Kanye West is a rapper as outspoken as he is talented, and he has a knack for generating headlines as well as for creating classic albums like ‘Late Registration’ and ‘Graduation.’ The songwriter, singer, record producer and fashion designer was born in 1977 in Atlanta and raised in Chicago. He began rapping in the third grade, later dropping out of college to pursue a music career. Signed to Roc-A-Fella records, he released debut album ‘College Dropout’ in 2004. A string of multiplatinum successes followed, as did a whopping 21 (and counting) Grammy Awards. The controversies also came, from his televised diss of President George W. Bush to his infamous awards-show interruption of Taylor Swift. He grabbed yet more headlines when he fathered a baby with and wed reality star Kim Kardashian.
Selected discography: ‘College Dropout’ (2004), ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ (2010), ‘Yeezus’ (2013)
Related artists: Jay Z, Drake, Rihanna
Further reading: Top 10 Kanye West Music Videos, Top Kanye West Disses, 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Kanye West