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Wedel
Wedel
Location of the town of Wedel within Pinneberg district
Coordinates	53°35′N 9°42′E / 53.58333°N 9.7°E / 53.58333; 9.7Coordinates: 53°35′N 9°42′E / 53.58333°N 9.7°E / 53.58333; 9.7
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Pinneberg
Mayor	Niels Schmidt
Basic statistics
Area	33.82 km2 (13.06 sq mi)
Elevation	4–26 m Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "�"
Population	32,203 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	952 /km2 (2,466 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	PI
Postal code	22880
Area code	04103
Website	www.stadt.wedel.de

Wedel is a town in the district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Elmshorn, and 17 kilometres (11 mi) mile, west of Hamburg.

History[link]

Foundation and Middle Ages[link]

The first known mention of Wedel in a text is in a 1212 document naming the "brothers from Wedel" as witnesses. However, the mention is not definitive and it remains unclear whether a place of this name already existed elsewhere. Artifacts of pre- and early historical periods found here bear witness to early settlement at the site.

The name means "bank of water", identifying a place where a body of water must be crossed, in this case the "Wedeler Aue", a small brook which formed an obstacle on an important local trade route. The first clear and definitive reference to Wedel is in documents of the Count of Schauenburg, a member of the Lower Saxon aristocracy that ruled the area well into the 17th century. The castle of the Schauenburgs, built in 1311 and known as the Hatzburg, was located in Holm which is today a small village close to Wedel. That same year Adolf VI, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg signed a peace treaty in which he promised the rulers of the city of Hamburg that there would be no harm coming from the Hatzburg. As the years went by the importance of the castle decreased and it fell into decay. The Schauenburgs moved later that century to the nearby city of Pinneberg. The castle itself stood until the beginning of the 18th century. Documents available from the first half of the 14th century make mention of a mill and church in Wedel.

The ox trade[link]

A landmark in Wedel, the Roland statue

The ox market in Wedel developed into one of the most important marketplaces for cattle in Northern Germany. Cattle dealers drove large trucks from all over Jutland to sell their livestock (especially oxen) here and their trade route became known as the Oxen Way. Early armies took advantage of the easy route carved by the merchants, and so it came to also be known as the Army Way.

The Roland of Wedel is a well known local monument which stands in the town marketplace. The figure of Roland became popular in many parts of Germany as a symbol of the growing independence of cities from the nobility. In Wedel, Roland symbolized justice in the market and it was traditional to hold sales negotiations or settle disputes under his watchful eye. The first Roland erected here around 1450 was probably a simple wooden statue. The Roland standing in the town today is believed to have been raised in 1558 after being commissioned by Count Otto IV of Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg and is made of Bückeburg sandstone.

The principal trading area of the ox market was located just before the crossing of the River Elbe. The livestock were sold to buyers arriving from the west, as well as to dealers from Flanders. Up to 30,000 head of cattle would be traded in a springtime market that lasted several weeks. Wedel saw considerable conflict throughout the 17th century and the decline of the oxen trade began with the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). The region was devastated by war and life was made difficult for the inhabitants of the region due to constant assault from outside. Detailed descriptions of the wartorn period are found in the writings of the poet, clergyman, and theologian Johann von Rist who was born in 1607 in Ottensen, today a suburb of Hamburg.

The well-educated theologian became pastor of the local church in 1635. In Wedel he found a place to resume his studies and to continue his contacts with prominent poets and scholars of the time. He wrote numerous works on common and religious themes, including poetry, plays, sermons, and essays about society and literature. Many of these were critical works that opposed the wars. Working with other prominent German poets of the time he helped create the "Elbschwanenorden", a group that worked to maintain the integrity of the German language. On his passing in 1667 he left a significant literary legacy.

From Danish rule to Germany[link]

The last Schauenburger, Count Ernst, died in 1622 leaving rule of the region to the Danish King Christian IV. The 17th and 18th centuries here were marked by epidemics, devastatingly fires, and warfare. The plague struck the area several times and Wedel was razed by fire more than once.

In 1848 the large German population of Schleswig-Holstein, including Wedel, rebelled against Danish rule with the objective of joining the emerging German federation. In 1864, Prussian and Austrian troops invaded the region ending over two centuries of Danish rule.

The community flourished seeing the selection of a mayor, the establishment of schools, industrialization and the renewal of trade. The Johann Diedrich Moeller Company optics company (today Möller-Wedel International) was formed in 1864 and developed a specialization in ophthalmology and surgical microscopes. Trade in beer and Branntwein (distillates of wine) also flourished, and a tree nursury was established. In 1875 the town council requested the status of city for Wedel, which had a population of 1,669.

Industrialization continued in the region with the construction of a short-lived gun powder factory in neighboring Schulau in 1877 that exploded and burned a year later. The construction of a rail link in 1883 contributed to the development of a sugar processing factory and the German Vacuum Company. The population grew steadily and a community of immigrant workers, primarily from Poland, developed. The young city grew culturally as well with the establishment of a public library and museum after the turn of the century.

Into the 20th century[link]

By 1909 Wedel and Schulau had grown into one another and Schulau was amalgamated into the Wedel. Development continued with the construction of a power plant and in 1930 a hospital was built. Like the rest of the country, the city was hard hit by the Depression. Several large firms collapsed: the sugar processor let go nearly 400 workers and overall unemployment was high with over 20 percent of the population living on public support.

This impacted the political life in Wedel. From 1929 the number of political meetings rose significantly. With public marches and mass meetings in particular the extreme parties determined the political scenery in the town. It came often to violent incidents. Then the Nazis took to power in Wedel as they did over the entire Germany. Important administrative posts where occupied by the Nazis. The labor parties SPD and the KPD in Wedel, quite strongly represented before the Nazis came, were forbidden and went temporarily into the resistance. Many of their members were arrested and spent years in concentration camps.

In the 1930s the most important structural change of the townscape was the new building of the city hall in the Bahnhofstrasse, the housing developments at the Vosshagen, the Nordschleswig settlement and the Milich Settlement.

In 1939 Wedel honored its third honorary citizen. After the first honorary citizen, a mayor of many years and the second one a publicly engaged physician for the poor this honor was given to Rudolf Hoeckner a painter well known even outside the realms of Wedel.

At the same time people of Wedel wanted to attach a plaque to the birth house of another famous Wedel Burger. But to honor Ernst Barlach was not desired at this time because of the Nazi regime.

World War II[link]

In March 1943 a Royal Air Force bomber attack nearly reduced the town to ruins as nearly 70% of homes in Wedel were damaged or destroyed.

A subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp (No. 1541 Wedel) was located near the town.^[2] Between 13 September 1944 and 27 September 1944, five hundred Hungarian and Czech Jewish women were held there and forced to clear land and farm work. The women were later deported to the Hamburg-Eidelstedt camp. A few weeks later, on 17 October 1944, five hundred men were used to dig anti-tank obstacles. This group included men from the town of Putten, Netherlands. On 20 November 1944, the SS closed the camp and deported the men to the camp at Meppen-Versen. During 5 weeks in this camp, 27 men died, including 10 of those from Putten.^[3]

Post War[link]

A severe housing shortage developed as refugees streamed west out of former German territories following the war, adding to the problem caused by the bombing. A 1947 census showed that Wedel had 7,902 native inhabitants and more than 6,500 refugees.

Large-scale housing construction programs were undertaken by the city, including the construction of barrack settlements, to help integrate the refugees and other homeless. Under the plan each person was allowed 4.9 m² (53 sq ft) of living space.

In 1954 the largest and most ambitious reconstruction project in the country was started. The building of the garden city of Elbhochufer on a 40 hectares (99 acres) area. By 1962 almost 1,200 rental flats and apartmentst and over 500 row homes were created. The city grew quickly and began to attract new business.

The well known attraction in Wedel is the Wedel-Schulau Willkommhoeft or Welcome Point, established in 1952 to greet incoming ships.^[4] The Hamburg Yachting Club was established in the city in 1960–61 .

In 1962 and again in 1976, large tidal waves reached Wedel. As protection, dikes were built in 1978 that turned the surrounding marshes into beautiful hiking paths.

Infrastructure[link]

Today Wedel is a city with around 34,000 inhabitants and has a lively culture life.

Wedel has two museums, the Ernst Barlach birth house and the city museum. In addition a good amateur theatre and a theatre-ship to see art, shows, cabaret and concerts. Besides there are all school forms including the private University of Applied Sciences Wedel (FH Wedel) and the Physikalisch-Technische Lehranstalt Wedel (PTL Wedel) a private full-time vocational school.

It has a very well equipped public library, an excellent Adult Education Center and a school of music.

Sports[link]

Sport plays a very active role in Wedel. All different kinds of sport are played on the numerous outside sports fields and on the well maintained indoor gymnasiums. The beautiful dyke and walkways in the marshlands along the Elbe are used by numerous inline skaters and cyclists.

Important runs and competitions in these disciplines started some years ago.

Transportation[link]

Wedel railway station connects the town with the rapid transit trains of the Hamburg S-Bahn toward Hamburg.

Utilities[link]

• Wedel Power Station

Partner towns[link]

• Caudry, France
• Vejen, Denmark
• Wolgast, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Since 1982 Wedel has also had a partnership with Makete, a district in Tanzania.^[5]

Population[link]

Notable citizens[link]

• Johann Rist (1607–1667), pastor, writer, and composer
• Hermann Molkenbuhr (1851–1927), politician
• Rudolf Höckner (1864–1942), painter
• Ernst Barlach (1870–1938) painter, sculptor, and writer
• Hellmuth Walter (1900–1980), engineer and inventor
• Fritz Sänger (1901–1984), journalist and editor
• Eduard Schüller (1904–1976) engineer
• Peter Frankenfeld (1913–1979) television moderator
• Paul Edwin Roth (1918–1985) actor
• Armin Dahl (1922–1998) stuntman
• Jörn Pfab ( 1925–1986), artist
• Hansjörg Martin (1920–1999), novelist
• Ole West (born 1953), painter
• Thomas Seeliger (born 1966), footballer
• Mathias Rust (born 1968), pilot who landed in Moscow on Red Square
• Peyman Panahandeh (born 1974), Rally Driver

Notes[link]

1. ^ "Statistikamt Nord: Bevölkerung in Schleswig-Holstein am 31. Dezember 2010 nach Kreisen, Ämtern, amtsfreien Gemeinden und Städten" (in German). Statistisches Amt für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein. 21 July 2011. http://www.statistik-nord.de/uploads/tx_standocuments/A_I_2_vj104_S.pdf. 
2. ^

   This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia. Official German list

3. ^

   This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia. Camp memorial Neuengamme

4. ^ Welcome-point.de
5. ^

   This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia. List of Partner Towns

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia.

External links[link]

• University of Applied Sciences (FH Wedel)
• PTL Wedel
• Official Web site
• Wedel-Elbe—WebCams in Wedel along River Elbe

• Weitblick nach Wedel—Wasserturm Wedel—Hamburger Jachthafen in Wedel—Strandbad Wedel—ISIS Imbiss am Schulauer/Wedel Hafen Harbour—Willkommhöft Westen I in Wedel—Willkommhöft Süden II in Wedel—Willkommhöft Osten II in Wedel

]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wedel

v t e Towns and municipalities in Pinneberg (district) Appen Barmstedt Bevern Bilsen Bokel Bokholt-Hanredder Bönningstedt Borstel-Hohenraden Brande-Hörnerkirchen Bullenkuhlen Ellerbek Ellerhoop Elmshorn Groß Nordende Groß Offenseth-Aspern Halstenbek Haselau Haseldorf Hasloh Heede Heidgraben Heist Heligoland Hemdingen Hetlingen Holm Klein Nordende Klein Offenseth-Sparrieshoop Kölln-Reisiek Kummerfeld Langeln Lutzhorn Moorrege Neuendeich Osterhorn Pinneberg Prisdorf Quickborn Raa-Besenbek Rellingen Schenefeld Seester Seestermühe Seeth-Ekholt Tangstedt Tornesch Uetersen Wedel Westerhorn

James Blunt
James Blunt in January 2008
Background information
Birth name	James Hillier Blount
Born	(1974-02-22) 22 February 1974 (age 38) Tidworth, Wiltshire, England
Genres	Pop rock, soft rock, folk rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, violin, percusion
Years active	2004-present
Labels	Warner Bros. Records, Atlantic, Custard
Website	jamesblunt.com
Notable instruments
Seagull acoustic guitars

James Hillier Blount (born 22 February 1974),^[1][2] better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005. His repertoire can be best described as a mix of acoustic-tinged pop, rock and folk. After recording on the independent American label Custard Records, Blunt won two Brit Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, and by 2006 was nominated for five Grammy Awards. The following year, he released his second album All the Lost Souls (2007). Blunt's third studio album, Some Kind of Trouble, was released in November 2010. Worldwide, Blunt has sold over 18 million albums,^[3] and his debut album, Back to Bedlam, is the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK.^[4]

Blunt was an officer in the Life Guards, a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and served under NATO in Kosovo during the conflict there in 1999. While posted to Kosovo, Blunt was introduced to the work of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF or "Doctors Without Borders"). Since then, Blunt has supported MSF by holding meet-and-greet auctions at many of his concerts.^[5]

Early life[link]

James Blunt was born at an army hospital in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England;^[6] the first child born to Jane A.F. (née Amos) and Charles Blount. James spent his early childhood living in England, Cyprus, and Germany, where his father, a colonel in the British Army Air Corps,^[7] and military helicopter pilot, was posted at various times.^[8]

James Blunt has two younger siblings. The Blount family has a long history of military service, dating from the 10th century.^[6] His father inculcated in him a love of flying, and he earned his pilot's licence at age 16.^[8] He has a keen interest in motorcycles after learning to ride when he was 16.^[9]

Education[link]

Blunt was enrolled at Elstree School in Woolhampton in Berkshire, before continuing to Harrow School in Harrow on the Hill in north-west London (Elmfield House) on an army bursary. From Harrow School he gained an army-sponsored place at the University of Bristol, where he first studied aerospace manufacturing engineering and then subsequently moved on to the study of sociology.^[8] He graduated with a BSc in sociology in 1996.^[10]

Military service[link]

Because the British Army sponsored his university education, Blunt was obliged to serve a minimum of four years in the armed forces. He stated on an interview in his Back to Bedlam sessions that he chose to join the military as "his father was pushing for it, so that Blunt could obtain a secure work placement and income". Blunt trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.^[8][11] He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Life Guards, a unit of the Household Cavalry, where he rose to the rank of captain.^[11][12] One of his first assignments was to British Army Training Unit Suffield in Alberta, Canada, where his battalion was posted for six months in 1998 to act as the opposing army in combat training exercises.^[13]

In 1999, he served as an armoured reconnaissance officer in the NATO deployment in Kosovo. Initially assigned to reconnaissance of the Macedonia-Yugoslavia border, Blunt and his unit worked ahead of the front lines directing forces and targeting Serb positions for the NATO bombing campaign. His unit was given the assignment of securing the Pristina International Airport in advance of the 30,000-strong peacekeeping force; the Russian army had moved in and taken control of the airport before his unit's arrival. According to Blunt's own account of the incident he refused to follow orders from NATO command to attack the Russians.^[14] There were less intense moments during Blunt's Kosovo assignment. Blunt had brought along his guitar, strapped to the outside of his tank. At some places, the peacekeepers would share a meal with hospitable locals, and Blunt would perform. It was while on duty there that he wrote the song "No Bravery".^[15]

A keen skier, Blunt captained the Household Cavalry alpine ski team in Verbier, Switzerland, eventually becoming champion skier of the entire Royal Armoured Corps. He had extended his military service in November 2000,^[16] and after an intensive six-month army riding course was posted to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in London, England.^[6] During this posting, Blunt was interviewed about his responsibilities on the television programme "Girls on Top", a series highlighting unusual career choices.^[17][18] He stood guard at the coffin of the Queen Mother during the days of her lying in State and was part of the funeral procession on 9 April 2002.^[19] Blunt left the army on 1 October 2002 having served six years.^[20]

Music career[link]

Early career[link]

Blunt took piano and violin lessons as a child, but his first significant exposure to popular music was at Harrow School. There, he was introduced to the guitar by a fellow student, and started playing the instrument and writing songs at age 14.^[6][21] At University of Bristol, his undergraduate thesis was The Commodification of Image – Production of a Pop Idol; one of his main references for the thesis was Simon Frith, a sociologist and rock critic, and current chair of the Mercury Music Prize.^[22]

Blunt left the British Army in 2002 so that he could pursue his musical career.^[15] It was at that period that he started using the stage name "Blunt", in part to make it easier for others to spell; "Blount" is pronounced the same way, and remains his legal surname.^[23] Shortly after leaving the army, he was signed to EMI music publishers, and to Twenty-First Artists management.^[24] A record contract remained elusive, with recording label executives pointing to Blunt's posh speaking voice as a barrier in class-divided Britain.^[21] Linda Perry, who was just launching her own Custard Records label in early 2003, heard Blunt's promotional tape when visiting London, and soon after heard him perform live at the South by Southwest Music Festival. She made an offer to him the same night^[25] and within a few days, Blunt signed a recording contract with Perry, and one month later he was in Los Angeles working with producer Tom Rothrock.^[24][26]

[edit] Back to Bedlam (2003–2006)

Blunt performing in the United States, 2008

Blunt recorded Back to Bedlam in 2003 with producer Tom Rothrock at Rothrock's home studio, using session musicians and performing on many different instruments himself.^[21][27] While in Los Angeles, he lodged with actress Carrie Fisher, whom he had met through the family of a former girlfriend. Fisher was very supportive of Blunt's aspirations, suggesting the name of the album and providing use of a bathroom in her home for Blunt to record the song "Goodbye My Lover".^[6] Back to Bedlam was finally released in the UK in October 2004. Blunt's debut single in the UK was "High" (co-written with Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue). This song initially peaked below the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart, however after the subsequent success of "You're Beautiful" it finally made the Top 75 before eventually being re-released.^[28] However, the song was chosen to appear in a Vodafone commercial in Italy, and was a Top 10 hit in that country.^[24]

The debut album from the unknown Blunt initially attracted little critical attention, and there were no published reviews from major UK music journals. His live performances, mainly in support of better known musicians, received somewhat mixed but generally favourable reviews. Blunt's lack of performing experience and inconsistent approach with audiences was commented upon, while his music was likened to that of Damien Rice and David Gray.^[29][30] In March 2004, with Blunt performing in the support role for Katie Melua in Manchester, Alex McCann of Designer Magazine wrote, "Blunt's ascendance is a dead cert and this time next year it isn't that far removed from reality to suggest that a number 1 album, Brit Award and countless accolade's [sic] will be his for the taking."^[31] After release of the album, concert support slots for Elton John and Lloyd Cole and the Commotions in late 2004 and early 2005 followed, as did a band residency at London club 93 Feet East.^[32] In March 2005, his second single, "Wisemen," was released.

Blunt's third single "You're Beautiful" was his break-out hit. The song debuted at number 12 in the UK, and rose all the way to the number one position six weeks after its debut.^[24] The song also received massive airplay in the UK, which helped propel Back to Bedlam to number one on the UK Albums Chart.^[24] The extensive airplay ultimately led to Blunt and his co-writers being awarded the Ivor Novello Award for Most Performed Work.^[33] After the success of "You're Beautiful" in the UK, the song crossed over to mainland Europe, becoming one of the biggest hits of summer 2005 across the continent. In the US, "You're Beautiful" made its debut in the summer of 2005 on WPLJ, a prominent radio station in New York City, despite not having been released to radio yet. Once the song was released to radio stations in the fall of 2005, the song climbed into the Top 10 in three radio formats: Adult Contemporary Music, Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks, and Adult album alternative.^[24] Blunt became the first British artist to top the American singles chart in nearly a decade when his song "You're Beautiful" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006; the last British artist to do so had been Elton John in 1997 with the song "Candle in the Wind 1997".^[24] "Goodbye My Lover" was released as the fourth UK single from the album in December 2005, and was later the second US single. The songs "High" and "Wisemen" were subsequently re-released in 2006. Blunt started off 2006 celebrating five Brit Award nominations, going on to win Best British male solo artist and Best pop act categories, having already started an 11-month tour that would take him around the world.^[34] On 31 August, Blunt won two awards at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, with "You're Beautiful" winning the award for Best Male Video.^[35]

There was extensive promotion in the United States starting in late 2005, with Blunt making appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Eight of the songs on the album were featured in television shows (The O.C., Grey's Anatomy and many more), films (Undiscovered), and advertising campaigns (Hilton Hotels, Sprint telecommunications) throughout 2005 and 2006.^[24] Blunt performed "You're Beautiful" at the 49th Grammy Awards in February 2007, dedicating the song to the late Ahmet Ertegün of Atlantic Records, but he did not win in any of the five categories for which he had received nominations (includes one for Best New Artist Grammy, but lost to Carrie Underwood).^[36]

The album eventually sold 11 million copies^[37] and topped the album charts in 16 territories worldwide.^[24] It sold 2.6 million in the U.S.^[37] and was certified 2x platinum.^[38] In Britain the album was certified 10× platinum, sold over three million copies, and entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest selling album in one year.^[39]

In 2005, Blunt performed in 90 live shows, mainly across the UK and Europe, ending the year supporting Jason Mraz in a North American tour. The "Back to Bedlam World Tour" started off in January 2006, covering cities in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, as well as three separate headline tours in North America, ending in November of that year.^[32] Not including promotional appearances, Blunt performed over 140 live shows in 2006. He enjoys the touring experience, saying in July 2006 that he and his band were having the time of their lives going to new places every day.^[14]

	"You're Beautiful" noicon "You're Beautiful," Blunt's break-out hit was the third UK single and first US single from Back to Bedlam.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

The videos for all of Blunt's singles from Back To Bedlam feature symbolism and dark imagery. In the first video for "High", he is buried in a desert. In the first video for "Wisemen", he is kidnapped and taken hostage. In the video for "You're Beautiful", he alludes to suicide by jumping off a cliff into the sea. In the "Goodbye My Lover" video, he is the outsider in a love triangle, imagining the couple, a man and woman (played by Matt Dallas of Kyle XY and Mischa Barton of The O.C.) together. The re-release video for "High" features Blunt running in a forest. The re-release video for "Wisemen" has Blunt burning identification papers, and then walking through a forest while he is on fire.

Blunt appeared on an episode of Sesame Street which aired on 14 November 2007, singing about triangles to the tune of "You're Beautiful".^[40]

A parody of "You're Beautiful" titled "You're Pitiful" was recorded by Weird Al Yankovic.^[41] Blunt gave personal permission for this parody to be included on a Weird Al album, but Atlantic Records, Blunt's label, stepped in to forbid the commercial release of the song. Weird Al has since made the song available as a free MP3 download on his website. In a request by Yankovic to include the song on an upcoming compilation CD, Blunt's manager replied via email, "Thanks for your email, but both James and I will never approve this parody to be released on any label."^[42]

On 28 December 2009, BBC Radio 1 announced that Back to Bedlam was the biggest selling album of the noughties decade in the United Kingdom.^[43]

[edit] All the Lost Souls (2007–2008)

Blunt's second studio album, All the Lost Souls, was released on 17 September 2007 in the United Kingdom and one day later in North America. It sold 65,000 units in its first week, and was certified gold in the UK after only four days.^[44] By the end of January 2008, the album had sold 600,000 copies in the UK, and 4.5 million copies internationally.^[45] Blunt completed the album's songs at his home in Ibiza in the winter of 2006–2007. He performed five of the ten album tracks during his 2005–2006 tours; lyrics, melodies, and harmonies were refined for the studio recording, on which his touring band played and Tom Rothrock worked as producer.^[21]

James Blunt at a concert in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, 2007

While Blunt’s first album received little critical attention, critics from every major music publication, and newspapers around the world, weighed in on All the Lost Souls.^[46] The album was met with generally mixed to positive reviews, and maintains a 53/100 rating at Metacritic."^[46] Eric Danton, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Hartford Courant wrote that the album is "a collection so bland, it makes hardtack seem sumptuous". Yet, in her review of the album, Kerri Mason of Billboard said Blunt "shows the abandon and confidence of a long-term artist, not just a one-hit wonder". And of the album, Mason wrote, "there is not a misstep throughout".^[47] Equally effusive, Liz Hoggard of The Observer wrote that "it’s impossible to resist Blunt’s troubadour yearning."^[48]

The first single from All the Lost Souls, "1973", was inspired by Blunt's nights out at Pacha, an Ibiza club, which opened in that year. The song became another hit for Blunt reaching number one the Billboard European Hot 100 Singles chart.^[49] D.J. Pete Tong remixed "1973" and played the track during his set at Pacha over the summer of 2007.^[22] The second single, "Same Mistake", was released in early December 2007 but did not fare well in the UK charts, peaking at number 57. It was Number 1 in Brazil and a hit in many South American countries.^[50] The third single from the album was "Carry You Home", released in March 2008, peaking at number 20 in the U.K charts and bringing the album back into the Top 10, six months after its release.^[45] The fourth and final single from the original "All The Lost Souls" album was "I Really Want You".

Blunt collaborated twice during this album cycle. In late 2007, he worked with French rapper Sinik. They released "Je Réalise", which took elements of Blunt's song "I'll Take Everything", which hit the top 3 in France. On 14 November 2008, "Primavera in anticipo", Laura Pausini new album, was released. The title track is a duet with Blunt. The album reached the Number 1 in Italy.

Throughout 2007 and 2008, Blunt went on his second world tour, including a performance in London's O2 Arena.

On 24 November 2008, All The Lost Souls was re-released as a deluxe edition, with new album artwork, new single "Love, Love, Love" and the documentary James Blunt: Return to Kosovo.

[edit] Some Kind of Trouble (2010)

James Blunt's third studio album titled Some Kind of Trouble, was released on 8 November 2010. The album debuted at number 4 in the UK with over 100,000 copies sold in the first week. The album's first single "Stay the Night" was released on 27 October 2010. The single charted in the UK top 40 at number 37, and sat at number 2 on the European Airplay Chart for five consecutive weeks. The second single from the album, "So Far Gone" was for released on the UK on 3 January 2011. Overall critical reception has been mixed, with Allmusic saying, in a positive review, that "Some Kind of Trouble is a step in the right direction for Blunt, a move toward love songs free of pretension"^[51] whilst BBC felt "When all's said, Some Kind of Trouble is not a terrible record by any means, but there's little sense that Blunt has advanced--and equally little sense that it'll make any difference to his bottom line.^[52]

As of February 2011, worldwide sales stood at over one million copies.^[53] The third single from the album, "If Time Is All I Have" was released in the UK on 4 April 2011.

Personal life[link]

James Blunt in Cannes, at the NRJ Music Awards 2011.

Blunt says that he has become closer to his family since his musical success. His father manages his finances^[54] and his mother arranged the purchase of his principal residence in Ibiza, where Blunt has holidayed since he was a teenager.^[22] Blunt also owns a châlet in the Swiss town of Verbier, which he purchased in February 2007, and he was named "godfather" of one of the town's new ski lifts.^[22]

Blunt was instrumental in introducing his sister to her eventual husband after offering her for "sale" on eBay. She was having difficulty obtaining transport to a funeral in Ireland, and Blunt listed her as a "damsel in distress". A person responded saying his friend had a helicopter his sister could charter, but it turned out he was in Sweden and she did not attend the funeral. The respondent suggested she still meet up with the helicopter owner, Guy Harrison, and they began a relationship and eventually married.^[55][56]

The musician's private life has been the subject of significant commentary, particularly in the tabloid press. Blunt himself has found the degree of interest in his personal life to be bizarre, stating that "fame and celebrity is something that other people have constructed that I'm not really party to".^[57]

On 8 February 2012, Hugh Tomlinson QC, representing a number of victims of the News International phone hacking affair, informed the High Court that Blunt was one of six alleged victims who had filed for damages in new civil cases.^[58]

Charitable and environmental causes[link]

Blunt has raised funds for the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières through benefit concerts and by auctioning opportunities to meet him at his own shows. He first encountered MSF medical care workers during his tour of duty in Kosovo, and was impressed with the work they did under conditions of minimal support and limited security.^[21]

He also supports environmental causes. He screened the trailer for An Inconvenient Truth at his concerts, and for each advance sales concert ticket purchased through his designated website a tree is planted.^[59] On 7 July 2007, Blunt performed at the Live Earth concert at Wembley Stadium, London, and is the owner of one of two prototype electric cars made by Hybrid Technologies under a Space Act partnership with NASA.

Blunt is a patron of Help for Heroes,^[60] a charity aiming to raise money to provide better facilities for wounded British servicemen, and has also held benefit concerts for this charity.

Blunt has also contributed with his vocals for the charity single, "Everybody Hurts" in aid of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake Appeal.

Discography[link]

• Back to Bedlam (2004)
• All the Lost Souls (2007)
• Some Kind of Trouble (2010)

Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

2005[link]

• MTV Europe Music Awards – Best New Act
• Q Awards – Best New Act
• Digital Music Awards – Best Pop Act

2006[link]

• NRJ Music Awards (France) – Best International Newcomer
• BRIT Awards – Best pop act and Best Male Vocalist
• ECHO Awards (Germany) – Best International Newcomer
• NME Awards – Worst Album
• MTV Australia Video Music Awards – Song of the Year for You're Beautiful
• Ivor Novello Awards – Most Performed Work and International Hit of the Year
• MTV Video Music Awards – Best Male Video and Best Cinematography
• World Music Awards – Best New Artist in the World and Biggest Selling British Artist in the World
• Teen Choice Awards (United States) – Choice Music Male Artist

2008[link]

• ECHO Awards (Germany) – Best International Male Artist

2010[link]

• Virgin Media Music Awards – The Hottest Male

2011[link]

• Regenbogen Awards (Germany) – Best International Male Artist

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• TV interview with The Hour on CBC
• James Blunt interview and video on and POP

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: James Blunt

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: James Blunt

• JamesBlunt.com Official James Blunt website
• James Blunt at the Internet Movie Database
• James Blunt on Twitter

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Fedde le Grand
Fedde Le Grand
Background information
Birth name	Fedde le Grand
Born	(1977-09-07) 7 September 1977 (age 34) Utrecht, Netherlands
Genres	Eurodance, House, Electro house, Tech House, Techno
Occupations	DJ, producer Fiancè- Tana StCyr 2002-Current
Years active	2003-present
Labels	Flamingo Recordings, Ministry of Sound Australia, Toolroom Records
Website	Official Web Site

Fedde le Grand (born 7 September 1977) is a Dutch house DJ and producer whose single "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit" (UK/US) / "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit"^[1] (Europe, excluding UK) reached number one on the UK's singles and the top 5 in the Dutch singles chart, and spent five weeks in the Spanish dance chart. On 28 October 2009, DJ Magazine announced the results of their annual Top 100 DJ Poll, with Ultra Records artist Fedde le Grand placed at #29.,^[2] climbing to #21 in 2010 and #14 in 2011.

Biography[link]

1998 - 2000[link]

Inspired by Masters At Work and Mousse T, Fedde le Grand kicks off his DJ career in the Danssalon in Eindhoven. For two years he is the resident DJ on the Sunday night. He also plays Dutch clubs like Panama, the Escape and the Love Boat in Amsterdam, and Jackies, Thalia, Discothèque and Now & Wow in Rotterdam, De Rechter in Eindhoven and he can also be seen at Extrema. Fedde le Grand is also popular abroad and performs in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Russia, Greece and Israel.

2001 - 2006[link]

From 2001 Fedde le Grand works on his own productions. His first release, under the name F.L.G., is the Electronic EP on Flamingo Recordings, a co-production with Robin M and with contributions from Funkerman (Ardie van Beek). Le Grand's records are released on labels such as Little Mountain Recordings (Sander Kleinenberg's label), Influence, Work and the British labels CR2 Records and Toolroom. Le Grand makes remixes for artists like Anita Kelsey (Every Kiss, 2004), Erick E (Boogie Down, 2005 and The Beat Is Rockin', 2006), Funkerman (The One, 2005), Olav Basoski (Proper Tunes, 2006) and Camille Jones (The Creeps, 2006). The DJ is a regular guest in Dutch radio show Ministry of Beats on 3FM radio. Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit (2006), an electro track with vocals by Mc Gee, is officially awarded 'the summer anthem of Ibiza 2006'. The single climbs to the top slot of the UK charts and is also a big dance hit in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Australia. Hiphop crew D12 from Detroit (known for their work with Eminem) puts out a vocal version of the hit record. Le Grand provides a remix for Robbie Williams' single Bongo Bong/Je Ne T'Aime Plus.

2007[link]

In March the DJ commences an Australian tour and as of May he tours the US. Fedde le Grand wins three prizes at the International Dance Music Awards staged at the Winter Music Conference in Miami (March). Not only he is Best Breakthrough Solo Artist, but also his hit Put Your Hands Up For Detroit is awarded in the categories Best Breaks/Electro Track and Best Underground Dance Track. On March 31 he receives a Danish Dance Award. On July Fedde le Grand he appears at Amsterdam's Westerpark edition of the worldwide Live Earth festival, supervised by climate guru Al Gore, who raises awareness for the global warming problem. Especially for this event Fedde le Grand writes the Mirror070707 Anthem. The festival is broadcast live on public Nederland 3 (TV) en 3FM (radio). At the same day Le Grand is prominently on the bill of dance event Sensation White at the Amsterdam Arena. During the tenth edition of the DJ Awards on Ibiza, Fedde Le Grand wins in the category Breakthrough. Le Grand's remix of Let Me Think About It, sung by Danish singer Ida Corr, reaches the Top 3 of the British charts. This makes it the third British hit single for the producer within a year. In the annual Top 100 of the influential British DJ Mag Le Grand the 22nd place which makes him the Highest New Entry. Under the name The Flamingo Project the single Take No Shhhhhhhh is released.

2008[link]

Fedde le Grand's club hit Put Your Hands Up For Detroit is mixed with Madonna's Music during the opening of Madonna's live shows. The American singer asks Le Grand to do a remix of her single Give It 2 Me, which is to be released in July. After Junkie XL Fedde Le Grand is now the second Dutchman to do a remix for Madonna.

2009[link]

The title track of Le Grand's debut album Output (September) is used in the promo videos of the OUTPUT World Tour and the Flamingo Nights. It's also being played by the DJ during the Ultra Festival in March in Miami. The first single of the album is released in May: Scared of Me, with vocals by Mitch Crown and a remix by Dutch producer Hardwell (Robbert van de Corput). Mitch Crown can also be heard on the Let Me Be Real (August). One of the remixes of the fusion between pop and dance is done by Kraak & Smaak.

2010[link]

The single Back & Forth has vocals by MC Mr. V. from New York (real name: Victor Font), whom Fedde Le Grand has met at the Miami Winter Music Conference in 2008. Le Grand again travels around the world for performances. He plays in Las Vegas and Chicago (January), Lausanne, Lyon, Munich, Bangkok and Jakarta (February), São Paulo and Miami (March), Casablanca, Berlin, Budapest, Birmingham and Düsseldorf (April), Hong Kong, Singapore, Quebec, Toronto, Seattle and San Francisco (May), Ibiza, London, Los Angeles and Broek op Langendijk (June). The DJ has just finished his set at the Love Parade in Duisburg, Germany, on 24 July, when 20 people are crushed to death at the entrance to the festival grounds. He offers his condolences to the victims on Twitter. The world tour continues in July and Augustus with performances in England, France, Turkey, Lebanon, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Romania. A tour around the USA with stop in New York, Los Angeles, and The Necto (nightclub) in Ann Arbor.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Fedde le Grand's channel on YouTube
• Artist Site at Ultra Records

References[link]

1. ^ IMO Records "Fedde le Grand Biography", IMO Records,Retrieved on 11 February 2012.
2. ^ "DJ Mag's Top 100 DJ's". DJ Magazine. http://www.djmag.com/top100. Retrieved 19 November 2009. 

Kanye West
West at the SWU Music & Arts Festival, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Kanye Omari West
Born	(1977-06-08) June 8, 1977 (age 35) Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director, film director, fashion designer
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, sampler, percussion, synthesizer
Years active	1996–present
Labels	GOOD Music, Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Associated acts	Go Getters, Child Rebel Soldier, Jay-Z, The Throne, Common, John Legend, Kid Cudi, Rihanna, Jeff Bhasker, Pusha T, Mos Def, Mr Hudson, Talib Kweli, Big Sean, A-Trak, Pharrell, Lupe Fiasco, RZA
Website	kanyewest.com

Kanye Omari West ( /ˈkÉ‘Ë�njeɪ/; born June 8, 1977)^[1] is an American musician, film director and fashion designer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences encompassing '70s R&B, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, folk, alternative, electronica, synthpop, and classical music.^[2]

West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008, and his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. West released a collaborative album, Watch the Throne with Jay-Z in 2011, which is the duo's first collaborative album. His five solo albums, all of which have gone platinum, have received numerous awards and critical acclaim.^[3] As of 2012, West has won a total of eighteen Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all-time.^[4] All albums have been very commercially successful, with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy becoming his fourth consecutive No. 1 album in the U.S. upon release.^[5] West has had 5 songs exceed 3 million in digital sales as of July 2011, with "Gold Digger" selling 3,086,000, "Stronger" selling 4,402,000, "Heartless" selling 3,742,000, "E.T." selling over 4,000,000 and "Love Lockdown" selling over 3,000,000^[6][7] placing him third in overall digital sales of the past decade.^[8][9] He has sold over 30 million digital songs in the United States making him one of the best-selling digital artists of all-time.^[10]

West also runs his own record label GOOD Music, home to artists such as John Legend, Common and Kid Cudi.^[11] West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of three of his five solo albums as well as various single covers and in his music videos.^[12] About.com ranked Kanye West No. 8 on their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list.^[13] On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as the year's No. 1 "Hottest MC in the Game."^[14] On December 17, 2010, Kanye West was voted as the MTV Man of the Year by MTV.^[15] Billboard ranked Kanye West No. 3 on their list of Top 10 Producers of the Decade.^[16] West has also been included in the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world as well as being listed in a number of Forbes' annual lists.^[17]

Kanye will release the full-length album entitled Cruel Summer with GOOD Music signed artists sometime in 2012.

Early life[link]

Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia,^[18] where he lived with his parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois.^[19] His father was Ray West, a former Black Panther who was one of the first black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and is now a Christian counselor.^[19] West's mother, Dr. Donda West, was a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as West's manager. He was raised in a middle-class background, attending Polaris High School^[20] in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago.^[21] When asked about his grades in high school, West replied, "I got A's and B's. And I'm not even frontin'".^[22]

West attended art classes at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and also enrolled at Chicago State University, but dropped out to focus on his music career.^[23] While attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Cam'ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend among others. He also "ghost-produced" for his mentor Deric Angelettie, according to his song "Last Call" and the credits of Nas' "Poppa Was a Playa".^[23]

Music career[link]

1996–2003: Career beginnings[link]

Kanye West's first career productions came on Chicago rapper Grav's 1996 debut album Down to Earth. West produced eight tracks on the album. While the album did not attract much attention and would be the only album released by Grav, West would soon be producing for higher profile artists. In 1998–1999 he produced for well-known artists such as Jermaine Dupri, Foxy Brown, Goodie Mob, and the group Harlem World.

West got his big break in the year 2000, when he began to produce for artists on Roc-a-Fella Records. He produced the well-received Jay-Z song "This Can't Be Life" off of the album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West would later state that to create the beat for "This Can't Be Life", he sped up the drum beat from Dr. Dre's song "Xxplosive".^[24]

After producing for Jay-Z earlier, West’s sound was featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, released September 11, 2001.^[25] His work was featured on the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and a diss track against Nas and Mobb Deep named "Takeover"; West has worked with Mobb Deep and Nas since the track's release.^[25]

After meeting great commercial success and critical acclaim for his productions on The Blueprint, West became a sought after producer in the hip-hop industry, even before he became known as a rapper and solo artist. In the years 2002–2003 he would produce for artists such as Nas, Scarface, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, T.I., Ludacris, DMX, and Monica. He also continued producing for Roc-a-Fella Records artists and contribued four tracks to Jay-Z's follow up album to The Blueprint, The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse.

After great successes as a producer, West now looked to pursue a career as a rapper and solo artist, but struggled to get a record deal. Chris Anokute, then A&R at Def Jam, said that when West regularly dropped by the office to pick up his producer checks he would play demos of solo material to Anokute in his cubicle and bemoan the fact that no one was taking him seriously as a rapper.^[26] Jay-Z admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that he saw him as a producer first and foremost.^[27] Multiple record companies felt he was not as marketable as rappers who portray the "street image" prominent in hip hop culture.^[24] Beginning his career as a rapper, Kanye West recorded the third verse on the song "The Bounce" off of Jay-Z's The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse, an album he produced for, from the same label he was signed to as a rapper.

[edit] 2004–05: The College Dropout and Late Registration

On October 23, 2002, West was involved in a near fatal car crash while driving home from the recording studio.^[28] The crash provided inspiration for West's first single, "Through the Wire".^[29] West's faith is apparent in many of his songs, such as "Jesus Walks", which became a staple at his benefit performances, such as the Live 8 concert. These songs were featured on West's debut album, The College Dropout, which was released on Roc-A-Fella Records in February 2004, and went on to receive critical acclaim. The album also defined the style for which West would become known, including wordplay and sampling.^[29] The album was eventually certified triple platinum. Guest appearances included Jay-Z, Ludacris, GLC, Consequence, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, and Syleena Johnson. The album also featured the singles, "All Falls Down" and "The New Workout Plan", as well as Twista's number one single, "Slow Jamz".^[30] During 2003 West also co-produced songs for British singer Javine Hylton, even appearing in the music video to Real Things playing the love interest of Javine.

West was involved in a financial dispute over Royce Da 5'9"'s song "Heartbeat", produced by West and released on Build & Destroy: The Lost Sessions. West maintains that Royce never paid for the beat, but recorded to it and released it; hearing him on the beat, the original customers decided not to buy it from West. After the disagreement, West vowed to never work with Royce again.^[31] Other Kanye West-produced hit singles during the period The College Dropout was released included "I Changed My Mind" by Keyshia Cole, "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and "Talk About Our Love" by Brandy.^[29]

West and Jamie Foxx performing "Gold Digger" at the Democratic Convention in Denver, Colorado

Taking a more eclectic route, West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion to construct his second album, Late Registration, which was released on August 30, 2005.^[32] Like its predecessor, the sophomore effort garnered universal acclaim from music critics.^[33] Late Registration topped countless critic polls and was revered as the best album of the year by numerous publications, including USA Today, Spin, and Time.^[34][35] Rolling Stone awarded the album the highest position on their end of the year record list and hailed it as a "sweepingly generous, absurdly virtuosic hip-hop classic."^[36] The record earned the number one spot on the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2005 for the second consecutive year.^[37] Late Registration was also a commercial success, selling over 860,000 copies in its first week alone and topping the Billboard 200.^[38] Grossing over 2.3 million units sold in the United States alone by year's end, Late Registration was considered by industry observers as the sole majorly successful album release of the fall of 2005, a season that was plagued by steadily declining CD sales.^[39] The second album earned eight Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the song "Gold Digger".^[40] The album is certified triple platinum.^[41]

On August 22, 2005, the MTV special All Eyes On Kanye West aired, in which West spoke out against homophobia in hip-hop. He claimed that hip-hop has always been about "speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people."^[42] He then reflected on a personal experience. He said that he had a "turning point" when he realized one of his cousins was gay. He said regarding this experience: "This is my cousin. I love him and I've been discriminating against gays." He drew comparison between African Americans' struggle for civil rights and today's gay rights movement. The following year, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, West further expounded his experiences with and views on the relationship between the black and gay communities.^[43]

In September 2005, West announced that he would release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006:^[44] "Now that I have a Grammy under my belt and Late Registration is finished, I am ready to launch my clothing line next spring." In that year, West produced the hit singles "Go" by Common and "Dreams" by The Game.^[45]

[edit] 2007–09: Graduation and 808s & Heartbreak

West performing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 2007.

In 2007, it was announced that West would be starring in a series directed by Larry Charles. He has been working on the pilot episode for the past two years with Larry Charles and Rick Rubin. He also had this to say on January 14: "I wouldn't do something as cliché as a reality show. At least give me the credit for being more creative than that. It's a situational half-hour comedy. It's fictional, and loosely based on my life.^[46] " West also collaborated with Japanese hip-hop group Teriyaki Boyz to produce the single "I Still Love H.E.R.", a reference to Common's 1994 single "I Used to Love H.E.R.". Further to this, during a radio appearance in early 2007, West, like many of his peers, recorded an impromptu freestyle to the popular song "Throw Some D's." The song that to all other rappers was about automobile rims, was used by West to comically refer to D-cup breasts. Because of the unexpected success of the song, West went on to make a video for the freestyle, in which he is seen playing his 'Old Ass Cousin'.^[47]

West was also featured in a new song called "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)". It was believed to be a single for, Graduation, because he is featured on the track, but Nike quickly explained that it was for the Nike Air Force 1's anniversary. It was meant only to be an exclusive track for the company.^[48]

On March 25, 2007, he and his father Ray West supported World Water Day by having a "Walk for Water" rally.^[49] After a two-year break, West has returned to being a fashion columnist in lifestyle magazine Complex.^[50] On July 7, 2007, West performed with The Police and John Mayer at the American leg of Live Earth.^[51] West hosted the August 17 edition of British comedy- variety show The Friday Night Project.^[52]

In July 2007, West changed the release date of Graduation, his third album, from September 18, 2007, to the same release date as 50 Cent's album Curtis, September 11, 2007.^[53] 50 Cent later claimed that if Graduation were to sell more records than Curtis, he would stop releasing solo albums. However, 50 Cent would later dispel his comments.^[54] The album has been certified double platinum. Guest appearances included T-Pain, Mos Def, and Lil Wayne.^[55]

On August 26, 2007, West appeared as himself on the HBO television show Entourage which he used as a platform to premier his new single "Good Life" during the end credits. On September 9, 2007, West performed at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, losing in every category he was nominated for; he gave an angry speech immediately afterward. (see "Controversies" section)

Following the MTV stint, West was nominated in eight Grammy Award categories for the 50th annual Grammy Awards.^[57] He won four of them,^[58] including Best Rap Album for Graduation and Best Rap Solo Performance for "Stronger" from Graduation. During the four-hour televised Grammy Awards ceremony, West also performed two songs: "Stronger" (with Daft Punk) and "Hey Mama" (in honor of his recently deceased mother).^[59]

West kicked off the Glow in the Dark Tour in Seattle at the Key Arena on April 16. The tour was originally scheduled to end in June in Cincinnati but was extended into August. Over the course of the tour West was joined by a varying group of opening acts, including Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, N.E.R.D., DJ Craze, and Gnarls Barkley. On June 15, West was scheduled to perform a late night set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. His performance started almost two hours late and ran for half of its alloted time, angering many fans in the audience. West later wrote an outraged entry on his blog, blaming the festival organizers as well as Pearl Jam's preceding set, which ran longer than expected.

On September 7, West debuted a new song "Love Lockdown" at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. "Love Lockdown" features no rapping and only singing using an auto-tune device. This song appears on West's fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. The new album was expected to be released on December 16, but West announced on his blog on September 24, 2008, that he had finished the album and would be releasing it sometime in November, earlier than previously scheduled. In early October, West made a surprise appearance at a T.I. concert in Los Angeles, where he stated that 808s & Heartbreak was scheduled to be released on November 25, though it was actually released on the 24th, and that the second single is "Heartless". The album was another number one album for West, even though the first week numbers fell well short of Graduation with 450,145 sold.^[60]

West performing in 2008

West performed at the American Music Awards ceremony on November 23.^[61] That same night he won two AMA awards, including Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for Graduation and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist. West performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August 2008, along with Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D. in support of Barack Obama. On January 20, 2009, Kanye West performed at the Youth Inaugural Ball hosted by MTV for Obama's inauguration.

On February 17, 2009, West was named one of Top 10 Most Stylish Men in America by GQ.^[62] The next day, February 18, 2009, West won International Male Solo Artist at The Brit Awards 2009. West was not in attendance but accepted his award with a video speech, saying "Barack is the 'Best Interracial Male' but I'm proud to be the Best International Male in the world.^[63]

In April 2009, Kanye West recorded a song called "Hurricane" with 30 Seconds to Mars to appear on their album This Is War, but was not released due to legal issues with both record companies. The song was eventually released on the deluxe version of This Is War, titled "Hurricane 2.0".^[64][65][66]

[edit] 2010–present: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne

West performing at The Big Chill

In May 2010, West made an animated television guest appearance on Fox's animated television series The Cleveland Show (a spin-off of Family Guy) as the voice behind "Kenny West", a rival of Cleveland Brown's son.^[67] In his first episode he performed in a rap battle with Cleveland's son. The producers stated working with West was a very good experience and a reason they chose him was because they knew he was a fan of Family Guy.^[68] Kenny West re-appeared in the season 2 premiere of The Cleveland Show.

West spent the first half of 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii, working on his new album with the working title "Good Ass Job", later named My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, released on November 22, 2010.^[69] West has cited Maya Angelou, Gil Scott-Heron and Nina Simone as his musical inspirations for this album. Outside production is said to come from RZA, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier.^[70][71] West also had Justin Vernon flown into his studio on Oahu after seemingly expressing interest in sampling one of Bon Iver's songs; Vernon proceeded to feature on a number of new tracks, including "Lost In The World," which features Vernon's vocal line from Woods.^[72]

On May 28, the Dwele-assisted first single from the album, entitled "Power", leaked to the Internet. On June 30, the track was officially released via iTunes. The upcoming music video was quoted as being "apocalyptic, in a very personal way" by the director Marco Brambilla.^[73]

On September 12, 2010, West performed a new song, "Runaway" featuring Pusha T, at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.^[74] Shortly after the performance, Kanye revealed he was working on a 35 minute short film based around the song. The movie is said to be influenced by film noir and concerns a fallen phoenix whom Kanye falls in love with.^[75] On October 15, 2010, Kanye West was ranked 3rd in BET's "Top Ten Rappers of the 21st Century" list.^[76]

West performing at a benefit at the Museum of Modern Art in 2011

Watch the Throne, a collaborative studio album by West and Jay-Z,^[77] was released by Def Jam Recordings on August 8, 2011.^[78] It has been under production since August 2010 as part of West's GOOD Friday initiative of releasing new songs every Friday between August 20 and Christmas 2010.^[79] West said through a recent interview with MTV that the album is "going to be very dark and sexy, like couture hip hop."^[79][80][81] He appeared at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, performing the track "Lost in the World" from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.^[82] On January 6, 2011, Kanye announced via Twitter that the first official single from Watch the Throne would be a song called "H•A•M" produced by Lex Luger. The song was released on January 11, 2011.^[83]

On April 17, 2011, West closed the Coachella Festival with a headlining set that received glowing praise from fans and critics alike.^[84][85] On July 20, a track titled "Otis" from the album was released in the iTunes Store. It samples "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding.^[86] On October 19, 2011, via his Twitter, West announced plans for a Spring 2012 GOOD Music album release.^[87] On April 6, 2012, "Mercy", the lead single from the GOOD Music compilation album, Cruel Summer, was released.^[88] The song, produced by newly signed in-house producer Lifted, features West along with Big Sean, Pusha T and southern rapper 2 Chainz.^[89]

Other ventures[link]

Business ventures[link]

In August 2008, West revealed plans to open 10 Fatburger restaurants in the Chicago area; the first was set to open in September 2008 in Orland Park. The second followed in January 2009, while a third location is yet to be revealed, although the process is being finalized. His company, KW Foods LLC, bought the rights to the chain in Chicago.^[90] Additionally, West planned to launch his fashion career, and applied for internships with major European fashion houses.^[91] He was due to release his own clothing line called Past Tell in 2009. He also collaborated with Nike to release his own shoe, Air Yeezys.

On January 22, 2009, during Paris Fashion Week, West introduced his first shoe line designed for Louis Vuitton. The line was released in summer 2009.

On October 1, 2011, Kanye West premiered his women's fashion label, DW Kanye West^[92] at Paris Fashion Week. He received support from DSquared2 duo Dean and Dan Caten, Olivier Theyskens, Jeremy Scott, Azzedine Alaïa, and the Olsen twins, who were also in attendance during his show. His debut fashion show received mixed-to-negative reviews,^[93][94] ranging from reserved observations by Style.com^[95] to excoriating commentary by The Wall Street Journal,^[96] the New York Times,^[97] the International Herald Tribune, Elleuk.com, The Daily Telegraph, Harper's Bazaar and many others.^{[98][99][100]}

Philanthropy[link]

West started the "Kanye West Foundation" in Chicago in 2003. On August 24, 2007, West hosted the inaugural benefit concert to launch the foundation's partnership with Strong American Schools. It is focused on helping Latino and African American children stay in school and continue education through grade school, high school, and college. The foundation also helps children pursue music in school. West has contributed over $500,000 to his foundation. The foundation has also been called the "Donda West Foundation".

Kanye West has appeared and participated in many fundraisers, benefit concerts, and has done community work for Hurricane Katrina relief, the Kanye West Foundation, the Millions More Movement, 100 Black Men of America, a Live Earth concert benefit, World Water Day rally and march, Nike runs, and a MTV special helping young Iraq War veterans who struggle through debt and PTSD a second chance after returning home.^[101]

Musical style and influences[link]

West working in the studio with his mentor No I.D. (left)

At the start of his career, Kanye West's production style often used pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his own drums and instruments.^[25] His first major release featuring his trademark vocal sampling style was "This Can't Be Life", a track from Jay-Z’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West said he sped up the drum beat of Dr. Dre's "Xxplosive" to use as a replacement for his drums on "This Can't Be Life".^[24]

West has said that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style,^[21][102] and has said on numerous occasions that Wu-Tang rappers Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard were some of his all-time favorites, "Wu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this all the time... We think Wu-Tang had one of the biggest impacts as far as a movement. From slang to style of dress, skits, the samples. Similar to the [production] style I use, RZA has been doing that."^[103] RZA himself has spoken quite positively of the comparisons, stating in an interview for Rolling Stone, "All good. I got super respect for Kanye. He came up to me about a year or two ago. He gave me mad praising and blessings... For people to say Wu-Tang inspire Kanye, Kanye is one of the biggest artists in the world. That goes back to what we say: 'Wu-Tang is forever.' Kanye is going to inspire people to be like him."^[104] After hearing his work on The Blueprint, RZA claimed that a torch-passing had occurred between him and West, saying, "The shoes gotta be filled. If you ain't gonna do it, somebody else is gonna do it. That's how I feel about rap today."^[104]

West accompanied by an eleven-piece chamber orchestra

While his use of sampling has lessened over time, West's production continues to feature distinctive and intricate string arrangements. This characteristic arose from him listening to the English trip hop group Portishead, whose 1998 live album Roseland NYC Live, with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra inspired him to incorporate string sections into his hip hop production.^[2] Though he was unable to afford live instruments beyond violin riffs provided by Israeli violinist Miri Ben-Ari around the time of his debut album, its subsequent commercial success allowed him to hire his very own eleven-piece string orchestra. For a time, West stood as the sole current pop star to tour with a string section.^[2]

West has stated on several occasions that outside of work, he favors listening to rock music over hip-hop. He cites Franz Ferdinand, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Killers as some of his favorite musical groups. Additionally, on Graduation, West drew inspiration from arena rock bands such as U2, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin for melody and chord progression.^[105] Both a fan and supporter of indie culture, West uses his official website to promote obscure indie rock bands, posting up music videos and mp3s on a daily basis.^[106] This musical affinity is mutual, as West has collaborated with indie artists such as Santigold, Peter Bjorn and John, and Lykke Li while his songs have gone on to be covered countless times by myriad rock bands.^[107]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

Kanye West and designer Alexis Phifer ended their 18-month engagement in 2008. The couple had been dating on and off since 2002, with West eventually proposing in August 2006. According to a friend, the couple's relationship had become increasingly strained, burdened by the sheer amount of time and attention West was dedicating to his current concert tour. "It's always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends," Phifer told People.^[108]

West was also in a high profile on/off relationship with Amber Rose from 2008 until the summer of 2010. He is now reportedly dating reality star Kim Kardashian.^[109]

Mother's death[link]

Donda West in August 2007

On November 10, 2007, West's mother, Donda West, died of complications from cosmetic surgery involving abdominoplasty and breast reduction.^[110] TMZ reported that Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Andre Aboolian refused to do the surgery because Donda West had a health condition that placed her at risk for a heart attack.^[110] Aboolian referred her to an internist to investigate her cardiac issue.^[110] Donda never met with the doctor recommended by Aboolian and had the procedures performed by a third doctor, Jan Adams.^[110] She was 58 years old (1949–2007).

Adams sent condolences to Donda West's family but declined to publicly discuss the procedure because of confidentiality.^[111] He had previously been under scrutiny by the medical board.^{[112][113][114]} Adams appeared on Larry King Live on November 20, 2007 but left before speaking. Two days later, he appeared again, with his attorney, stating he was there to "defend himself." He said that the recently released autopsy results "spoke for themselves".^[115] The final coroner's report January 10, 2008 concluded that Donda West died of "coronary artery disease and multiple post-operative factors due to or as a consequence of liposuction and mammoplasty."^[116]

The funeral and burial for Donda West was held in Oklahoma City on November 20, 2007.^[117] West held his first concert following the funeral at The O2 in London on November 22. He dedicated a performance of "Hey Mama", as well as a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", to his mother, and did so on all other dates of his Glow in the Dark tour.^[118]

At a December 2008 press conference in New Zealand, West spoke about his mother's death for the first time. "It was like losing an arm and a leg and trying to walk through that," he told reporters.^[119]

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger passed the "Donda West Law," a legislation which makes it mandatory for patients to provide medical clearance for elective cosmetic surgery.^[120]

Legal issues[link]

In December 2006, Robert "Evel" Knievel sued West for trademark infringement in West's video for "Touch the Sky." Knievel took issue with a "sexually charged video" in which West takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevel" and attempts flying a rocket over a canyon. The suit filed in federal court claims infringement on his trademarked name and likeness. Knievel also claims the "vulgar and offensive" images depicted in the video damage his reputation. The suit seeks damages and to stop distribution of the video.^[121] West's attorneys argued that the music video amounted to satire and therefore was covered under the First Amendment. Just days before his death in November 2007, Knievel amicably settled the suit after being paid a visit from West, saying, "I thought he was a wonderful guy and quite a gentleman."^[122]

On September 11, 2008, West and his road manager/bodyguard Don "Don C." Crowley were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and booked on charges of felony vandalism after an altercation with the paparazzi in which West and Crowley broke the photographers' cameras.^[123][124] West was later released from the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division station in Culver City on $20,000 bail bond. On September 26, 2008 the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said it would not file felony counts against West over the incident. Instead the case file was forwarded to the city attorney's office, which charged West with one count of misdemeanor vandalism, one count of grand theft and one count of battery and his manager with three counts of each on March 18, 2009.^[125] West's and Crowley's arraignment was delayed from an original date of April 14, 2009.^[126]

West was arrested again on November 14, 2008 at the Hilton hotel near Gateshead after another scuffle involving a photographer outside the famous Tup Tup Palace nightclub in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He was later released "with no further action", according to a police spokesperson.^[127]

Controversies[link]

General media[link]

West has had several controversies throughout his career. On September 2, 2005, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on NBC, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, West was a featured speaker. When West was presenting alongside actor Mike Myers, he deviated from the prepared script. Myers spoke next and continued to read the script. Once it was West's turn to speak again, he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people." At this point, telethon producer Rick Kaplan cut off the microphone and then cut away to Chris Tucker, who was unaware of the cut for a few seconds. Still, West's comment reached much of the United States.^[128][129] Bush stated in an interview that the comment was "one of the most disgusting moments� of his presidency.^[130]

In January 2006, West again sparked controversy when he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.^[131]

In November, 2010, in a taped interview with Matt Lauer for the Today Show, West expressed regret for his criticism of Bush. "I would tell George Bush in my moment of frustration, I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist," he told Lauer. "I believe that in a situation of high emotion like that we as human beings don't always choose the right words." The following day, Bush reacted to the apology in a live interview with Lauer saying he appreciated the rapper's remorse. "I'm not a hater," Bush said. "I don't hate Kanye West. I was talking about an environment in which people were willing to say things that hurt. Nobody wants to be called a racist if in your heart you believe in equality of races."

Reactions were mixed, but some felt that West had no need to apologize. "It was not the particulars of your words that mattered, it was the essence of a feeling of the insensitivity towards our communities that many of us have felt for far too long," noted Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons.^[132] Dr. Boyce Watkins said that West was, "now part of the establishment, where waffling on your principles is fully expected. Bush deserved no apology, for you don’t apologize to a criminal after repudiating him for an egregious crime.^[133] " Bush himself was receptive to the apology, saying, "I appreciate that. It wasn't just Kanye West who was talking like that during Katrina, I cited him as an example, I cited others as an example as well. You know, I appreciate that."^[134]

Award shows[link]

In 2004, West had his first of a number of incidents involving music award events. At the American Music Awards of 2004, West stormed out of the auditorium after losing Best New Artist to country singer Gretchen Wilson. He later commented, "I felt like I was definitely robbed [...] I was the best new artist this year."^[135] After the 2006 Grammy nominations were released, West said he would "really have a problem" if he did not win the Album of the Year, saying, "I don't care what I do, I don't care how much I stunt – you can never take away from the amount of work I put into it. I don't want to hear all of that politically correct stuff."^[136] On November 2, 2006, when his "Touch the Sky" failed to win Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards, West went onto the stage as the award was being presented to Justice and Simian for "We Are Your Friends" and argued that he should have won the award instead.^[137][138] Hundreds of news outlets worldwide criticized the outburst. On November 7, 2006, West apologized for this outburst publicly during his performance as support act for U2 for their Vertigo concert in Brisbane.^[139] He later spoofed the incident in the season premiere of Saturday Night Live.

On September 9, 2007, West suggested that his race had to do with his being overlooked for opening the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in favor of Britney Spears; he claimed, "Maybe my skin’s not right."^[140] West was performing at the event; that night, he lost all 5 awards that he was nominated for, including Best Male Artist and Video of the Year. After the show, he was visibly upset that he had lost at the VMAs two years in a row, stating that he would not come back to MTV ever again. He also appeared on several radio stations saying that when he made the song "Stronger" that it was his dream to open the VMAs with it. He has also stated that Spears has not had a hit in a long period of time and that MTV exploited her for ratings.^[141]

On September 13, 2009, during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards while Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me", West went on stage and grabbed the microphone to proclaim that Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", nominated for the same award, was "one of the best videos of all time". He was subsequently removed from the remainder of the show for his actions.^{[142][143][144]} When Beyoncé later won the award for Best Video of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", she called Swift up on stage so that she could finish her acceptance speech.^[142] West was criticized by various celebrities for the outburst,^{[143][145][146][147][148]} and by President Barack Obama, who called West a "jackass".^{[149][150][151][152][153]} In addition, West's VMA disruption sparked a large influx of Internet photo memes with blogs, forums and "tweets" with the "Let you finish" photo-jokes.^[154] Subsequently, West posted two apologies for the outburst on his personal blog; one on the night of the incident and the other the same day he appeared on The Jay Leno Show, on September 14, 2009, where he apologized again.^[146][155] After Swift appeared on The View two days after the outburst, partly to discuss the matter, West called her to apologize personally. Swift said she accepted his apology.^{[156][157][158]} In September 2010, West wrote a series of apologetic tweets addressed to Swift including "Beyonce didn't need that. MTV didn't need that and Taylor and her family friends and fans definitely didn't want or need that" and concluding with "I'm sorry Taylor." West also revealed he had written a song for Swift and if she did not accept the song, he would perform it himself.^[159] However, on November 8, 2010, in an interview with a Minnesota radio station, West seemed to recant a bit of his past apologies by attempting to describe the act at the 2009 awards show as "selfless" and downgrade the perception of disrespect it created.^[160][161]

Discography[link]

Solo Albums

• The College Dropout (2004)
• Late Registration (2005)
• Graduation (2007)
• 808s & Heartbreak (2008)
• My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

Collaborations

• Watch the Throne (2011) – with Jay-Z
• Cruel Summer (2012) – with GOOD Music artists^[87]

Filmography[link]

• We Were Once a Fairytale (2009)
• Runaway (2010)
• Cruel Summer (2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

Kanye West portal

References[link]