago, born of a surrogate mother. On 10 May 2019, she announced on her Twitter account the birth of their fourth child, a boy, born of a surrogate mother. On May 17, they reveal their son’s first name, Psalm.