On the rapper’s 45th birthday, we reveal why Kanye is more than music.
Designer, producer, rapper, songwriter, stylist, entrepreneur, Kim Kardashian‘s ex-husband, and US presidential candidate – Kanye West‘s track record, celebrating his 45th birthday on June 8, 2022, is worthy of every respect.
In the early 2000s, rap culture was centered around a difficult childhood, money, gold chains, and other attributes of gangsta’s paradise. When, in 2002, Kanye West, who previously worked as a producer the musician has succeeded in creating hits for Jay-Z, Alisha Keys, and Janet Jackson, decided to start a solo career, he changed the rules of the game.
In his singles, the revolutionary rap artist spoke of education, mother love, and religion. “I consider myself an ordinary person. Just think about what you have been through in the last week, and you will definitely find a song about it in my album,” he shared in an interview.
In addition to the essence of rap compositions, Kanye changed the image of a rap artist, bypassing the seemingly mandatory starter pack in the form of a childhood spent in the ghetto and drug charges as was the case with Tupac, 50 Cent or The Notorious BIG.
This has inspired many musicians, including Lil Uzi Vert, Juice WRLD, and Drake, to rap about what they really care about, against previously established industry standards. “He Kanye is the most influential musician I have ever met,” Drake once admitted.
At the same time, West, who never received a musical education, experimented a lot with sound: he drew inspiration from U2, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin, combined electronic music and country motives.
His compositions quickly gained critical and commercial success. So far, Kanye, whose last album was released in 2019, is one of the best-selling music artists, with more than 20 million albums and 140 million singles sold worldwide.
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He won 22 Grammys, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time. The rapper’s other awards include the Billboard Artist Achievement Award, three BRIT Awards, and the Michael Jackson Special Award at the MTV VMAs.
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