One of the most influential and important hip-hop acts of this generation, Kanye West has proven himself to be a musical mastermind of the 21st century. A multi-faceted talent who has been a part of the music industry for more than two decades, the world renowned rapper/singer/producer/songwriter and entrepreneur continues to serve his position as one of hip-hop’s most polarizing artists.
With numerous hit singles and albums under his belt, the veteran act has single-handedly changed the hip-hop game over the years. And as the GOOD Music founder gears up for his globally awaited return with his eighth studio album and an ambitious joint LP with Kid Cudi, we’re excited to present Kanye West as our Artist of the Month for June 2018.
Born in Atlanta, the Chicago-raised artist first came to the spotlight in the early 1990s after he started to make a name for himself as a producer for several acts around his city. In 2000, Kanye got his big break after he began to serve as an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records which led him to make some key contributions on Jay Z’s highly acclaimed album, ‘The Blueprint’.
Producing hits for the likes of Ludacris, Alicia Keys amongst others, Kanye went on to focus on his aspiration to be a rapper, and be accepted as one in the hip-hop industry at that point of time. But come 2002, he finally created his debut track, ‘Through The Wire’ which was brought to life by him after a car accident that inspired him to make the record in the first place.
Following the release of his ‘Get Well Soon…’ mixtape in December 2002, Kanye’s debut album, ‘The College Dropout’ officially dropped in February 2004. Accompanied by stellar singles including ‘Slow Jamz’ and ‘Jesus Walks’, his first LP was eventually received as one of hip-hop’s biggest and brightest debut works.
Later that year, the talented act also announced his very own label, GOOD Music that would go on to house artists and producers including NO I.D., John Legend and many more. What followed next was his second studio album, ‘Late Registration’ which was released in 2005. Quickly cementing its spot as one of Kanye’s biggest albums in his career, Late Registration also saw him collaborate with famed American film score composer Jon Brion besides several others.
With ‘Graduation’, Kanye West managed to generate a major shift within the hip-hop scene as his signature styles had already begun to capture the attention of listeners around the globe. Featuring contributions from the likes of Chris Martin of Coldplay, Lil Wayne and more, Graduation also delivered some huge singles including ‘Stronger’, ‘Good Life’ and ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’.
As Kanye West continued on his journey towards the upper echelon of the music industry, his fourth album, ‘808s & Heartbreak’ arrived in November 2008, and also churned out hit efforts like ‘Love Lockdown’ and ‘Heartless’. Exploring themes of love, loneliness and heartache, his latest LP had a significant impact on the hip-hop scene, and paved the way for several other rappers to take more creative risk with their works.
In 2010, Kanye West stormed back into the scene, and showed off his musical genius once again with the release of his fifth studio album, ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’. Released in November of that year, the monumental LP happens to be considered as arguably, his best album till date. Featuring collaborations with names like Pusha T, Jay Z, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and many more, his humongous project delivered hits like ‘All Of The Lights’, ‘Power’, ‘Monster’ and ‘Runaway’.
With Watch The Throne, Kanye West and Jay Z united for one of 21st century’s biggest collaborative projects. Featuring tracks like ‘Ni**as in Paris’ and ‘Otis’ amongst others, WTT secured its spot as one of the decade’s classiest albums. In 2012, fans were treated to his GOOD Music label’s massive compilation, ‘Cruel Summer’ which also gave way to singles like ‘Mercy’ and ‘Clique’.
Next in line came Kanye West’s most unorthodox and probably, his most critically acclaimed album till date. With ‘Yeezus’, Kanye showcased a true sense of freedom and creative expression as the 10-track effort turned out to be his most experimental and sonically abrasive work. Boasting of production credits from the likes of Daft Punk, Hudson Mohawke, Arca, Rick Rubin, Gesaffelstein and more, 2013 proved to be yet another career-defining year for the man himself.
2015 saw him return to action with the release of ‘FourFiveSeconds’ alongside Rihanna and Paul McCartney before dishing out the grimy ‘All Day’ which announced its arrival as one of his boldest works till date. Come 2016, Kanye West kicked things off with the release of ‘Facts’ on NYE before dropping more tracks on his SoundCloud including ‘Real Friends’ and ‘No More Parties in L.A’ featuring Kendrick Lamar.
Later during January that year, he announced the newest change to his upcoming album’s title to ‘Waves’ before once again modifying it to ‘The Life of Pablo’ in February, days prior to the LP’s highly anticipated release. On February 11, the world witnessed the premiere of the album at Madison Square Garden before it was globally released on February 14, 2016. Boasting of guest appearances by the likes of Frank Ocean, Chance The Rapper, Rihanna, The Weeknd and many more, TLOP quickly turned out to become one of his most successful albums till date.
Later that year, Kanye caught everyone by surprise with the unveil of his controversial music video for TLOP cut, ‘Famous’. Besides the release of the star-studded collaboration, ‘Champions’, 2016 also saw him go on the humongous Saint Pablo tour in support of his seventh studio album before cancelling a lot of its remaining dates during the final quarter.
After almost a year long hiatus, Kanye West returned to social media in April 2018 which also saw him face flak over his controversial statements on a range of topics. Additionally, he also dropped two singles during that month, including ‘Ye Vs. The People’ and ‘Lift Yourself’. Moreover, during a series of tweets, he also revealed information regarding his eighth studio album which would be a 7-track effort and also, an upcoming collaborative project with Kid Cudi titled Kids See Ghosts. Announcing his return to production duties, Kanye also dished out that he would be producing albums for Pusha T, Teyana Taylor and Nas as well.
And come June 1, Kanye West finally shared his latest album, ‘ye’ with world which also marks itself as his shortest LP till date. Featuring contributions from the likes of Ty Dolla $ign, John Legend, Kid Cudi and more, ‘ye’ has already managed to cement its position as the iconic artist’s latest masterpiece.