Modern rap is known and identified with Kanye West.
Hip-hop was irrevocably altered by his defining early 2000s interpretation of the genre, a trend he has continued ever since. Every time he alters his sound, a new age of rap emerges, and his lengthy line of offspring follow suit.
Unfortunately, his, seemingly, unquenchable drive to stir up controversy frequently overshadows all that groundbreaking goodness. West has made quite a stir throughout his career, from calling out other rappers to sabotaging a rising Taylor Swift’s big VMA moment to starting beef with nearly everyone.
Despite everything, West has been able to build himself a successful career in music, fashion, and other fields. According to CelebrityNetworth.com, the rapper is worth close to $6.6 billion. While the Donda artist’s albums consistently bring in $1.5 billion a year in sales, a sizable portion of his income comes from his Yeezy apparel brand and Adidas collaboration.
His Yeezy brand is thought to bring in between $4 and $5 billion annually. His agreement with The Gap increased West’s net worth by $1 billion in March 2021.
Regardless of your feelings toward him, he has done well for himself. We’ll plot a path through the controversial rapper’s career below.
Early Years
Kanye Omari West was raised in Chicago, Illinois, under DJ No I.D’s musical direction. West started experimenting with his own sound while studying under the producer. Later, in 1997, he enrolled in the American Academy of Art before changing to Chicago State University to pursue an English degree. He eventually left school when he was 20 to focus on his music career.
While he was honing his technique, he began his career by creating beats for other artists to use. The rapper Grave’s self-titled debut album was his first official producing credit. During this time, he also collaborated with the musicians Foxy Brown, Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie, and Harlem World.
Large Break
While employed by Roc-A-Fella Records as a producer in 2000, West gained notoriety. There, he collaborated with well-known performers from the Hip Hop and R&B scenes, including Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, and Ludacris.
However, West’s contribution on Jay-2011 Z’s album The Blueprint was what really sparked people’s interest in his work. After the record was out, he really took off and started working for other big names like Beyoncé and John Legend.
Despite his success as a producer, West’s ultimate goal was to become a successful independent rapper. West was motivated by a catastrophic vehicle accident in 2002, and while his jaw was still wired shut, he recorded the song “Through the Wire.” The remainder of his debut album, The College Dropout, was released in 2004 to rousing acclaim, garnering him ten Grammy nominations and ultimately earning triple platinum status in the United States.
Following Albums
The rapper has had all but one of his albums fail to reach Platinum status in the US while continuing to release critically acclaimed albums.
Mid-’00s rap was fully characterised by 808’s & Heartbreak, who also popularised the booming drum machine. Yeezus generated significant debate in 2013 because of claims that the rapper was equating himself to Jesus by using the moniker. The spiritual approach in The Life of Pablo altered West’s voice once more. After that, he launched Jesus is King in 2019 and dove headfirst into the divine.
In 2019, he also started to pursue weekly “Sunday Service” orchestration with his backup choir out of respect for his beliefs. For a period, the ensemble frequently gave Sunday performances, performing a blend of contemporary music and gospel standards.
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West recently released the albums Donda and Donda 2, which included a variety of well-known celebrities with a deeper tone. The unique release of part 2, which is only accessible via his Stem Player, decreased the appeal of the first record, which enjoyed broad acclaim.
Along with releasing his own music, Kanye West has continued to work as a producer for musicians such as 6ix9ine, XXXTentacion, Lil Pump, Chance the Rapper, Kid Cudi, and Teyana Taylor.
Yeezy
With his 2009 Air Yeezy sneaker, West became the first non-athlete to sign a shoe deal with Nike. West has always exhibited an interest in fashion. Additionally, he has created footwear for Guiseppe Zanotti, Bape, and Louis Vuitton.
Adidas and West collaborated to create the Yeezy Boost 750 sneaker, which was formally unveiled in 2013. After being released online for 20 minutes, the collaboration sold out in New York. Up to six concepts were eventually produced by West and the company. Adidas sponsored Kanye West’s season 1 debut of his entire Yeezy apparel line in 2015. Season 2 followed that year, and season 3 was unveiled in 2016.
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