Kanye West's Full Bio

The rapper currently known as Ye was born Kanye Omari West, on June 8th, 1977. He was born in Atlanta Georgia, but would be raised in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Donda (née Williams) West, was a professor of English, and his father, Ray West, had been a Black Panther, and was a photojournalist.

West began writing his own poems at age five, and by third grade, he was rapping. He earned a scholarship to study art, but soon transferred to major in English, then dropped out to focus on his music. West has shared publicly that he has battles with mental health, and he’s been the center of controversy frequently for political and social statements, including antisemitic sentiments, keeping company with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, support of Donald Trump, and his own run for President of the United States.

Despite all this, his music has remained popular, though some of his other ventures have suffered, with some of the most recent incidents doing serious damage to his net worth – which reportedly dropped from $1.5 billion to around $400 million after a partnership with Adidas went sour.

Early Life and Education

Ye was raised by parents steeped in education and socio-political activity, and says that he earned As and Bs in school. His mother says that she took him with her to study for a year in China while she taught as a Fulbright Scholar, and that she enrolled him in classes including gymnastics, computers, and art. She describes a childhood in which she tried to give Kanye every possible cultural experience in her budget.

Career:

1990s

While Ye’s career would explode in coming years, in the ‘90s he was the epitome of a struggling artist, writing beats for local artists. He was working, and sometimes getting credit – such as his first production credit in 1996, at the age of 19, on several tracks of Down to Earth, for Chicago rapper, Grav.

His own first album would be with a rap group he formed called the Go-Getters, and that album, released in 1999, would be the only one from the group.

2000s

This is where West’s career explodes.

In 2002, after a car accident, West released a single, “Through The Wire,” which he recorded with his jaw wired shut. He also announced he was working on a full album.

His debut album, "The College Dropout," was released in 2004, and was a hit, selling over 2.6 million copies in the US and winning Best Rap Album at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.

Kanye’s ego would begin to show publicly during this period, too, though. At the 2006 Music Awards, when he didn’t win Best New Artist, he went on stage during the presentation to argue that he should have been declared the winner. He’d repeat this performance in 2009 when Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video, though this time he’d argue Beyonce should have been given the award.

Throughout this decade, he would release several more hit albums, including Late Registration in 2005, Graduation in 2007, and 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. He’d also jump into fashion, with a clothing line in 2006, and a collaboration with Nike to produce Air Yeezy shoes.

2010s

Kanye continued to release hit records and fashion items. He collaborated with Louis Vitton and Giuseppe Zanotti to create designers shoes, then signed a deal with Adidas to sell his Yeezy products. At first this was a shoe line, then the deal expanded to include sports performance products. This deal would come to an abrupt end in 2022 after West made comments on social media and podcasts, including a tweet threatening to “go death con 3” on Jewish people.

His music continued to rack up the awards even as his personal actions caused controversy. He won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2015, and in 2020, Rolling Stone included six of his albums on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

2020s

This is the period in which Ye’s personal – or public – life gets darker, with his divorce finalized, his presidential campaign, and more controversial public commentary.

Professionally, however, it marks the period in which Netflix buys the rights to his documentary for $30 million, a short-lived deal signed to sell Yeezy products through The Gap, and being announced as a headliner at Coachella Valley Music & Artws Festival – though he’d cancel before the event.

Business Ventures

Aside from his music, Ye has released several fashion and shoe lines, founded his own record label and production company, GOOD Music, a creative content company named Donda, after his mother, and an architecture firm called Yeezy Home.

With his mother in 2003 Kanye formed the Dr. Donda West Foundation and Donda’s House, aimed at helping Chicago’s at-risk youth.

Presidential Campaign 2020

Ye launched a presidential campaign in 2020, but began too late to be on the ballot in many states. He ran as a third-party candidate, forming what he called the Birthday Party. There was speculation that he was intended to be a “spoiler candidate” to pull voted from Democrat Joe Biden and help Republican nominee Donald Trump win. These theories were supported by allegations of unreported donations accepted from right-wing operatives, but never firmly proven.

He conceded on November 4th, with a reported total vote count in the neighborhood of 70k.

Relationships

Kanye West was engaged to fashion designer Alexis Phifer in 2006, but they called off their engagement in 2008.

He then began dating reality TV star Kim Kardashian in 2012, and they were married in 2014 in a widely-publicized ceremony.

The couple had four children together, and their relationship was the subject of much media attention.

In early 2021, it was reported that Kardashian had filed for divorce from West, citing "irreconcilable differences". She later alleged that he was dragging out the process, and their divorce was finalized in November 2022.

West has also been linked to a number of other high-profile women over the years, including model Amber Rose and musician Selita Ebanks, but it's his marriage and divorce from Kardashian that have received the most attention in recent years.

Religion

Ye professes to be a Christian, and often cites his faith in his music and other endeavors.

Health

Kanye West has been open about his struggles with mental health over the years. He has spoken publicly about his bipolar disorder diagnosis, and has been vocal about how it has affected his life and work. West has been hospitalized multiple times due to mental health crises, and has also been criticized for some of his erratic behavior. He has also been an advocate for mental health awareness, and has frequently spoken out about the importance of seeking help and reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness. His fans have blamed some of his worse public behavior on his mental illness.

Net Worth

Ye’s net worth was reportedly $1.5 billion before a series of antisemitic comments in 2022 destroyed some of his projects and brought him down to $400 million.

Activism

West's activism has included support for victims of Hurricane Katrina and for mental health, as well as his foundations formed in his mother's name. He is also a pro-life activist, who says that abortion is a form of genocide aimed at Black babies.

Controversies

West is a continuously controversial figure, with incidents ranging from a penchant for public tantrums over awards to incoherent Twitter rants to blatantly antisemitic comments. Other problematic public statements from him include a claim that being enslaved was a "choice" Black people made in early America. He has also been criticized for hanging out with podcaster Nick Fuentes, who is known for open statements of white supremacy, and for bringing Fuentes to meet former president Donald Trump at his home in Florida.