Kanye West

Kanye West, later known as Ye, is an American rapper, producer and fashion designer from Chicago who became one of the most influential figures in modern hip-hop. He first rose to prominence as a producer in the early 2000s, crafting soul-sampled beats for Roc-A-Fella artists before establishing himself as a rapper with his 2004 debut «The College Dropout». Across the following decade he continually reinvented his sound, moving through chipmunk-soul, orchestral maximalism, Auto-Tuned minimalism and industrial experimentation.

Albums such as «Late Registration», «Graduation», «808s & Heartbreak», and «My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy» are widely regarded as landmark, genre-shifting works, with the latter frequently cited among the most acclaimed albums of its era. He also released «Yeezus» and «The Life of Pablo», pushing further into abrasive, maximalist and gospel-inflected territory, and collaborated with Jay-Z on the album «Watch the Throne». His singles include «Stronger», «Heartless», «Gold Digger», «Mercy», «Monster» and «Ultralight Beam».

Beyond music, West built the Yeezy fashion brand and became a fixture of popular culture for his public persona and controversies. His production style — pitched-up soul samples, maximalist arrangements, and willingness to court dissonance — has shaped a generation of hip-hop and pop production.