Kanye West Life of the Profressive Hip-Hop Star - 643 Words

Kanye West has been an icon in American hip-hop culture for over a decade. His music, fashion line, producing skills, and flamboyant personality has influenced many people for generations to come. Coming out of Chicago, many people in the music industry didnt even think Kanye had a chance to become a figure in hip-hop, but his hard work and persistence paid off. Kanye started off his music career as a producer. He produced music for the likes of major artists such as Common and Jay-Z. His first major breakthrough came from producing Jay-Z’s â€Å"The Blueprint†Ã¢â‚¬â€ which is certified 2x platinum. Kanye believed he could be a successful rapper as well, but music executives didnt believe he had it in him. That all changed when Roc-A-Fella records signed Kanye to their label, and gave him a chance to shine as a rapper. Kanye’s background, critical analysis, and importance all shows that he has become one of the most important characters in American hip-hop cultu re to this day. Kanye Omari West was born in Atlanta, Georgia on June, 8 1977. His mom and him soon relocated to Chicago, Illinois after his parents divorced. Kanye spent all of his youth life in Chicago. He spent his time during the school year with his mother, who was an English professor, and spent summers with his dad, who was an award-winning photographer then turned church counselor. â€Å"I was taught to think on my own growing up, that’s what a lot of black kids don’t get† (Newsmakers 2). During his time in high school