“Everybody wants to know what I would do if I didn’t win. I guess we’ll never know,” said Kanye West as he accepted his Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 47th Grammys in 2005.
West has 24 Grammy’s and over 200 other awards for his music. He made a name for himself in 2001 when he produced Jay-Z’s album “Blueprint.” He released his debut solo album in 2004, “The College Dropout,” which sold over 4 million copies worldwide, according to Britannica.
Prior to the 2000’s, rap was known as “gangster,” but West wanted to change that. He struggled to find a record deal because he didn’t fit the stereotype. He grew up comfortably and wasn’t involved in crime. When he became popular, he normalized rapping about things seen as “soft”; thus, disproving the stereotype that all rap was “gangster.”
“Kanye West is a pioneer, innovator and philosopher. He is innovative, not only for music but for an entire race. West was the first mainstream artist to speak his mind without caring what the consequences are,” said junior Zi’here England. “We have seen him go from music to fashion, and then to church choir. I feel like he is heavily misunderstood.”
Aside from music, West has a flamboyant personality. One of his biggest scandals was in 2009, when he interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV VMA.
“Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’m going to let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time,” said West.
West changed the culture of rap music and produced music for listeners all over the world, with over 64 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
“He’s a brilliant madman. He can’t help himself. He has to blurt things out – he is always saying inappropriate stuff,” said Madonna. “But, he has brilliant ideas.”
