Santigold
Santigold performing in Guadalajara, Mexico 02/2008
Background information
Birth name	Santi White
Born	(1976-09-25) September 25, 1976 (age 35)[1][2] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	New Wave, dub, electronica, hip-hop, reggae fusion, pop [3][4][5][6]
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, record producer, musician, rapper
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Lizard King Records (2007) Atlantic UK, Downtown, Roc Nation
Associated acts	Stiffed, NASA, The Lonely Island, Amanda Blank, Spank Rock, Major Lazer, David Byrne, Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Diplo, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Santi White (born September 25, 1976), better known by her stage name Santigold (formerly Santogold),^[7] is an American songwriter, producer, and pop singer. Her debut album Santogold was released to positive reviews in 2008.^[8][9] Her second album Master of My Make-Believe was released in April 2012.^[10]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Santi White attended Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and then later attended college at Wesleyan University, where she double-majored in Music and African-American studies. The artist got her pseudonym in the 1990s from a friend's nickname for her.^[11] She worked for Epic Records as an A&R representative, but left the position to co-write and executive produce How I Do, the debut album from the singer Res.^[12]

White was the singer of the Philadelphia-based punk rock band Stiffed,^[13] whose 2003 album, Sex Sells, and 2005 album, Burned Again, were produced by Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer.^[14] While in this group, she was offered a solo contract by Martin Heath of Lizard King Records.^[15]

[edit] Santogold: 2007–10

Her initial singles "Creator" and "L.E.S. Artistes" received attention from Internet media in 2007.^[16]

Her debut album, Santogold, was issued in April 2008. It was conceived with fellow Stiffed member John Hill.^[17][18] The record featured appearances and production work from Chuck Treece, Diplo, Switch and Jonnie "Most" Davis, amongst others.^[19] Santogold was hailed by both Entertainment Weekly and Spin.^[8][18] "L.E.S. Artistes" was placed at number two on Rolling Stone 's Singles of the Year,^[20] while Santogold was sixth on their albums of the year list.^[21] "Creator", along with "Lights Out",^[22] appeared in commercials in the United States^[23][24] and in the United Kingdom.

During the summer, the singer released on CD a mixtape called Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub which was well received by Pitchfork^[25] and NME.^[26]

Santigold at Eurockéennes, July 5, 2008

To promote her debut album, Santigold toured with M.I.A. and Björk.^[19] In June 2008, Coldplay invited her to be their opening act in the U.S.^[27] Santi's own US tour was called Goldrush Tour.^[28] After the tour's completion, she supported Jay-Z and Kanye West on a number of their shows^[29][30] and then The Streets at BBC's Electric Proms.^[31] She finished the tour opening for Beastie Boys for a few concerts.^[32]

In February 2009, White announced that she changed her initial stage name to Santigold for reasons related to a possible lawsuit from director Santo Victor Rigatuso, who produced the movie Santo Gold's Blood Circus.^[33]

The second leg of the tour finished in August 2009 at the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago.^[34] Billboard noted that she "delivered a bright set and drew a headliner-sized audience" for a late afternoon concert.^[34] Before leaving the stage, she announced she was preparing to compose for another album.^[34]

[edit] Master of My Make-Believe: 2011–present

In 2011, White published the song "Go!" which featured Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The track was produced by Switch, Q-Tip and Santigold herself. NME praised it as a "brittle and brilliant brawler of a track" with "great reverberating militaristic kettle-drum booms".^[35]

Santigold announced that the follow-up of Santogold would be out in spring 2012 : it was recorded in part in Jamaica.^[10] Talking to Billboard, she described her forthcoming album as "sonically eclectic but with some epic curveballs thrown into the mix".^[36] It was co-produced in part with TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek.^[10] The singer said about her new record Master of My Make-Believe :^[10] "I want it to be about creating your own reality. I have a song called “The Keepers”: “we’re the keepers, while we sleep in America our house is burning down".^[10] "Big Mouth", the first track and video from the album was issued in late January as a free download.^[37] In February, an animated video for "Disparate Youth" was uploaded to Santi's official YouTube channel,^[38] as the first single of the album. "Disparate Youth" was also issued via ITunes in the U.S and a UK version with several remixes was also edited.^[38] Master of My Make-Believe was out in late April:^[39] it was critically acclaimed.^[40]

Santi then went on tour and performed a few shows as opener on the U.S. leg of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' I'm with You Tour.^[41] During May and June, she will be headlining her own shows in the US before an European tour this summer.

Collaborations[link]

Besides her own work, Santi White (a.k.a. Santigold) has also collaborated with a number of other artists. She co-wrote the title track for GZA's 1999 album Beneath the Surface, which featured Res.^[42] White also went on to co-compose and produce a majority of Res' album How I Do in 2001.^[12] White later appeared on the song "Stay in Line" on GZA's 2002 album, Legend of the Liquid Sword.^[43]

In 2007, White also appeared on Mark Ronson's Version, performing on a cover of The Jam's "Pretty Green", in her first performance credited as Santogold. White co-wrote Lily Allen's "Littlest Things" with Ronson,^[24] and co-composed for Ashlee Simpson with Kenna, including the lead single "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)".^[44]

In 2008, she recorded a song with N.E.R.D's Pharrell Williams and The Strokes' Julian Casablancas for Converse.^[45] Santigold explained that the musicians recorded the song separately and did "their own separate thing", "so it ends up being just this weird long song with sort of everybody with lots of their own personalities separate."^[46] The song, "My Drive Thru", was available for free on Converse's website.

That same year, a track called "Brooklyn Go Hard", produced by Kanye West contained a sample of Santigold's track "Shove It".^[47] It appeared on the soundtrack to The Notorious B.I.G. biopic Notorious.^[48] The song was also released as a download via subscription to (RED)Wire, with a portion of the profits going towards Bono's Product Red organization.^[49] "Brooklyn Go Hard" debuted on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 62.^[50]

In 2009, she also sang on the track "Whachadoin?" with M.I.A., Nick Zinner, and Spank Rock for DJ collective N.A.S.A.'s debut album, The Spirit of Apollo,^[51] as well as a song entitled "Gifted" with Kanye West and Lykke Li.^[52] She then collaborated with Basement Jaxx's on their Scars album, adding her vocals to the song "Saga".

In 2010, Santigold, alongside Switch and Sam Endicott of The Bravery, helped write the Christina Aguilera songs "Monday Morning" and "Bobblehead" for the album, Bionic.

In 2011, she appeared on the Beastie Boys' album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, and was featured on the track "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win". She also took part on The Lonely Island's 2011 album Turtleneck & Chain, lending her vocals to the track "After Party". White collaborated with Spank Rock on "Car Song", for his album Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a Fucking Liar.

In 2012, Santigold was one of the guests on Amadou & Mariam's album, Folila, and featured on the track "Dougou Badia".^[53]

Style and influences[link]

White's style has been compared often to that of M.I.A.^[54] White said of the M.I.A. comparison that they are both "women who have similar influences and have worked with some of the same people," but that her "music is different and she wasn't influenced by what the press was saying", adding "I can't think of anybody who would be a better fit of somebody who I'm like... I think what's accurate about that comparison is that she's an artist who has loads of different influences... and is putting things together in a way that's unexpected and genreless."^[19][55] Santigold and her friend Amanda Blank have been described as being part of "a new crop of young, multicultural, female acts in the wake of M.I.A. causing a stir on the internet and in indie-label conference rooms."^[56] White also stated her liking for new wave music,^[19] and added that "My Superman" is an interpolation of a Siouxsie and the Banshees' song, "Red Light".^[57] Santigold has stated that she is inspired by 1980s pop music. "I felt that a lot of pop music from the '80s had a depth to it, and I hope to bring back some more good pop songs."^[19] The singer cites Devo as her "ultimate favorite band".^[58] White also grew up listening to a lot of reggae, jazz, Fela Kuti and Nigerian music; her main influences are James Brown and Aretha Franklin.^[59]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2008: Santogold
• 2012: Master of My Make-Believe

Singles[link]

• 2008: "Creator"
• 2008: "L.E.S. Artistes"
• 2008: "My Drive Thru"
• 2008: "Lights Out"
• 2008: "Say Aha"
• 2011: "Go!" (featuring Karen O)
• 2012: "Big Mouth"
• 2012: "Disparate Youth"

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Reed, James (September 23, 2008). "Sass master Santogold takes it to the limit". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/09/23/sass_master_santogold_takes_it_to_the_limit_1222138261/. 
• Ahead of the Curve, Yet Again April 27, 2012

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Santogold

• Official site
• Santigold on Myspace
• Santigold on Twitter
• Santigold discography at Discogs

Big Mouth (Lakota: Itȟáŋka) (born 1822–died October 29, 1869) was an Oglala-born chieftain of the Brulé Lakota, highly regarded by the Brulé for his bravery and aggressive military leadership. He was one of the chiefs who signed the second Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868^[1] and remained a bitter opponent of further American settlement, ridiculing Spotted Tail and other Sioux chieftains upon their return from a mission to Washington, DC. He was sixth son of Old Chief Smoke (1774–1864) and twin brother of Blue Horse.

One of the principal chiefs at the Whetstone Agency, located along the Missouri River, where most of the Brulé and Oglala bands had gathered, Big Mouth gained increasing support for his stance among members of the tribe. He criticized what he described as Spotted Tail's reversal of Sioux policy, saying Spotted Tail had been entertained by American politicians and given a personal tour through the major cities of the east coast. Faced with increasing opposition to his leadership, Spotted Tail visited Big Mouth at his lodge, where, upon approaching the entrance, Big Mouth was seized by two warriors and held down while Spotted Tail shot and killed him.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Grant, Bruce. The Concise Encyclopedia of the American Indian. New York: Wings Books, 2000. ISBN 0-517-69310-0
• Spartacus Educational:Spotted Tail

External links[link]

• AccessGenealogy.com - Indian Tribal Records: Brule Sioux Chiefs and Leaders

This article about an Indigenous person of North America is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article related to the United States military is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Spank Rock is an American hip-hop group consisting of rapper Naeem Juwan (MC Spank Rock) and producer Alex Epton (XXXChange). Their style is generally described as a mix of underground alternative rap, electro and rock.

Biography[link]

Spank Rock began performing in Philadelphia and Phoenixville, where their reputation quickly increased. They later toured with Hollertronix and M.I.A.. They also toured with Beck in 2006.^[3] Spank Rock's debut album YoYoYoYoYo was released in 2006 on the Big Dada record label. In Late 2007, Alex Epton aka XXXchange, left Spank Rock to pursue his own production.

In June 2011, Spank Rock officially announced that his second full length album, Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a Fucking Liar, would be released September 27, 2011 on his own label, Bad Blood Records.^[4] Pitchfork.com premiered the first single from the album, titled "Energy," produced by Boys Noize and based on a beat from Can's song "Vitamin C".^[5] Pitchfork also reported that the upcoming album will feature production from Boys Noize, XXXChange, Diplo, Crystal Castles, Pharrell and Sam Spiegel, and features Santigold.^[6]

Their single, "Bump", was named Single of the Year by Xfm London breakfast DJ Lauren Laverne in 2006.^[7] "Backyard Betty" was featured in a scene from Harmony Korine's 2007 film Mister Lonely. "Bump" was also played at the beginning of an episode in season three of Entourage. A remixed version of "Bump" is played on a Wish-Bone salad dressing commercial. In the video game Need for Speed: Carbon, the song "What It Look Like" appears. In Madden NFL 07, "Backyard Betty" is featured. Also, an instrumental version of "Loose" is in the game NBA 2K9. Spank Rock is one of the faces of Alexander Wang's 2011 T collection, along with Santigold.^[8]

In June 2007, Spank Rock signed a deal with Downtown Records.^[9] Spank Rock's first Downtown Records release came in the form of fall 2007's Benny Blanco & Spank Rock Present: Bangers & Cash EP, a 2 Live Crew inspired 5 song EP.^[10] Spank Rock also contributed a rap on the "Benny Blanco" remix of the track Heart Beat Rock; taken from Australian singer Kylie Minogue's 2007/8 Grammy nominated album "X".

In 2010 MC Spank Rock was featured along with The View's Kyle Falconer on "The Bike Song" by Mark Ronson, which featured on Ronson's 2010 album Record Collection. He was also the touring rapper on the album's 2010 UK tour.

In 2011, their song 'Energy' was featured in the EA Sports game, FIFA 12.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• YoYoYoYoYo (2006)
• Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a Fucking Liar (2011)

Singles[link]

• "Put That Pussy on Me" (2005)
• "Rick Rubin" (2006)
• "Sweet Talk" (2006)
• "Bump" (2006)
• "Energy" (2011)
• "Car Song"(2011)

EPs[link]

• Benny Blanco & Spank Rock Present: Bangers & Cash (2007; Downtown)
• E. I. B. A. E. I. A. F. L. Remixes (2012; Bad Blood)

Other releases[link]

• Couche Tard (2006)
• FabricLive.33 (2007)

Appearances[link]

• "D.A.N.C.E." (Remix featuring Mos Def and Spank Rock) (2007)
• "Kick Drum" from Noise Won't Stop by Shy Child (2007)
• "Back It Up" from Ed Rec Vol. 3 by Feadz (2008)
• "Keep My Composure" from Brotherhood by The Chemical Brothers (2008)
• "Heart Beat Rock" (Benny Blanco Mix featuring Spank Rock) from X by Kylie Minogue (2008)
• "Shove It" from Santigold by Santigold (2008)
• "Trick or Treat" from Stainless Style by Neon Neon (2008)
• "Radical Businessman" from Tut Tut, Now Shake Ya Butt by Japanther (2008)
• "Roll That Shit" from Booty Breaks Vol. 3 by Deekline & Wizard (2008)
• "Ultraviolence" (Remix featuring Spank Rock) by Heartsrevolution (2009)
• "Wachadoin" (featuring Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santogold, & Nick Zinner) from The Spirit of Apollo by N.A.S.A. (musical group) (2009)
• "My Eyes" (featuring Spank Rock, Theophilus London, Melo-X & Zakee) from Mishka and Ninjasonik present Darth Banhao by Mishka and Ninjasonik (2009)
• "Backseat" (featuring Spank Rock, Lady Tigra & Damien Adore) from Backseat - Single by Staygold (2010)
• "Park The Truck" (featuring Spank Rock) from Tons Of Friends by Crookers (2010)
• "The Bike Song" (feat. Kyle Falconer & Spank Rock) from Record Collection (album) by Mark Ronson (2010)
• "Church is on Fire" by Rebecca & Fiona from I Love You, Man! (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Spank Rock on Myspace

The Dancing Man is the name given to the man who was filmed dancing on the street in Sydney, Australia, after the end of World War II. On 15 August 1945, a reporter took note of a man's joyful expression and dance and asked him to do it again. The man consented and was caught on motion picture film in an Australian edition of the newsreel Movietone News. The film and stills from it have taken on iconic status in Australian history and culture, and symbolise victory in the war.

Identity[link]

There has been much debate as to the identity of the dancing man. The identity commonly accepted, though, is that he is Frank McAlary, a retired barrister who claims that he was the man photographed pirouetting in Elizabeth Street, Sydney, on 15 August 1945. A Queen's Counsel, Chester Porter, and a former Compensation Court judge, Barry Egan, both claim to have seen Mr. McAlary being filmed dancing.^[1]

The television programme Where Are They Now, produced by Australia's Seven Network, attempted to solve the mystery of the dancing man's identity. The network hired a forensic scientist who examined the film reel and picture and came to the conclusion that it was indeed McAlary.

The Royal Australian Mint, however, chose to portray Ern Hill as the dancing man on a 2005 issue $1 coin commemorating 60 years since the World War II armistice. Mr. Hill has made a statement that, "The camera came along and I did a bit of a jump around."^[1] The coin, sculpted by Wojciech Pietranik, does not bear any name.

Rebecca Keenan of Film World Pty. Ltd., says the dancer may be one Patrick Blackall.^{[citation needed]} Mr. Blackall has claimed, "I'm the genuine dancing man," and has signed statutory declarations that he is the man in the film.

See also[link]

• V-J Day in Times Square, an image of V-J Day in Manhattan

Notes[link]

References[link]

• "Dancing man still got the moves." St George Leagues Club, Leagues Club Journal. 25 July 2005
• Macy, Richard. "Who is the dancing man?." Sydney Morning Herald, 8 December 2004
• Stephens, Tony. "Famous pirouette of peace stepping up to a war dance" Sydney Morning Herald, 10 August 1995
• Movietone clip with teacher's notes on australianscreen online

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

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

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

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

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

Early life[link]

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

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

Music career[link]

1996–2003: Career beginnings[link]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

West performing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 2007.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

West performing in 2008

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

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

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

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

West performing at The Big Chill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other ventures[link]

Business ventures[link]

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

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

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

Philanthropy[link]

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

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

Musical style and influences[link]

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

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

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

West accompanied by an eleven-piece chamber orchestra

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

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

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

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