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Kanye West music biography continued...

Atlanta, Georgia on June 8, 1977, where he lived with both of his parents. When he was three years old his parents divorced, and he and his mother, an English professor, moved to Chicago, Illinois. West dropped out of college to pursue a career in music and soon became known as a talented beat maker. He gained fame while producing hits for a variety of rap and R&B stars, including Jay-Z, Paul Wall and Alicia Keys. 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." This and other hit 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, as well as high profile guest appearances. The album went certified triple platinum and went on to result in several Grammy awards for West, including Best Rap Album for his album and Best Rap Song for his single "Jesus Walks."



In late 2005, West released his second solo album, Late Registration, which met with enormous success, hit the top of the charts, and won the Grammy for Album of the Year in early 2006. That same year, the live album Late Orchestration: Live at Abbey Road Studios found West performing his hits with a 17-piece string orchestra. The album and accompanying DVD were only released in Europe. 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, but West's album went on to go Platinum. Through the years, West's outrageous statements and antics have brought him even greater fame, but he has always been a talent that cannot be denied.

Kanye West is set to perform in a "Stay in School" concert in Chicago on June 11, 2009 in honor of his late mother, Dr. Donda West. The concert is sponsored by his own Kanye West Foundation.