Kanye Omari West (; born June 8, 1977)
is an American
rapper,
singer, and
record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for
Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on
Jay-Z's album
The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including
Alicia Keys,
Ludacris, and
Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from
soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences ranging from '70s
R&B, to
synth-pop, and
classical music.
He released his debut album
The College Dropout in 2004, his second album
Late Registration in 2005, his third album
Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album
808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His first three albums (and his fourth to a lesser extent) have received numerous awards
and critical acclaim.
All have been very commercially successful, with
808s & Heartbreak becoming his third consecutive #1 album in the U.S. upon release. West also runs his own record label
GOOD Music.
West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a
teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of three of his four albums as well as various single covers and music videos.
