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In the world of rap, and even just pop culture in general, there are few names that really stand out like Kanye West. West worked as a producer early in his music career, and then after a car accident nearly claimed his life, West decided to get into singing tracks himself. West found instant popularity and many have considered him to be among the greatest rappers of all-time. Now married to another massively famous person, West is part of one of the biggest power couples in entertainment, as well.

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Though associated with the city of Chicago, West was born in Atlanta, Georgia on June 8, 1977. He’d end up moving to the Windy City at a very young age, and was a very creative child that had dabbled in writing, singing and drawing. West earned good grades in school, and went to Chicago State University. However, music came calling, and West decided to leave school so that he could produce music in the late 1990s.

West worked with a lot of up and comers on the local scene in Chicago during this time. Then, in the early 2000s, he would work with legendary rapper Jay-Z as part of the Roc-A-Fella label. West’s name got around a lot, and he collaborated with some of the biggest names in music. Wanting the spotlight became West’s big focus, though, and he started recording his own music after the previously mentioned car crash left his jaw wired shut.

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“I think I started to approach time in a different way after the accident,” West said. “Before I was more willing to give my time to people and things that I wasn’t as interested in because somehow I allowed myself to be brainwashed into being forced to work with other people or on other projects that I had no interest in. So simply, the accident gave me the opportunity to do what I really wanted to do. I was a music producer, and everyone was telling me that I had no business becoming a rapper...But during that recovery period, I just spent all my time honing my craft.”

The song that was inspired by that crash, “Through the Wire”, became the first single from his 2004 debut album “The College Dropout”. The entire album was a huge hit for West, putting him on the map thanks to other songs like “All Falls Down” and “Jesus Walks”. The following year, West had his first number one album with “Late Registration”, which contained his first number one single, “Gold Digger”.

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Throughout the rest of the 2000s, West released two more albums with “Graduation” and “808s & Heartbreak”. Once again, West’s tracks found a lot of success, including “Heartless” and “Love Lockdown” reaching the top three while “Stronger” became his second chart topping song. West then started the 2010s with “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” with the hits “Monster” and “All of the Lights”.

West had been in some high profile relationships earlier on in his career, but that was nothing compared his current relationship. In 2012, West began dating reality television star Kim Kardashian, becoming one of the most talked about couples in the world. The two were engaged in 2013 and married the following year, and since then have had four children together that were born between 2013 and 2019.

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Many newlyweds will buy gifts for their spouse, but most of us probably aren’t dropping millions of dollars to do so. West’s gift to Kardashian was buying her 10 Burger King franchises throughout Europe, costing him an estimated $5 million. A source close to the two said that West mentioned that the franchises were “a perfect fit,” and “that’s where he sees her future career, away from reality TV.” It wasn’t the first time that West had purchased fast food joints, as he bought several Fatburger locations in his native Chicago.

Since beginning his relationship with Kardashian, West’s music has certainly taken on a new direction. Every one of his albums has achieved number one status during that span, starting with 2013’s “Yeezus” and including “Jesus is King” that was released unannounced in 2019. Some of his biggest hits during this span have included “FourFiveSeconds”, “I Love It” and “Follow God”.

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West has been a very outspoken person, to say the least, and he knows his talent is top notch. “Music is my job,” West said. “God has given me a gift that I prayed for and so many people love, that if I stop doing it, he might start taking other things away.” West has added that “I am Warhol. I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh.”