Today, one of the most famous American rapper, songwriter, record producer, film director, entrepreneur, and fashion designer, Kanye West – celebrates his 44th birthday today.
Kanye West turns 44 Today
The rap mogul is one of the top Grammy winners in history, with 22 awards.
Kanye West has earned the right to be considered one of the top creative geniuses of his time and is still continuing to contribute to the worlds of fashion and music. Today is the Chicago native’s 44th birthday.
Kanye Omari West was born on June 8, 1977, and turns 44 years old today. He was born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, Illinois.
West began his music career as a producer in the mid-1990s for small time Chicago artists and, later, bigger names. 'Ye worked with Foxy Brown, Jermaine Dupri, Nas and more. There was a time when producing Jay-Z’s smash single “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” from The Blueprint was his biggest claim to fame. In addition to producing, West was shopping his demo CD around in an effort to convince labels that his musical ability was not just behind the boards.
West finally got a chance to show his stuff when Dame Dash signed him to Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s. He recorded his debut album, The College Dropout, while recovering from a near-fatal car accident, a moment in his life that marked a turning point for the budding MC. The College Dropout was released in February 2004.
Since then, it's been up from there. Over the years in the spotlight, 'Ye has notched six platinum-selling solo albums and garnered 22 Grammys. Thanks to his musical genius, his ambitious business ventures in the worlds of film and fashion and his outspoken personality, West has become one of hip-hop's most popular, and some might say infamous and polarizing, public figures.
Happy Birthday, Kanye West!