The Life of Kanye West

By GE3009
  • Birthday

    Kanye Omari West was born on June 8th, 1977. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents were Ray West and Donda West.
  • Parents' Divorce

    At the age of 3, West's parents divorced. He then moved to the south side of Chicago, Illinois, with his mother. He spent summers with his father.
  • Graduation From High School

    West graduated from Polaris High School in 1994. He decided to go to college afterwards. He still lived in Chicago at the time.
  • Dropped Out of College

    West believed he was not learning fast enough. He dropped out of art school at Chicago State University in 2000. He later pursued his musical career.
  • Production Going Up

    Kanye West eventually became known as a man who knew his music. He was hired by famous rapper Jay-Z to produce tracks for his new album, The Blueprint. The album sold over 420,000 copies in a week alone. West soon after produced for artists such as Ludacris and Beyoncé.
  • The College Dropout Released

    On February 10, 2004, Kanye West's debut album The College Dropout was released under Roc-A-Fella records. It became an instant classic peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200. It's been certified Platinum in America twice. West also produced every song. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_College_Dropout
  • Late Registration Release

    Kanye West's long awaited sophomore album, Late Registration, was released on this date. It was almost as successful as The College Dropout. Over 3,000,000 copies have been sold in America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Registration
  • Advertisement Controversy

    During a concert for Hurricane Katrina on NBC, West was a featured speaker along with Mike Myers. The two were to follow a script but West disregarded it by saying "George Bush doesn't care about black people." He was then cut off from tv but America already heard what he said. Bush was asked about this incident in an interview later and he stated that it was "one of the most disgusting moments" in his presidency.
  • Graduation Release

    West's third studio album was released on September 11, 2007. It was his most successful release so far. The album was put against heavy competition with 50 Cent's album sales. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduation_(album)
  • Donda West's Death

    On this day, Kanye West's mother, Donda West died of complications from cosmetic surgery. She was 58 years old. The funeral took place in Oklahoma City, ten days later.
  • 808s & Heartbreak Release

    November 24, 2008, marks the date of West's fourth album 808s & Heartbreak. It had more R&B and Pop influences than Hip Hop. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/808s_%26_Heartbreak
  • Incident at the VMAs

    At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift won the award for Best Female Video. During her acceptance speech, Kanye West interrupted her saying "Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!" He got booed off the stage for this and many people were disgusted with him.
  • My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Release

    Kanye West released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on November 22, 2010. It is his most highly acclaimed album so far. Metacritic, a site that averages critic ratings out of 100, calculated the album with a score of 94. It's the most hyped album of the decade.
  • Watch the Throne with Jay-Z Release

    From 2010 to 2011, Kanye West was working on a collaboration album with Jay-Z. It was released on August 8, 2011, with the name Watch the Throne. The album was a huge success and hit singles from it were featured in movies and commercials.
  • Kanye & Kim's Baby Announced

    Kanye West and his celebrity girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, received news that they will be having a baby. The news spread quickly and the press is looking out for any information they can find. The baby is expected to be a girl.