A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various wire gauges. The term ''wire'' is also used more loosely to refer to a bundle of such strands, as in 'multistranded wire', which is more correctly termed a wire rope in mechanics, or a cable in electricity.

Although usually circular in cross-section, wire is also made in square or flattened rectangular cross-section, either for decorative purposes, or for technical purposes such as high-efficiency voice coils in loudspeakers. Edge-wound coil springs, such as the "Slinky" toy, are made of special flattened wire.

History

In antiquity, jewelry often contains, in the form of chains and applied decoration, large amounts of wire that is accurately made and which must have been produced by some efficient, if not technically advanced, means. In some cases, strips cut from metal sheet were made into wire by pulling them through perforations in stone beads. This causes the strips to fold round on themselves to form thin tubes. This strip drawing technique was in use in Egypt by the 2nd Dynasty. From the middle of the 2nd millennium BC most of the gold wires in jewellery are characterised by seam lines that follow a spiral path along the wire. Such twisted strips can be converted into solid round wires by rolling them between flat surfaces or the strip wire drawing method. The strip twist wire manufacturing method was superseded by drawing in the ancient Old World sometime between about the 8th and 10th centuries AD. There is some evidence for the use of drawing further East prior to this period.

Square and hexagonal wires were possibly made using a swaging technique. In this method a metal rod was struck between grooved metal blocks, or between a grooved punch and a grooved metal anvil. Swaging is of great antiquity, possibly dating to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC in Egypt and in the Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe for torches and fibulae.

Twisted square section wires are a very common filigree decoration in early Etruscan jewellery.

In about the middle of the 2nd millennium BC a new category of decorative tube was introduced which imitated a line of granules. True beaded wire, produced by mechanically distorting a round-section wire, appeared in the Eastern Mediterranean and Italy in the seventh century BC, perhaps disseminated by the Phoenicians. Beaded wire continued to be used in jewellery into modern times, although it largely fell out of favour in about the tenth century AD when two drawn round wires, twisted together to form what are termed 'ropes', provided a simpler-to-make alternative. A forerunner to beaded wire may be the notched strips and wires which first occur from around 2000 BC in Anatolia.

Wire was drawn in England from the medieval period. The wire was used to make wool cards and pins, manufactured goods whose import was prohibited by Edward IV in 1463. The first wire mill in Great Britain was established at Tintern in about 1568 by the founders of the Company of Mineral and Battery Works, who had a monopoly on this. Apart from their second wire mill at nearby Whitebrook, there were no other wire mills before the second half of the 17th century. Despite the existence of mills, the drawing of wire down to fine sizes continued to be done manually.

Wire is usually drawn of cylindrical form; but it may be made of any desired section by varying the outline of the holes in the draw-plate through which it is passed in the process of manufacture. The draw-plate or die is a piece of hard cast-iron or hard steel, or for fine work it may be a diamond or a ruby. The object of utilising precious stones is to enable the dies to be used for a considerable period without losing their size, and so producing wire of incorrect diameter. Diamond dies must be rebored when they have lost their original diameter of hole, but the metal dies are brought down to size again by hammering up the hole and then drifting it out to correct diameter with a punch.

Uses

Wire has many uses. It forms the raw material of many important manufacturers, such as the wire-net industry, wire-cloth making and wire-rope spinning, in which it occupies a place analogous to a textile fiber. Wire-cloth of all degrees of strength and fineness of mesh is used for sifting and screening machinery, for draining paper pulp, for window screens, and for many other purposes. Vast quantities of aluminium, copper, nickel and steel wire are employed for telephone and data wires and cables, and as conductors in electric power transmission, and heating. It is in no less demand for fencing, and much is consumed in the construction of suspension bridges, and cages, etc. In the manufacture of stringed musical instruments and scientific instruments wire is again largely used. Among its other sources of consumption it is sufficient to mention pin and hair-pin making, the needle and fish-hook industries, nail, peg and rivet making, and carding machinery; indeed there are few industries into which it does not enter.

Not all metals and metallic alloys possess the physical properties necessary to make useful wire. The metals must in the first place be ductile and strong in tension, the quality on which the utility of wire principally depends. The metals suitable for wire, possessing almost equal ductility, are platinum, silver, iron, copper, aluminium and gold; and it is only from these and certain of their alloys with other metals, principally brass and bronze, that wire is prepared. By careful treatment extremely thin wire can be produced. Special purpose wire is however made from other metals (e.g. tungsten wire for light bulb and vacuum tube filaments, because of its high melting temperature). Copper wires are also plated with other metals, such as tin, nickel, and silver to handle different temperatures, provide lubrication, provide easier stripping of rubber from copper.

Production

Wire is often reduced to the desired diameter and properties by repeated drawing through progressively smaller dies, or traditionally holes in draw plates. After a number of passes the wire may be annealed to facilitate more drawing or, if it is a finished product, to maximise ductility and conductivity.

Finishing, jacketing, and insulating

Electrical wires are usually covered with insulating materials, such as plastic, rubber-like polymers, or varnish. Insulating and jacketing of wires and cables is nowadays done by passing them through an extruder. Formerly, materials used for insulation included treated cloth or paper and various oil-based products. Since the mid-1960s, plastic and polymers exhibiting properties similar to rubber have predominated.

Two or more wires may be wrapped concentrically, separated by insulation, to form coaxial cable. The wire or cable may be further protected with substances like paraffin, some kind of preservative compound, bitumen, lead, aluminum sheathing, or steel taping. Stranding or covering machines wind material onto wire which passes through quickly. Some of the smallest machines for cotton covering have a large drum, which grips the wire and moves it through toothed gears; the wire passes through the centre of disks mounted above a long bed, and the disks carry each a number of bobbins varying from six to twelve or more in different machines. A supply of covering material is wound on each bobbin, and the end is led on to the wire, which occupies a central position relatively to the bobbins; the latter being revolved at a suitable speed bodily with their disks, the cotton is consequently served on to the wire, winding in spiral fashion so as to overlap. If a large number of strands are required the disks are duplicated, so that as many as sixty spools may be carried, the second set of strands being laid over the first.

For heavier cables that are used for electric light and power as well as submarine cables, the machines are somewhat different in construction. The wire is still carried through a hollow shaft, but the bobbins or spools of covering material are set with their spindles at right angles to the axis of the wire, and they lie in a circular cage which rotates on rollers below. The various strands coming from the spools at various parts of the circumference of the cage all lead to a disk at the end of the hollow shaft. This disk has perforations through which each of the strands pass, thence being immediately wrapped on the cable, which slides through a bearing at this point. Toothed gears having certain definite ratios are used to cause the winding drum for the cable and the cage for the spools to rotate at suitable relative speeds which do not vary. The cages are multiplied for stranding with a large number of tapes or strands, so that a machine may have six bobbins on one cage and twelve on the other.

Solid versus stranded

Solid wire, also called solid-core or single-strand wire, consists of one piece of metal wire. Stranded wire is composed of a bundle wires to make a larger conductor.

Stranded wire is more flexible than solid wire of the same total cross-sectional area. Solid wire is cheaper to manufacture than stranded wire and is used where there is little need for flexibility in the wire. Solid wire also provides mechanical ruggedness; and, because it has relatively less surface area which is exposed to attack by corrosives, protection against the environment. Stranded wire is used when higher resistance to metal fatigue is required. Such situations include connections between circuit boards in multi-printed-circuit-board devices, where the rigidity of solid wire would produce too much stress as a result of movement during assembly or servicing; A.C. line cords for appliances; musical instrument cables; computer mouse cables; welding electrode cables; control cables connecting moving machine parts; mining machine cables; trailing machine cables; and numerous others.

At high frequencies, current travels near the surface of the wire because of the ''skin effect'', resulting in increased power loss in the wire. Stranded wire might seem to reduce this effect, since the total surface area of the strands is greater than the surface area of the equivalent solid wire, but in fact a simple stranded wire will not improve skin effect since all the strands are short-circuited together and still behave as a single conductor. A stranded wire will have higher resistance than a solid wire of the same diameter because the cross-section of the stranded wire is not all copper, there are unavoidable gaps between the strands (this is the circle packing problem for circles within a circle). A stranded wire with the same cross-section of conductor as a solid wire is said to have the same equivalent gauge and is always a larger diameter.

However, for many high-frequency applications, ''proximity effect'' is more severe than skin effect, and in some limited cases, simple stranded wire can reduce proximity effect. For better performance at high frequencies, litz wire, which has the individual strands insulated and twisted in special patterns, may be used.

Number of strands

The more individual wire strands in a wire bundle, the more flexible, kink-resistant, break-resistant, and stronger the wire is. But more strands cost more.

The lowest number of strands is 7: one in the middle, 6 surrounding it.

The next level up is 19, which is another layer of 12 strands on top of the 7. After that the number varies, but 37 and 49 are common, then in the 70 to 100 range (the number is no longer exact). Even larger numbers than that are typically found only in very large wires.

For application where the wire moves, 19 is the lowest that should be used (7 should only be used in applications where the wire is placed and then does not move), and 49 is much better. For applications with constant repeated movement, such as assembly robots, and headphone wires, 70 to 100 is mandatory.

For applications that need even more flexibility (welding is the usual example, but also any need to move wire in tight areas), even more strands are used. One example is a 2/0 wire made from 5,292 strands of #36 gauge wire. The strands are organized by first creating a bundle of 7 strands. Then 7 of these bundles are put together into super bundles. Finally 108 super bundles are used to make the final cable. Each group of wires is wound in a helix so that when the wire is flexed, the part of a bundle that is stretched moves around the helix to a part that is compressed to allow the wire to have less stress.

Varieties

''Hook-up wire'' is small-to-medium gauge, solid or stranded, insulated wire, used for making internal connections inside electrical or electronic devices. It is often tin-plated to facilitate soldering.

''Magnet wire'' is solid wire, usually copper, which, to allow closer winding when making electromagnetic coils, is insulated only with varnish, rather than the thicker plastic or other insulation commonly used on electrical wire. It is used for the winding of electric motors, transformers, inductors, generators, speaker coils, ''etc.''

''Resistance wire'' is wire with higher than normal resistivity, often used for heating elements or for making wire-wound resistors. Nichrome wire is the most common type.

align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"	Wire Abbreviation
AF	Asbestos 302°F. Fixture wire,18-10 Awg. Heat resistant,With some moisture resistant types.300v. Max.
AL	Impregnated Asbestos Under 300v. 257°F., Dry only.
AVA, AVB, & AVL	Asbestos and Varnished Cambric, 194-230°F., Dry with AVL wet.
B	Outer Braid usually of Glass.
Bell	wire usually low voltage, usually of 18awg. No rubber used, just 2 layers of cotton twisted in opposite directions.
C	Two or more stranded wires with flexible insulation for temporary use. Thermoset or Thermoplastic, Dry Use Only. Rough service wire, but not as nice looking as “PO”. Twice as thick in insulation but similar to “PO” with silk or Rayon top layer. Usually a yellow / green braided jacket, “Green and Yellow Cord”. No outer jacket to wires, just twisted single strands. Lamp Cord, 2 or more 18-10Awg. (Now is Thermoset or thermoplastic insulation with outer cotton cover.) Pendant and portable use, not hard usage in dry locations.
DBRC	Old Household, double braided rubber coated wire with cotton braid. Weather and fire resistant.
E	Elevator Cable, 2 or more, 20-2 Awg. Conductors, Thermoset, 3 layer cotton braided with flexible Flame retardant and Moisture Resistant Nylon jacket. For Elevator Lighting and Control in non-hazardous locations. Can incorporate 20 Awg Communications cable and or optical fibers within covering, and be permitted to be supported thru- center of insulation. “L.S” Designation = Limited Smoke flame retardant.
EO	Elevator Cable, Same as Above with one type available for Hazardous locations.
ET	Elevator Cable, Same as E, with a Rayon Braid on each conductor.
ETLB	Same as E with No Braiding on each conductor.A14
ETP	Same as E with Rayon Braided Conductors and for Hazardous Classified Locations.
ETT	Same as ETP with No Outer Cover.
EV	Electric Vehicle Cord. 18 - 500 KCMil. Awg. Two or more conductors, plus grounding conductors and optional hybrid data or signal communications and optional fiberoptic cables. Thermoset with optional nylon insulation and optional braiding. Thermoset outer covering. For electric vehicle charging in wet locations and for extra hard use.
EVJ	Same as EV cord but 18 to 12 Awg, and thinner jacket.B19
EVE	Same as EV cord, but with thermoplastic Elastomer insulation and coverings.
EVT	Same as EV cord, but with Thermoplastic insulation.
F	Fixture Wire, 90°C.
FCC	Flat Copper Conductors, edge to edge for carpet, and under flooring.
FEP	Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene Insulation, Rated over 194°F. Dry only.
FEPB	Same as FeP, but with glass braid or Asbestos type outer covering. 392°F. Dry only.
FFH-2	Heat resistant rubber coated fixture wire, flexible strands, 167̊F.Rubber coated and latex rubber coated types.
G	8Awg to 500 KCMil., 2-6 conductors plus Grounding Conductors. Portable Thermoset, Oil Res., Extra Hard Use. Stage and Garage Cable.
H	Higher Loaded Current Temp. May be used 167°F. Max.
HF	ECTFE Solid or 7 stranded. 18-14 Awg. Ethylene Chloro trifluoroethylene. 302°F. Fixture wire.
HFF	ECTFE Stranded wire, same as HF.
HH	Much Higher Temperature 194°F. Max.
HPD	Heater Cord 18-12 Awg., 2 to 4 conductors. Dry Use Only. Thermoset or Thermoset with Asbestos covered wires instead of cotton, but similar to type C. Covered with cotton or Rayon. Not Hard usage.B31
HPN	Heater Cord, 18-12 Awg., 2 to 3 Conductors. Wet use, Light Duty Only. Oil resistant Thermoset. Non twisted.
HS	Heater Cord, 14-12 Awg., 2 to 4 Conductors. Thermoset insulation with cotton or Thermoset Outer Covering, Extra Hard Usage.
HSJ	Same as HS. But 18 - 12 Awg., Hard Usage only.
HSO	Same as HS. with Oil Resistance Outer covering, Extra Hard Usage.
HSJO	Same as HSO but Only Hard Usage. 18 - 12 Awg Available.
HSOO	Same as HS. But with oil resistant Thermoset insulators, and oil resistant covering, Extra Hard Usage.
HSJOO	Same as HSOO but Hard Usage only and 18-12 Awg. Available.
IGS	Integrated Gas Spacer Cable, Exterior Use.
KF-1- and KF-2,	Tape insulated fixture wire, solid or 7 stranded, 18-10 Awg. Aromatic Polyamide taped, 392̊F. Fixture wire.
KFF-1- and KFF-2	Stranded KF wire, note: -1- designates 300v. Max.
L	Lead Jacket.
MI	Mineral Insulated, Metal Shielded cable. Magnesium Oxide, 194°F or 482°F., Dry or wet locations, with copper or Alloy Steel outer covering. Mineral insulated and Metal Shielded.
MTW	Moisture, Heat and Oil Res. Flame Retardant Thermoplastic. Machine tool wiring in wet locations 140°F. Or 196°F. In dry locations with Nylon or Equivalent Jacket.
MV	Medium Voltage Cable, Solid Dielectric 2,001 volts plus.
N	Extruded Nylon or Thermoplastic Polyester, Tough and Very Resistant to Gas and Oil.
NM	“Romex”, Non-Metallic cable with paper wrapping between conductors and plastic sheeting.
NMT	See RFH wire Below. (Non-Metallic Tubing.)
NMC	“Romex”, Non-Metallic cable with solid plastic sheeting.
O	Neoprene Jacket. See SO cable.
P	Rough Service appliance vacuum cleaner type cord. Flexible but like type “C”, coated in rubber like “POSJ”, encasing both strands with an appearance fabric outside layer.
PAF	Perfluroalkoxy, Solid or 7 strand, 482°F. Fixture wire, 18-14 Awg. nickel or nickel coated copper fixture wire. See PFA wire.
PAFF	Stranded PAF wire, 302°F.
PD	18-10 Awg. Thermoset or Thermoplastic Insulation Cotton braiding and Cotton or Rayon outer covering. Pendant or Portable Wiring, Dry Locations, Not Hard Usage. Twisted Portable Cord.
PF	Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene, fixture wire, solid or seven stranded 392̊F. 18-14 Awg. Fixture wire.
PFA	Perfluorglkoxy, 194°F. For dry and damp conditions. See PAF wire.
PFAH	Perfluorglkoxy, 482°F. Dry only, Raceway or Apparatus wire only.
PFF	Same as PF wire, but stranded. 302°F.
PGF	Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene, Glass Braided. 392°F. Solid or seven stranded. 18-14 Awg. Fixture Wire.
PGFF	Stranded PGF wire, 302°F.
PO	Lamp cord with outer layer of silk or Rayon. Wires not Twisted but Parallel. Cotton yarn wrapping round twisted strands; Insulators of rubber on top of cotton, which insulates rubber from sticking to strands making it more flexible. Cotton layer atop Rubber, with Rayon or silk jacket enclosing two wires in parallel.
POSJ	New Replacement for “PO” using a rubber jacket encasing both wires, and does not fray like fabric wires, can be washed.
PPE	Garage use Portable Power Cable, 8 - 500 KCMil. With 1 - 6 conductors plus ground conductors. Thermoplastic Elastomer Insulation, with Oil Resistant Thermoplastic Elastomer Outer Covering. Portable Extra Hard Use. Rated for Stage and
PTF	Extruded Polytetra Fluoroethylene, solid or seven stranded, 18-14 Awg. 482°F. Nickel or Nickel coated copper fixture wire.
PTFF	Stranded PTF wire, 302°F. 18-14 Awg.
R	Rubber or Neoprene insulation. (Best Quality Rubber) Household Wiring.
RFH-1	Heat Resistant, Rubber Coated, 167°F. 18 Awg. 300v. Fixture wire, solid or seven stranded. Also type “NMT” Fixture wire.
RFH-2	Heat Resistant, RFH wire, 18-16 Awg. 600v. with Latex Rubber or rubber coating. Otherwise the same as RFH-1
RFHH-2	(LS) Limited Smoke Flame Retardant, Heat Resistant Cross linked synthetic polymer insulated fixture wire. Solid or stranded 18-16 Awg. and cross linked synthetic polymer with out jacket. No cover or NMT 194°F. Multi conductor cable, and fixture wire.
RH	Thermoset, 167°F. Dry and Damp only, Flame Retardant, and Moisture Resistant. Best Quality, Better than RH and RP wire. For Factories and like. Moisture Res. & Flame Retardant non-metallic Covering.
RHH	Thermoset, 194°F. Dry and Damp only, Flame Retardant, and Moisture Resistant.
RP	Best Quality Rubber Insulation.
RUH	Heat Resistant Latex Rubber 167°F., Dry only.
RWH	Flame, Ozone and Moisture Resistant, 167°F. For dry and wet locations over 2,000 volts.
RWH-2	194°F. Continuous Temperature Thermoset. For Dry and Damp locations.
S	Hard Service Cord with two or more stranded conductors 18 - 2 Awg. with a serving of woven cotton between the copper and the Thermoset insulation. Jute or other “fillers” are twisted together with the conductors to make a round assembly. Outer jacket of high quality rubber or modern Thermoset. For Portable or Pendant, damp locations. Extra Hard Use. Stage and Garage Use.
SA	Silicone Rubber or Silicone Asbestos, 194°F. For dry and Damp Areas. Silicone Rubber insulation with Glass or other Braided covering. (392°F. Special Applications)
SBRC	Old Household, Single Braided rubber covered with cotton braid.
SC	“NEC” designation for Entertainment Industry and Stage Lighting Cable; rated 600 volts 8 Awg - 250 KCMil. 1 or more Conductors. Extra Hard Usage. Thermoset insulation and outer covering.
SCE	Same as SC, with PVC or Thermoplastic Elastomer Insulation and outer covering.
SCT	Same as SC, with TPE based thermoplastic Insulation and outer covering.
SE	Flame Retardant and Moisture Resistant, Hard Service Cord. 18 -2 Awg. 2 or more conductors, Use Underground, stage and Garage and not Fire Resistant. Thermoplastic Elastomer Insulation and outer covering.
SEO	Same as SE But with Oil Resistant Outer Covering.
SEOO	Same as SEO, But with oil Resistant Insulation also.
SIS	Switchboard wire 194°F. Thermoplastic Flame Resistant for Switchboards. Synthetic Heat resistant Rubber. Dry only.
SJ	Same as S-Cord, with Lighter Jacket 18-10 Awg. 2-5 Conductors, Thermoset Insulation and outer jacket. Junior Hard service Cord.
SJE	Same as SJ, with Thermoplastic Elastomer Insulation and outer covering.
SJEO	Same as SJE But Oil Resistant.
SJO	Same as SJ But with Oil Resistant outer covering. Same as SO cord, with an even lighter jacket.
SJOO	Same as SJO But with Oil resistant insulation also.
SJT	Same as SJ cord, except with outer jacket and insulation of (thermoplastic) Materials.
SF	Silicone 200°C. Fixture wire.
SF 1or 2	Silicone Rubber NMT, 392°F. “-1\" is 18 Awg. 300v. “-2\" is 16-18 Awg. 600v. Solid or seven stranded. Fixture wire.
SFF 1or 2	Stranded SF, NMT wire. 302°F.
SO	Cord, same as S cord, thermoset insulation with an oil resistant jacket of neoprene or similar material thermoset. Rated for stage and garage use.
SOO	Same as SO with Oil Resistant Insulation
SN	Synthetic rubber wire re-named “type T”, in 1947 from original 1940 code designation thermoplastic insulation, with no cotton required, not cold resistant.
SP	Rubber “Zip Cord”.
SP-1	All Thermoset Parallel cord 20 -18 Awg, 2or3 Conductor. Pendant or portable use, Damp Locations, Not Hard Use. Not twisted.
SP-2	Same as SP-1 But 18-16 Awg.
SP-3	Same as SP-1 But 18-10 Awg. For Refrigerators, Room Air Conditioners.
SPE	All Elastomer, (Thermoplastic) Parallel Cord. 20-18 Awg. 2 or 3 Conductors. Otherwise same as SP-1 to 3 Cord.
SPT	“Zip Cord”, Fixture Cord, 2 or 3 wire Stranded, Designated by gauge and number of wires. Eg: “18-3\" is 18 gauge 3-wire. Thermoplastic Insulation. Otherwise same as Sp-1 to 3 cord.
SRD	Range or Dryer Cable. 10- 4 Awg. 3 or 4 conductors. Thermoset insulation and outer covering. Portable for damp locations. 3-Conductor versions are not twisted.
SRDE	Same as SRD cable but Thermoplastic Elastomer insulation and outer covering.
SRDT	Same as SRD cable but with Thermoplastic insulation and outer covering.
ST	Same as S cord, except with outer jacket of (thermoplastic) Materials. 18-2 Awg. 2 or more Conductors. Rated for Stage and Garage Use.
SV	Same as SJ Cord, with an even Lighter Jacket. Vacuum cleaner cord. 18-16 Awg. 2 or 3 conductors. Thermoset insulation and covering. Not hard use, pendant or portable, damp locations.
SVE	Same as SV cord but with Thermoplastic Elastomer insulation and covering.
SVO	Same as SV cord but with Thermoset insulation and oil resistant Thermoset covering.
SVT	Same as SV cord with outer jacket of (therm plastic) Materials.
T	Wire wrapped in thermoplastic insulation for protection from below 32° to 150°F. Tinsel Cord 140̊F,(TP, TS, TPT, TST)
TA	Thermoplastic and Asbestos, 194°F., Switchboard use only.
TC	Signal Wire, Power and Control.
TW	T-Wire with water-resistant insulation. Should not be buried directly in ground. 140° Flame Retardant, Heat and Moisture resistant thermoplastic.
TBS	Thermoplastic with Fibrous outer braid, 194°F. Fire Retardant (Switch Boards).
TBWP	Triple Braided weather proof with no rubber used, 3 layers of water proof cotton used on single wire outdoors services.
T2	Thermoplastic covered fixture wire, solid or 7 stranded. 140°F. 18-16 Awg. Fixture Wire.
TFE	Extended Polytetrafluoroethylene. 482°F. Dry Locations only, Apparatus or Raceway lead wiring or open wiring, Avl. With Nickel or nickel coated copper wire only.
TFF	Same as T2 wire but stranded, 140°F.
TFN	Heat Resistant Thermoplastic covered fixture wire of solid or seven strands. 18-16 Awg. And a nylon jacket or equivalent covering 194°F.
TFNN	Same as TFN but stranded.
THW	TW-Wire 167°F. With heavier heat resistant insulation. Dry and Wet Locations, Flame Retardant. (194°F. Special Applications within electric discharge lighting equipment, 1,000w. open circuits or less.)
THHN	Thermoplastic 194°F. Insulation with outer nylon (or equivalent) jacket Heat Resistant, Flame Retardant with nylon or equivalent jacket. Dry and Damp Locations.
THHW	Thermoplastic 167°F. Wet Locations. Flame Retardant, Heat Resistant. (194°F. Dry Locations.)
TFE	Extruded Polytetra Fluoroethylene. 482°F. Dry areas only for Apparatus and raceway wiring or open wiring.
THWN	Thermoplastic insulation, 167°F. with outer nylon (or equivalent) jacket; Flame Retardant, Heat and Water Resistant.
TPE	‘Flexalloy is a PVC based UHMW therrmoplastic elastomer from Teknor Apex, Vinyl Division, that is billed as being “lighter, more flexible, and more resistant to extreme cold” than cable produced with conventional compounds. Coast Wire and Plastics Technology is using it to jacket a new line of cable that they manufacture, called FlexOLite Touring Cable. The Flexalloy compound is used for the inner insulation and for the outer jacket. “One big advantage of Flexalloy vinyl TPE for insulation and jacketing is that it weighs only half as much as rubber,” - Jim Crisman, VP of the Entertainment Div. Of Coast Wire (PLSN p77 Cable Construction, Nov. 2003.
TPT	Parallel Tinsel cord. 27 Awg. 2 conductor. Thermoplastic insulation and covering. Attached to an appliance rated at not more than 50 watts and not more than 8 feet away with a special connector, for damp locations and not hard, but extremely flexible use. Not Twisted conductors.
TS	Jacketed Tinsel cord. 27 Awg. 2 conductor. Thermoset insulation and covering, same as TPT otherwise.
TST	Same as TS cord but with thermoplastic insulation and covering.
UF	Underground Feeder and Branch Circuit Cable, 140°F. a water proof version of NMC, rated for burial in the ground.
USE	Underground Service Entrance Cable not fire resistant but high temp. Wire 167°F. Replaces Lead shielded cable. Heavily rubber coated, with outer covering extra water resistant, can also be type “T” with thermoplastic protection.
V	Varnished Cambric, #6 to MCM2000, 185°F., Dry use only.
W	Cord Rated 2,000 volts Extra Hard Usage; 8-500 KCMil. 1-6 conductors. Replaced welding cable as in acceptable stage cable until type SC was developed. Thermoset insulation with Oil Resistant Thermoset cover. Rated for Stage and garage use.
X	Crossed linked Synthetic polymer, Very Tough, Moisture and Heat Resistant. Fixture wire.
XF	Same as X wire but solid or seven stranded, 302°F. 300v. 18-10Awg. Cross-Linked Polyolefin.
XFF	Same as XF, but stranded.
XHH	Thermoset, 194°F. Dry and damp locations. Flame Retardant.
XHHW	Moisture Resistant Thermoset, 194°F. For dry and Damp locations and 167°F. For wet locations. Flame Retardant, and moisture resistant.
Z	Dry and Damp Locations, 194°F.(302°F. Dry locations in special applications) Modified Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene.
ZF	Modified ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, solid or seven stranded, 18-14 Awg. same as Z above, 302°F. Fixture Wire.
ZFF	Same as ZF above but stranded.
ZHF	High temperature modified ETFE solid or seven stranded. 392°F. 18-14 Awg. Fixture wire.
ZW	Modified Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene Wet Locations, 167°F.; (194°F. Dry and Damp; 302°F. Dry, special Applications).

See also

For transmission see: Power cable, High voltage cable and HVDC

Barbed wire

Cable

Chicken wire

Electrical connector

Electrical wiring

Litz wire

Razor wire

THHN

Wire gauge

Wire netting

Wire rope

Wire wrapped jewelry

Wollaston wire

References

External links

Wire Gauge to Diameter—Diameter to Wire Gauge Converter - Online calculator converts gauge to diameter or diameter to gauge for any wire size.

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Coordinates	20°34′00″N103°40′35″N
name	Charlie Brooker
birth name	Charlton Brooker
birth date	March 03, 1971
birth place	Reading, Berkshire, England
nationality	British
occupation	Broadcaster, writer, columnist, comedian, critic
spouse	Konnie Huq (2010–present)
years active	1998–present
alma mater	Polytechnic of Central London }}

Charlton "Charlie" Brooker (born March 03, 1971) is a British journalist, screenwriter and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism. He presents TV shows ''Screenwipe'', ''Gameswipe'' and ''Newswipe'', wrote a review column for ''The Guardian'' newspaper and currently writes a comment piece each Monday for The Guardian supplement G2, and is one of four creative directors of comedy production company Zeppotron. His five-part horror drama ''Dead Set'' for ''E4'' earned him a nomination for a BAFTA. Brooker won Columnist of the Year at the 2009 British Press Awards for his column, and the Best Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards 2009. He is co-presenter of ''10 O'Clock Live'' on Channel 4. He has also presented the documentary series ''How TV Ruined Your Life'' on BBC Two and created the Channel 4 satirical drama trilogy ''Black Mirror'' (writing and co-writing Episodes 1 and 2 respectively).

Early life and education

Brooker was born in Reading, Berkshire. He first worked as a writer and cartoonist for ''Oink!'', a comic produced in the late-1980s.

After attending Wallingford School, Brooker attended the Polytechnic of Central London (which became the University of Westminster during his time there) – studying for a BA in Media Studies. He did not graduate because his dissertation was written on video games, which was not an acceptable topic.

Career

''PC Zone''

Brooker wrote for ''PC Zone'' magazine in the mid-1990s. Aside from games reviews, his output included the comic strip "Cybertwats" and a column titled "Sick Notes", where Brooker would insult anyone who wrote in to the magazine and offered a £50 prize to the "best" letter.

In February 1998, one of Brooker's one-shot cartoons caused the magazine to be pulled from the shelves of many British newsagents. The cartoon was titled "Helmut Werstler's Cruelty Zoo" and professed to be an advert for a theme park created by a Teutonic psychologist for children to take out their violent impulses on animals rather than humans. It was accompanied by photoshopped pictures of children smashing the skulls of monkeys with hammers, jumping on a badger with a pitchfork, and chainsawing an orang-utan, among other things. The original joke was supposed to be at the expense of the ''Tomb Raider'' games, known at the time for the number of animals killed, but the original title, "Lara Croft's Cruelty Zoo", was changed for legal reasons.

In October 2008, Brooker and several other ex-writers were invited back to review a game for the 200th issue. Brooker reviewed Euro Truck Simulator.

SuperKaylo

A number of Brooker's artworks were available to the public on his website. This body of work is drawn both from the commissions of his various patrons, and began as a paper comic that was sold to customers at Brooker's former workplace CeX. In addition to its counter presence, Brooker sold issues to mail order customers when they called up to place orders for games.

One aspect of the SuperKaylo site was a series of recorded phone conversations, that had originally started from a commissioned featured for ''PC Zone'' on technical support phonelines. Brooker took things further than this half serious investigation, when in 1999 he called up the then editor of ''Edge'' magazine, Jason Brookes. Pretending to be an angry father, he phoned up enraged by an advert that had appeared in a previous issue for CeX, one that Brooker himself had written and drawn.

TVGoHome

From 1999 to 2003 he wrote the satirical ''TVGoHome'' website, a regular series of mock TV schedules published in a format similar to that of the ''Radio Times'', consisting of a combination of savage satire and surreal humour and featured in technology newsletter Need To Know. A print adaptation of the site was published by Fourth Estate in 2001. A TV sketch show based on the site was broadcast on UK digital station E4 the same year.

Newspaper columns

Brooker began writing a TV review column titled "Screen Burn" for ''The Guardian'' newspaper's Saturday entertainment supplement ''The Guide'' in 2000, a role he continued through to October 2010.

From the autumn of 2005, he wrote a regular series of columns in ''The Guardian'' supplement "G2" on Fridays called "Supposing", in which he free-associated on a set of vague what-if themes. Since late October 2006 this column has been expanded into a full-page section on Mondays, including samples from TVGoHome and Ignopedia, an occasional series of pseudo-articles on topics mostly suggested by readers. The key theme behind Ignopedia was that, while Wikipedia is written and edited by thousands of users, Ignopedia would be written by a single sub-par person with little or no awareness of the facts.

On 24 October 2004, he wrote a column on George W. Bush and the forthcoming 2004 US Presidential Election which concluded:

''The Guardian'' withdrew the article from its website and published and endorsed an apology by Brooker. He has since commented about the remark in the column stating: }}

Brooker left the "Screen Burn" column in 2010. In the final column, he noted how increasingly difficult he found it to reconcile his role in mainstream media and TV production with his writing as a scabrous critic or to objectively criticise those he increasingly works and socialises with. Longtime covering contributor Grace Dent took over the column. He continues to contribute other articles to The Guardian on a regular basis.

Television

From 1999 to 2000, Brooker played hooded expert 'the Pundit' in short-lived show Games Republic hosted by Trevor and Simon on BSkyB.

In 2000, Brooker was one of the writers of the Channel 4 show ''The Eleven O'Clock Show'' and a co-host (with Gia Milinovich) on BBC Knowledge's ''The Kit'', a low-budget programme dedicated to gadgets and technology (1999–2000). In 2001, he was one of several writers on Channel 4's controversial ''Brass Eye'' special on the subject of paedophilia.

In 2003, Brooker wrote an episode entitled "How to Watch Television" for Channel 4's ''The Art Show''. The episode was presented in the style of a public information film and was partly animated, and gave advice on how to view television.

Together with ''Brass Eye'''s Chris Morris, Brooker co-wrote the sitcom ''Nathan Barley'', based on a character from one of TVGoHome's fictional programmes. The show was broadcast in 2005 and focused on the lives of a group of London media 'trendies'. The same year, he was also on the writing team of the Channel 4 sketch show ''Spoons'', produced by Zeppotron.

In 2006, Brooker began writing and presenting his signature television series ''Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe'' on BBC Four, a TV review programme in a similar style to his ''Screen Burn'' columns in ''The Guardian''. After an initial pilot series of three editions in April of that year, the programme returned in the autumn for a second run of four episodes plus Christmas and Review of the Year specials in December 2006. A third series followed in February 2007 with a fourth broadcast in September 2007, followed by a Review of the Year in December 2007. The fifth series started in November 2008 and was followed by another Review of the Year special. This series was also the first to be given a primetime repeat on terrestrial television (BBC Two), in January 2009.

''Screenwipe'''s format mostly consists of two elements. The first is the playing of clips from other television shows – both mainstream and obscure – interspersed with shots of Brooker, sitting in his living room, delivering witty critiques on them. The second is where Brooker explains, again with a slice of barbed humour, the way in which a particular area of the television industry operates. Also occasionally present are animations by David Firth and guest contributions, which have included the poetry of Tim Key, and segments in which a guest explains their fascination with a certain television show or genre.

Brooker has regularly experimented with ''Screenwipe'', with some editions focusing on a specific theme. These themes have included American television, TV news, advertising and children's programmes. (The last of these involved a segment where Brooker joined the cast of ''Toonattik'' for one week, playing the character of "Angry News Guy".) Probably the most radical departure from the norm came with an episode focused on scriptwriting, which saw several of British television's most prominent writers interviewed by Brooker.

As per the development of his career with ''The Guardian'', a similar show called Newswipe, focusing on current affairs reportage by the international news media, began on BBC Four on 25 March 2009. A second series began on 19 January 2010. He has also written and presented the one off special Gameswipe which focused on video games and aired on BBC Four on 29 September 2009.

Brooker has appeared on three episodes and one webisode of the popular BBC current affairs news quiz ''Have I Got News for You''. He appeared on an episode of the Channel 4 panel show ''8 Out of 10 Cats'', ''The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2009'', ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' and ''Would I Lie To You?''. In December 2006 reviewed two games written by the presenters of ''VideoGaiden'', on their show. He also made a brief appearance in the third and final instalment of the documentary series ''Games Britannia'', discussing the rise and popularity of computer games.

Brooker wrote for the BBC Three sketch show ''Rush Hour''.

In 2009, Brooker began hosting ''You Have Been Watching'', a panel comedy TV quiz on Channel 4 which discusses television. A second series was broadcast the following year.

On 6 May 2010, Brooker was a co-host of the Channel 4 alternative election night, along with David Mitchell, Jimmy Carr and Lauren Laverne. The telethon was interspersed with contributions from Brooker, some live in the studio but mostly pre-recorded. Notably, an "Election Special" of ''You Have Been Watching'' and two smaller segments in an almost identical style to ''Screenwipe'' (the only noticeable difference being that Brooker was sitting in a different room). Brooker described the experience of live television as being so nerve-wracking he "did a piss" during the broadcast. A spin-off series, ''10 O'Clock Live'', started in January 2011 with the same four hosts.

Brooker's "2010 Wipe", a review of 2010 in the style of Screenwipe/Newswipe/Gameswipe, was broadcast on BBC2 on 27 December 2010, and a new documentary series ''How TV Ruined Your Life'' started on BBC 2 on 25 January 2011. He has co-written a feature-length spoof crime drama along with Daniel Maier for Sky1 called A Touch Of Cloth (due early 2012).

In December 2011, Brooker's new darkly satirical 3-part series Black Mirror aired on Channel 4 to largely positive reviews. As well as creating the show, Brooker wrote the first episode and co-wrote the second with his wife Konnie Huq.

''Charlie Brooker's 2011 Wipe'', an hour-long review show of 2011, was broadcast on BBC Four on 30 December 2011. It was repeated on BBC Two on 3 January 2012.

Dead Set

Brooker wrote ''Dead Set'', a five part zombie horror thriller for E4 set in the Big Brother house. The show was broadcast in October 2008 to coincide with Halloween and was repeated on Channel 4 in January 2009 to coincide with Celebrity Big Brother, and again for Halloween later that year. It was produced by Zeppotron, which also produced Screenwipe.

Brooker told MediaGuardian.co.uk it comprised a "mixture of known and less well known faces" and "Dead Set is very different to anything I've done before, and I hope the end result will surprise, entertain and appall people in equal measure." He added that he has long been a fan of horror films and that his new series "could not be described as a comedy". "I couldn't really describe what it is but it will probably surprise people," Brooker said, adding that he plans to "continue as normal" with his print journalism.

Jaime Winstone starred as a runner on the TV programme, and ''Big Brother'' presenter Davina McCall guest starred as herself. Dead Set received a BAFTA nomination for ''Best Drama Serial''.

Radio

Beginning on 11 May 2010, Brooker presented a 5-part BBC Radio 4 series celebrating failure titled ''So Wrong It's Right'', in which guests compete to pitch the worst possible ideas for new franchises and give the 'most wrong' answer to a question. Also featured are guests' recollections about their own personal life failures and their complaints about life in general in a round called 'This Putrid Modern Hell'. Guests have included David Mitchell, Lee Mack, Josie Long, Frank Skinner and Richard Herring. A second series was confirmed, and it began airing on 10 March 2011. In common with ''Screenwipe's'' use of a Grandaddy track (''A.M. 180'') from the album ''Under The Western Freeway'' as its theme tune, ''So Wrong It's Right'' uses another track from the same album, ''Summer Here Kids''.

Personal life

Brooker became engaged to former ''Blue Peter'' presenter Konnie Huq after dating for 9 months, having met whilst filming an episode of Screenwipe. They married on 26 July 2010 at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. On 15 December 2011, Huq's agent announced a baby boy is expected early in April 2012.

Brooker is an atheist and contributed to The Atheist's Guide to Christmas.

Brooker has become an avid running enthusiast, running for up to an hour every day.

Awards

Brooker won Columnist of the Year at the 2009 British Press Awards for his ''Guardian'' column, where the judges described Brooker as "edgy, entertaining and wonderfully surreal, he has the explosive writing skills that can turn your thinking upside down. A definite destination read and a jewel of a column. Acerbic, nasty, spiteful, yet clearly in love with every subject he writes about at the same time. Must read stuff". He won Best Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards 2009 and the Royal Television Society award 2010 for Best Entertainment Programme (''Newswipe''), beating ''The X Factor'' and ''Britain's Got Talent''. His show (''Newswipe'') won Best Comedy Entertainment Show at the 2011 British Comedy Awards.

Publications

''TV Go Home'', 2001 (rescanned reprint in 2010) (ISBN 1-84115-675-2)

''Unnovations'', 2002 (rescanned reprint in 2011) (ISBN 1-84115-730-9)

''Screen Burn'', 2004 (ISBN 0-571-22755-4)

''Dawn of the Dumb: Dispatches from the Idiotic Frontline'', 2007 (ISBN 9780571238415)

''The Hell of it All'', Charlie Brooker, 2009 (ISBN 9780571229574)

References

External links

Charlie Brooker's Official Biography Page on zeppotron.com

Charlie Brooker's Agents and Production Company – zeppotron.com

TV Go Home

Charlie Brooker's Guardian columns

Shuffle's Cue & Ehh? with Charlie Brooker

Charlie Brooker's made-up film awards

Charlie Brooker Interview about You Have Been Watching

Charlie Brooker's page, Conville and Walsh literary agents

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century writers Category:21st-century writers Category:Alumni of the University of Westminster Category:British television critics Category:English atheists Category:English comedians Category:English comedy writers Category:English satirists Category:English television presenters Category:English television producers Category:English television writers Category:People from Reading, Berkshire Category:The Guardian journalists

Coordinates	20°34′00″N103°40′35″N
Name	R. Clayton 'Clay' Davis
Portrayer	Isiah Whitlock, Jr.
Creator	David Simon
Gender	Male
Occupation	Maryland State Senator
First	"One Arrest" ''(episode 1.07)''
Last	"Late Editions" ''(episode 5.09)''}}

Senator R. Clayton "Clay" Davis is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Davis is a corrupt Maryland State Senator with a reputation for pocketing bribes. However, throughout the series Davis remains protected by other ranking politicians and Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell.

Davis was known for his idiosyncratic profanity, often when confronted with bad news, comically elongating the word "shit" as "sheeeeee-it."

Storylines

These are summaries of events depicted in Davis' career in each season of the television show:

Season 1

When Lt. Cedric Daniels' detail discovers $20,000 of Avon Barksdale's drug money in the car of Davis' driver, they try to expand the wiretap-based investigation to include Davis. Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell calls Daniels into a private meeting with Davis, pressuring him into excluding the senator's alleged involvement. However, Daniels is unwilling to drop the case. Nevertheless, Burell pulls the plug on the investigation, and Clay Davis' involvement is effectively left buried. However, it is mentioned that Davis, with reputation for taking bribes, has been under federal investigation for the last two years.

Season 2

Davis attends a Democratic Party fundraiser thrown by stevedore union leader Frank Sobotka, accepting contributions in return for assurances that he would vote to construct the granary pier that Sobotka believes will help revitalize the union. After the press reports on criminal activities within the union, Sobotka's lobbyist advises him that none of the politicians -- including Davis, presumably -- will follow through. Davis is later seen at a groundbreaking ceremony for dockside condominiums being built on the site of the proposed granary pier.

Season 3

Davis acts as a consultant for Stringer Bell, taking bribes from the Barksdale Organization while claiming to win state government contracts for the drug empire's legitimate business front, B&B.; However, Bell becomes suspicious when he learns that block grants have been given to several city developers instead of B&B.; Maurice Levy, Bell's lawyer, concludes that Davis has "rain made" Bell; the senator has played off Stringer's inexperience in legitimate business, taking the money and doing nothing in return. Stringer, furious, tells Slim Charles that he wants him to assassinate Davis, but Charles warns him that murdering a public figure will bring too much unwanted attention from the authorities.

Season 4

Davis acts as Mayor Clarence Royce's deputy campaign chairman, and is a key fundraiser in his re-election campaign. When Detective Leander Sydnor serves a subpoena for Davis' financial records as part of the major crimes unit's ongoing investigation into the Barksdale organization's finances, the senator is outraged. In retaliation, he goes to Royce and threatens to cut off the campaign's funding unless Royce interferes with the subpoenas.

The day before the mayoral primary, Davis approaches candidate Tommy Carcetti, offering to hold off on bringing out the vote for Royce in exchange for a $20,000 payment. On Election Day, Davis campaigns for the mayor as if his offer to Carcetti had not taken place. After Carcetti defeats Royce, Davis explains that Royce gave more money, pointing out that he could easily have fleeced Carcetti for even more.

Davis strikes a deal with the City Council President Nerese Campbell, offering a $25,000 jump in salary to a replacement commissioner in an attempt to appear as if Carcetti as an ally while believing the amount insufficient to attract any serious candidate. Davis is especially motivated to help Burrell when he learns that the most likely replacement is Daniels, whom he regards as too uncontrollable. Davis opposes Daniels' potential appointment based on his attitude regarding Price. He realizes that Daniels may continue investigations into Davis' alleged money laundering. Davis convinces Campbell and Burrell that Daniels is more interested in serving Mayor Carcetti and is unwilling to be of use to the city's African American community. To keep Daniels from being promoted, Davis agrees with Burrell's plans to present information regarding illegal activities from Daniels' past.

Season 5

Davis becomes a target of prosecution for Baltimore City State's Attorney Rupert Bond following the major crimes unit investigation. Detectives Lester Freamon and Leandor Sydnor are assigned to the State's Attorney's unit to lead the investigation at Bond's behest following the rest of the unit's reassignment.

Davis approaches Burrell and demands his support against the investigation. Burrell explains that he could not intervene with Carcetti and the new State’s Attorney. Davis reminds Burrell that he helped to negotiate a pay raise on Burrell's behalf: enough to help Burrell purchase a new patio but not enough to attract a Pittsburgh Deputy Commissioner who was looking to take his post. Burrell explains that he would have to go around Daniels to interfere in the case and that Daniels is loyal to the Mayor; he also reminds Davis that interfering in the investigation would be a criminal act. Davis refuses to accept that Burrell would not return his previous support and accuses Burrell of believing him to be finished in Maryland politics.

Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman begins a series of grand jury depositions to prepare evidence to prosecute Davis, with one of the key witnesses being Davis' driver, Damien Lavelle "Day Day" Price. Learning that Mayor Carcetti has planned to replace Burrell, Davis offers to use his connections to smooth the transitions in exchange for help with the case. Carcetti refuses.

Having uncovered evidence that Davis lied on a mortgage application, Freamon and Sydnor suggest taking the case to federal law enforcement. However, Bond elects to ignore the evidence, hoping to gain recognition by prosecuting Davis himself. Called to testify, Davis invokes his Fifth Amendment rights to avoid incriminating himself. Davis confronts a press opportunity staged by Bond on the courthouse steps, turning on the charm and denying any wrongdoing. When called to the stand in his own defense, Davis gives a rousing speech defending his public role, is acquitted, and beams before the assembled cameras and reporters afterward while Bond and Pearlman look on, unable to believe what they have just witnessed.

With Bond's case concluded but the mortgage fraud uncharged, Freamon approaches Davis in a bar with the incriminating mortgage paperwork. Not knowing that Freamon has been unable to bring these charges, Davis gives up information about back-room deals involving the city's political elite. In a second conversation, Davis is last seen giving Freamon additional information, as well as boasting about a drug dealer named "Bell" whom he had "bled".

Production

Origins

Creator David Simon has said that Clay Davis is based on three different politicians in the Maryland State Senate, and that his affectionate use of the word "partner" is based on one of them, saying that everybody in Baltimore knows who this is.

In an essay in the official series guide ''The Wire: Truth Be Told'', William Zorzi implies that Davis is patterned on former Maryland State Senator Larry Young.

Mannerisms

The character is well known for his elongation of the word "shit", pronouncing it as . This mannerism originated with Whitlock's uncle, from whom he picked up the habit himself. It was featured in the 2002 film ''25th Hour'', after Spike Lee encouraged him to use it. When Whitlock received his first script for ''The Wire'' it was already written into the part.

References

Category:The Wire (TV series) characters Category:Fictional African-American people Category:Fictional Democrats (United States) Category:Fictional golfers Category:Fictional characters based on real people

Coordinates	20°34′00″N103°40′35″N
{{infobox character | name	James McNulty
portrayer	Dominic West
creator	David Simon
gender	Male
first	"The Target" ''(episode 1.01)''
last	"–30–" ''(episode 5.10)''
occupation	Major Crimes Unit Detective (Seasons 1-3 and 5), Baltimore City Homicide Detective (Seasons 1 and 5), Baltimore Marine Unit (Season 2), Western District Patrolman (Season 4)
title	Detective
alias	Jimmy, McNutty, Bushy Top
spouse	Elena McNulty (ex-wife), Beadie Russell (girlfriend)
children	Sean McNulty, Michael McNulty
footnotes	}}

Detective James "Jimmy" McNulty is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by British actor Dominic West. McNulty is an Irish American detective in the Baltimore Police Department. While he has proven himself to be a talented and determined detective, he is disliked by many of his superiors because of his arrogance, disdain for authority, and disrespect for the chain of command. When off the job, he has frequent problems involving alimony, alcoholism, child support, and relationships. McNulty is nevertheless central to many of the successful high-end drug investigations that take place within the series.

Character storyline

McNulty grew up in the Lauraville neighborhood of Baltimore. His father worked for Bethlehem Steel before being laid off. McNulty joined the police department after a year of college in Baltimore when his girlfriend Elena (whom he later married) became pregnant. In his first few years in the BPD he proved himself to be an effective patrolman in the Western District under the command of Major Colvin. After assisting Detective Ray Cole in solving a homicide (Cole had arrested the wrong man), he was promoted to detective and assigned to the homicide unit, where he was partnered with Bunk Moreland.

Season 1

Before the start of the series, McNulty had noticed that drug kingpin Avon Barksdale was expanding his organization's territory, and had successfully beaten several murder prosecutions. McNulty was responsible for the formation of the Barksdale detail following the trial of D'Angelo Barksdale, who is found not guilty after a witness changes her story in court. In the Judge's chambers, McNulty is frank about his observations and the lack of investigation so far, prompting Judge Phelan to call Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell. McNulty's commander, Major Rawls, is furious with him for going around the chain of command. McNulty tells Bunk that he hopes this investigation will lead to a case that means something to him. Sergeant Jay Landsman asks McNulty what unit he would least like to be assigned to, and McNulty says that he finds the diesel fumes in the Marine Unit intolerable.

Because of McNulty's conversation with Judge Phelan, a case unit is formed, initially consisting of Narcotics Lieutenant Cedric Daniels and his squad of Kima Greggs, Ellis Carver, and "Herc" Hauk. Deputy Burrell then asks his majors and shift lieutenants to send additional detectives for the investigative detail. As Burrell has made it clear that the case is no more than a cosmetic exercise, most of the officers sent are drunken or incompetent "humps". McNulty himself is also assigned to the unit. Daniels and McNulty argue about how to handle the case at their first meeting: McNulty, after seeing an FBI drug sting, suggests surveillance and wiretaps, but Burrell has ordered Daniels to put together a quick and simple case to appease Phelan. Soon after the investigation begins, McNulty learns from his friend in the FBI, Special Agent Fitzhugh that Daniels had been investigated for having a suspiciously large amount of liquid assets. McNulty's relationship with Daniels continues to be complicated by their mutual distrust.

The detail is assigned assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman as a prosecutor, with whom McNulty is having a casual sexual relationship. McNulty is officially separated from his wife, who limits his contact with his two sons, Sean and Michael. While shopping with them one afternoon, McNulty spots Stringer Bell, and sends his sons to tail him and get his license plate number. When Elena finds out, she seeks an emergency order to stop him from seeing his sons. She is also angry that he continues to see Pearlman casually.

Working on the Barksdale detail, McNulty becomes friends with Lester Freamon, who had previously been exiled to the pawn-shop unit for thirteen years (and four months) for his insistence on charging a politically-connected fence. Freamon often tries to temper McNulty's aggressive attitude towards Lt. Daniels. Frustrated that Barksdale's dealers do not use cell phones, they decide to clone the dealers' pagers instead. They also work together to convince Daniels to allow them to do better police work.

With the help of Kima Greggs, McNulty tracks down the elusive Omar Little, gaining his respect and cooperation. Omar agrees to testify against "Bird" Hilton. His assistance also leads to McNulty inadvertently solving one of Santangelo's old cases; a grateful Santangelo in turn reveals that he is a mole for Rawls, who is looking for an excuse to fire McNulty. Kima introduces McNulty to her CI Bubbles. When she is shot in a buy-bust sting operation gone wrong, McNulty is guilt-ridden, though even Rawls assures him that the shooting is not his fault. McNulty has a frank discussion with Daniels in which he admits that the Barksdale case is no more than an exercise in intellectual vanity and an opportunity to demonstrate the department's shortcomings. Daniels tells him that everyone has known this all along but that the case has taken on meaning for those involved.

The detail succeeds in arresting Wee-Bey Brice for shooting Kima, "Bird" Hilton for murdering a state's witness, and both D'Angelo and Avon Barksdale. McNulty almost convinces D'Angelo to testify against Avon but, ultimately, D'Angelo takes a twenty-year sentence instead. When the Barksdale investigation closes, Rawls reassigns McNulty to the marine unit, having learned from Landsman that this is precisely where McNulty does not want to go.

Season 2

McNulty is bored at his new job in the Marine Unit, where he is partnered with Claude Diggins. While on harbor patrol, he spots the body of a dead girl in the water. When Rawls argues the case is not in his jurisdiction, McNulty, seeking revenge, spends three hours poring over wind and tide charts to prove the death occurred within City jurisdiction. When Beadie Russell finds thirteen dead bodies in a shipping container on the Baltimore docks, McNulty again intervenes and, with the help of the medical examiner, proves that these deaths are also within Rawls' jurisdiction. The case is given to Bunk and Freamon, much to their chagrin.

To make amends, McNulty promises to discover the identity of the girl found dead in the water, but is ultimately unable to do so. Bunk Moreland is also pressuring McNulty to find Omar, who is needed to testify against Bird. McNulty coerces Bubbles into tracking down the elusive stick-up man, and Omar testifies successfully.

McNulty signs an agreement that he will pay alimony, believing it to be unnecessary because he can still salvage his marriage. He decides to give up alcohol and detective work, two of the main reasons for the breakup of his marriage. When Elena confirms the marriage is over, he grows despondent, and drinks more heavily than ever.

When Daniels' unit is recreated to investigate Frank Sobotka, a vengeful Rawls refuses to allow Daniels to have McNulty. McNulty seems to accept this with good grace, but tries to help the detail unofficially. Daniels persuades Rawls to let McNulty return to the unit by taking on the murders of the fourteen girls. McNulty's first assignment is to go undercover as a client visiting a local brothel, much to the amusement of his colleagues. He also flirts with Beadie Russell, who has been assigned to Daniels' detail, though he seems to shy away from a relationship.

While on surveillance, McNulty watches Spiros Vondas, an associate of the shady figure known as The Greek, send a text message. He reasons that the time and location of the text could be used to retrieve it from the phone company's databases; it is from this message that the detail learn that the Greek had shut down his operations.

After McNulty learns from Bubbles that Stringer Bell and Proposition Joe are sharing territory, he begins investigating them on his own time, convinced that he can gather enough evidence to prompt Daniels to focus the MCU's attention on Bell.

Season 3

McNulty returns to a detective position when the Major Case Unit is formed in season three, but is disappointed that their target is not Stringer Bell. He begins looking into the Barksdales anyway, finding out about D'Angelo's supposed suicide and Avon's early release. Investigating D'Angelo's death, he quickly realizes that D'Angelo was murdered.

McNulty reconnects with his old commanding officer from the beginning of his career, Major Colvin, to set up the Barksdale organization as the Major Crimes Unit's primary target. McNulty circumvents the chain of command again to set up an investigation of Barksdale, as Daniels is not interested in the quality of the unit's assigned case targets, blaming his rank in the department for his lack of case target interests. Angered by McNulty's back burning attitude, Daniels tells McNulty, "When the cuffs go on Stringer, you need to find a new home, you're done in this unit!" Even Freamon thinks McNulty should be more loyal to Daniels.

McNulty begins a relationship with political consultant Theresa D'Agostino, but he realizes that she is only interested in him physically. He eventually grows dissatisfied and feels less fulfilled. Largely due to Freamon's work, the Unit implicates Stringer Bell, but he is murdered before McNulty can arrest him. After Avon is arrested, Daniels reevaluates his decision to get rid of McNulty, but McNulty realizes he has no life outside his work. He is transferred to patrol in the western district, which he remembers as the happiest time of his life, and begins a relationship with Beadie Russell.

Season 4

McNulty's role was drastically scaled down in the fourth season. The character moved in with Russell and her two children, and is enjoying his life as a patrolman in the Western district alongside Sergeant Ellis Carver. His beat includes the corner Bodie Broadus is working on behalf of Marlo Stanfield. Both Major Daniels and Administrative Lieutenant Mello ask McNulty to do investigative work in the district but he declines. Mello is disappointed but Daniels realizes that McNulty has been able to get his life in order while working as a patrolman. Though other officers make arrests for statistical purposes, McNulty focuses on quality arrests. This is exemplified by the arrest of two burglars who were stealing from churches. In the process he mentors Officer Baker, a younger patrol officer in the Western, whom he and Bunk Moreland end up referring to as "good police." He also significantly reduces his drinking, sometimes resolving to stay sober despite pressure from his friends. Bunk and Freamon are amazed and slightly dismayed at how much Jimmy has changed, and Elena expresses regret for having left him, saying "if I would have known you'd grow up to be a grown-up." McNulty soon begins to miss the Major Case Squad, and quietly begins getting closer to Bodie, hoping to turn him into an informant against Marlo. After "Monk" Metcalf sees Bodie with McNulty, Bodie is killed as a precaution. McNulty feels guilty, and rejoins the Major Case Unit, much to the delight of Freamon and Daniels.

Season 5

Season Five opens with McNulty returning to old habits after a frustrating year-long investigation of the vacant murders yielded no results. When the Major Crimes Unit is closed down, McNulty is despondent, telling himself that he was talked into rejoining the unit by Command's promises of departmental reform. McNulty is transferred back to Homicide and his frustration manifests in heavy drinking and womanizing despite his relationship with Russell.

McNulty faces further frustration in the Homicide Unit when he cannot obtain a working vehicle to get to an accidental death scene. Waiting at the morgue, he finds Baltimore County homicide detectives Nancy Porter and Kevin Infante arguing with a new medical examiner. Porter explains that they were assigned an accidental death and the paramedics grabbed the decedent's neck to move him from behind a toilet. The medical examiner noticed signs of strangulation and intends to rule the death a homicide. McNulty is amazed that post-mortem strangulation is indistinguishable from strangulation which causes death. McNulty is drinking heavily on the job when assigned another probable overdose case with Bunk. McNulty disrupts the crime scene to make it seem that a struggle occurred. Bunk is outraged but McNulty continues, choking the corpse, stating that there is a "serial killer" in Baltimore. Bunk leaves, wanting no part of McNulty's actions. McNulty repositions the body to encourage bruising that indicates strangulation.

McNulty then searches for old cases to link to his fake strangulation to create the impression of a serial killer. He finds an old strangulation of a homeless man investigated by late detective Ray Cole, and doctors the case file to create connections to his own murder. McNulty also finds a strangulation of a homeless man investigated by Frank Barlow and notices a red ribbon tied around the victim's wrists. McNulty inserts mention of a red ribbon into the Cole case file and visits the morgue to tie a ribbon on his decedent's wrist. McNulty's decedent is ruled a death by strangulation by the medical examiner. After Landsman ignores these "serial murders," McNulty approaches Alma Gutierrez of ''The Baltimore Sun'' to generate publicity for them. His plan fails, however, when the story is relegated to the middle of the paper instead of the front page. Bunk repeatedly warns McNulty that his path leads to self-destruction; Lester, however, approves of McNulty's project and suggests that it needs sensationalism to succeed. McNulty continues to drink heavily and cheats on his domestic partner Beadie Russell.

McNulty and Freamon collaborate to enhance the media appeal of their serial killer story. McNulty finds that most dead homeless men are concentrated in the Southern District at night time. Freamon puts McNulty in touch with his old patrol partner Oscar Requer, who agrees to notify them of dead homeless men in the district. Freamon also devises a plan to show maturation in their serial killer's pattern and acquires dentures to create bite marks on the victim.

McNulty and Freamon canvass an area where the homeless gather at night. McNulty doubts that actual canvassing is needed on their false case. Freamon believes it will make their reports verifiable and protect them from the potential consequences of their plan. McNulty complains Landsman barely noticed his work on the case, but Freamon reminds him that if their plan works, the case will attract more interest and sloppiness could be their downfall.

McNulty returns home to a confrontation with Beadie Russell. She criticizes his behavior and drinking, which he claims is due to the case he is working. She reminds him of the strength of their relationship and says she used to disbelieve those who warned of his self destructive behavior. When McNulty tells Russell that he must respond to another call because he is chasing a serial killer, she says he is chasing more than that - referencing his philandering. She warns him not to return if he does not want to be there.

McNulty attends a further death with Freamon on Requer's tip. McNulty fakes another homicide and mutilates the decedent to show bite marks and defensive wounds. When investigating the "homeless killer", McNulty and detective Greggs travel to Quantico, Virginia for FBI assistance. McNulty realizes its a waste of time because he and Freamon have provided the police department with false information on the killer. Furthermore, McNulty has been voicing the killer all along giving the FBI the only means of tracking it. After doing the voice analysis, the FBI provide McNulty and Greggs with a psychological profile of the homeless killer, inadvertently giving a near perfect description of McNulty:

"The suspect is most likely a white male in his late twenties to late thirties, who is not a college graduate, but feels superior to those with advanced education, and is likely employed in a bureaucratic entity, possibly civil or public service. He has a problem with authority and a deep-seated resentment for those that have impeded his progress professionally. The sexual nature of the killings is thought to be a secondary motivation and the lack of DNA or saliva in the bite marks suggests possible postmortem staging. He may be struggling with lasting relationships and potentially a high functioning alcoholic with alcohol being used as a trigger in the crimes. The suspect’s apparent resentment of the homeless may indicate a previous personal relationship with a homeless person or the targeting may simply be an opportunity for the killer to assert his superiority and intellectual prowess."

McNulty looks sheepish as his character flaws are all spelled out for him. McNulty confesses to Greggs, who informs Deputy Commissioner for Operations Cedric Daniels. A furious Daniels (with Pearlman accompanying him) meets with Acting Commissioner Bill Rawls, State's Attorney Rupert Bond, and the Mayor's office. Daniels and Rawls confront McNulty, informing him that this will be his last CID case.

He starts by solving a new crime in the 'serial killer case'. A mentally ill homeless man McNulty had met on his previous canvas has started using the modus operandi of McNulty's serial killer. McNulty brings this, his final criminal, to justice. After attending a detective's wake (of sorts) in his and Lester's honor (they have been told they will never again be allowed to do real police work), McNulty leaves the bar and his friends, suggesting an attempt to reconcile with Russell. The show closes with a montage of McNulty looking at the city of Baltimore, revealing the fates of some characters.

Critical response and analysis

Jim Shelley of ''The Guardian'' has described the character as "irresistibly charming, a classic anti-hero; a modern-day Rockford." ''Entertainment Weekly'' said that the character was exemplary of the funky feel of the show citing his naturalistic dialogue, soulful voice and easy rapport with his African-American work partners. The role of McNulty's character has been described as defying genre conventions - although his actions drive several plot points he is not exactly the central character implied by the show's opening or promotional material. ''Flak Magazine'' also picked McNulty as a central character - they commented on the uncommon experience of having the main character fit to a standard police character archetype ("He has poor impulse control. He's personally fearless and outspoken, and he bangs babes like a hunchback rings bells…") but also exposing the archetype as self destructive and emotionally immature. Salon.com described McNulty as "The heart, soul and oft-impaired nervous system of "The Wire"", again selecting him as a central character. Salon also chose McNulty's pride as his main character trait - they described this aspect of his personality as being the thing which gives him his success as an investigator and his failure in most other aspects of his life. ''Entertainment Weekly'' picked McNulty as offering one of the show's most wicked ironies, he is one of the characters you would expect to be on the side of law and order as a police detective but they describe him as a "boozing cop who pisses on authority and order."

Origins

David Simon, the character's creator, has described his goal of presenting McNulty as ambiguous in his motivations. Based on his experiences with real detectives, he feels that most crime dramas present their police characters with the inherent falsehood that they care deeply about the victims in the cases they are investigating. Simon states that in his experience a good detective is usually motivated by the game of solving the crime—he sees the crime as an "insult to his intellectual vanity" and this gives him motivation to solve it.

The character was originally named Jimmy McArdle but because no one liked the name, executive producer Robert F. Colesberry suggested renaming him Jimmy McNulty (after his maternal grandmother). Dominic West's original audition tape for the part was recorded with him as the sole actor leaving spaces for the lines that would be spoken back to him. The producers were amused by the tape and agreed that they had to give him an audition.

References

Category:Fictional American people of Irish descent Category:Fictional Baltimore Police Department detectives Category:The Wire (TV series) characters

Coordinates	20°34′00″N103°40′35″N
name	Kanye West
background	solo_singer
birth name	Kanye Omari West
birth date	June 08, 1977
birth place	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
genre	Hip hop
instrument	Vocals, keyboards, sampler, percussion, synthesizer
occupation	Producer, rapper, musician, singer, songwriter
years active	1996–present
label	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	}}

Kanye Omari West (; born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. 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.

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 on August 8, 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. As of 2012, West has won a total of eighteen Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time. 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. 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 placing him third in overall digital sales of the past decade. He has sold over 30 million digital songs in the United States making him one of the best selling digital artists of all time.

West also runs his own record label GOOD Music, home to artists such as John Legend, Common and Kid Cudi. West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of three of his five albums as well as various single covers and music videos. About.com ranked Kanye West No.8 on their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list. On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as the year's No.1 "Hottest MC in the Game." On December 17, 2010, Kanye West was voted as the MTV Man of the Year by MTV. Billboard ranked Kanye West No. 3 on their list of Top 10 Producers of the decade. 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.

Early life

Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lived with his parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. 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. 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 in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago. When asked about his grades in high school, West replied, "I got A's and B's. And I'm not even frontin'".

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. 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".

Music career

1996–2003: Career beginnings

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".

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. 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.

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. 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. Multiple record companies felt he was not as marketable as rappers who portray the "street image" prominent in hip hop culture. 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.

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. The crash provided inspiration for West's first single, "Through the Wire". 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. 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". 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. 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.

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. Like its predecessor, the sophomore effort garnered universal acclaim from music critics. ''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''. ''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." The record earned the number one spot on the ''Village Voice'''s Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2005 for the second consecutive year. ''Late Registration'' was also a commercial success, selling over 860,000 copies in its first week alone and topping the ''Billboard 200''. 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. The second album earned eight Grammy Award nominations including ''Album of the Year'' and ''Record of the Year'' for the song "Gold Digger". The album is certified triple platinum.

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." 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.

In September 2005, West announced that he would release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006: "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.

2007–09: ''Graduation'' and ''808s & Heartbreak''

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. " 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'.

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.

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

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. 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. The album has been certified double platinum. Guest appearances included T-Pain, Mos Def, and Lil Wayne.

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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. He won four of them, 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).

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.

West performed at the American Music Awards ceremony on November 23. 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''. 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.

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".

2010–present: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' and ''Watch the Throne''

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. 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''. 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. 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. 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.

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.

On September 12, 2010, West performed a new song, "Runaway" featuring Pusha T, at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. 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. On October 15, 2010, Kanye West was ranked 3rd in BET's "Top Ten Rappers of the 21st Century" list.

''Watch the Throne'', a collaborative studio album by West and Jay-Z, was released by Def Jam Recordings on August 8, 2011. 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. West said through a recent interview with MTV that the album is "going to be very dark and sexy, like couture hip hop." He appeared at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, performing the track "Lost in the World" from ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''. 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.

On April 17, 2011, West closed the Coachella Festival with a headlining set that received glowing praise from fans and critics alike. 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. On October 19, 2011, West announced on his Twitter plans for a Spring 2012 GOOD Music album release. On April 6, 2012, "Mercy", the lead single from the ''GOOD Music'' compilation album was released. The song, produced by newly-signed in-house producer Lifted, features West along with Big Sean, Pusha T and southern rapper 2 Chainz.

Other ventures

Business ventures

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. Additionally, West planned to launch his fashion career, and applied for internships with major European fashion houses. 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 01, 2011, Kanye West premiered his women's fashion label, DW Kanye West 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, ranging from reserved observations by Style.com to excoriating commentary by The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, Elleuk.com, The Daily Telegraph, Harper's Bazaar and many others.

Philanthropy

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 to get a proper education through grade school, high school, and college. The foundation also helps children to stay in high school by finding a path through music. 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.

Musical style and influences

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. 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".

West has said that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style, 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." 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." 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."

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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

Personal life

Relationships

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''.

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.

Mother's death

On November 10, 2007, West's mother, Donda West, died of complications from cosmetic surgery involving abdominoplasty and breast reduction. 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. Aboolian referred her to an internist to investigate her cardiac issue. Donda never met with the doctor recommended by Aboolian and had the procedures performed by a third doctor, Jan Adams. 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. He had previously been under scrutiny by the medical board. 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". 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."

The funeral and burial for Donda West was held in Oklahoma City on November 20, 2007. 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.

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.

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.

Legal issues

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. 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."

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. 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. West's and Crowley's arraignment was delayed from an original date of April 14, 2009.

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.

Controversies

General media

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. Bush stated in an interview that the comment was "one of the most disgusting moments” of his presidency.

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.

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. 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. " Bush himself was acceptive towards 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."

Award shows

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." 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." 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. 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. 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." 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.

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. 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. West was criticized by various celebrities for the outburst, and by President Barack Obama, who called West a "jackass". 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Discography

Solo Albums

''The College Dropout'' (2004)

''Late Registration'' (2005)

''Graduation'' (2007)

''808s & Heartbreak'' (2008)

''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' (2010)

Collaborations

''G.O.O.D. Morning, G.O.O.D. Night'' (2009) - with Malik Yusef

''Watch the Throne'' (2011) – with Jay-Z

''GOOD Music'' (2012) – with GOOD Music artists

Filmography

''We Were Once a Fairytale'' (2009)

''Runaway'' (2010)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Kanye West at Beatbuggy

Category:1977 births Category:Midwest hip hop musicians Category:African American rappers Category:African American record producers Category:African American male singers Category:American bloggers Category:American Christians Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American music industry executives Category:American music video directors Category:American pop musicians Category:Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Brit Award winners Category:Chicago State University alumni Category:Electro-hop musicians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop singers Category:Living people Category:Mercury Records artists Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Rappers from Chicago, Illinois Category:Roc-A-Fella Records artists Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Songwriters from Illinois

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