Kanye West is one of the top music, fashion and pop culture figures worldwide. But his journey to success wasn’t easy. Kanye began at the bottom, and the narrative of his ascent to the top is that of a workaholic, gifted, and yes, at times, controversial person.
Kanye [was] a product of Atlanta, Georgia (born 8 June 1977) but grew up in Chicago.
Music was something he enjoyed at an early age and he started producing beats at a young age (teenage). Kanye didn’t have an easy time at first. He didn’t attend a flashy music conservatory nor have a famous connection. By contrast, he spent years perfecting it, producing beats for other rappers in the vicinity. His breakthrough came by working together with the experienced artists, e.g., Jay-Z.
In 2001, Kanye helped produce Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint. The album continued to be a massive hit, and became the vehicle for Kanye to come onto the scene as, among other things, a producer of quality. But Kanye wanted more than just being a producer. He dreamed of the life as a rapper and of the origin of his songs. He released his debut album, The College Dropout in 2004. The music contained on this album was a hit and a fresh approach to rap music was presented. Kanye’s typical style of fusing soul music with deep themes of lyricism made him unique.
Following The College Dropout, Kanye produced commercially successful albums, e.g., Late Registration, Graduation, and 808s Heartbreak, . He became known for pushing boundaries, trying new things, and not being afraid to speak his mind. But with fame came controversy. (For instance, Kanye’s) actions (e.g., by interjecting in Taylor Swift’s announcement for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards) gained all the “negative” publicity. But in their rather more explosive direction Kanye’s productions developed (whereas concurrently, his involvement increased both in scale and significance).
And after that, Kanye also became a clothing entrepreneur (selling a clothing line, Yeezy). He built a company that only went beyond music, showing everyone that he was not a rapper, but something else.
Through striving and determination in pursuing the creative process, Kanye’s meteoric rise exemplifies that one can, even when the road is challenging, make it to the destination. He may not acquire a huge popularity all the time due to what he is immersed in, but, without a doubt, Kanye West is one of the impactful people of the generation.
