Kanye West was born on June 8 in Atlanta, Georgia to a photographer father and a Professor of English mother. He started his production career in the 1990s by creating beats for local artists in his community before he started a unique style of speeding up vocal samples from classic soul records. Kanye started making waves in the music industry as a 19-year-old when he produced eight tracks on Down To Earth, in the 1996 debut album of Grav. Full Name: Kanye Omari West Date of Birth: June 8, 1977 Age: 48 Years Old (as of 2026) Place Of Birth: Atlanta Net worth: $400 million according to Forbes. Background: Kanye West was raised in a middle-class environment, attending Polaris School for Individual Education in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois, after living in Chicago. At the age of 10, West moved with his mother to Nanjing, China, where she was teaching at Nanjing University as a Fulbright Scholar. According to his mother, West was the only foreigner in his class, but settled in well and quickly picked up the language, although he has since forgotten most of it. When asked about his grades in high school, West replied, "I got A's and B's." Education: West dropped out of Chicago State University at the age of 20 to concentrate on his musical career, he later released an album titled 'The College Dropout in 2004. Career: West has had a fulfilling career by exploring different music genres which include, soul, baroque-pop, stadium rock, electro, house-music, indie rock, synth-pop, progressive rock, industrial, punk, and gospel. Studio Albums: The College Dropout (2004) Late Registration (2005) Graduation (2007) 808s & Heartbreak (2008) My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) Yeezus (2013) The Life of Pablo (2016) Ye (2018) Jesus Is King (2019) Donda (2021) Donda 2 (2022) He has also collaborated on several albums such as: Watch the Throne (2011) (with Jay-Z) Cruel Summer (2012) (with GOOD Music) Kids See Ghosts (2018) (with Kid Cudi, as Kids See Ghosts) Jesus Is Born (2019): With the Sunday Service Choir. VULTURES 1 (2024): With Ty Dolla VULTURES 2 (2024): With Ty Dolla $ign. Kanye West has also made cameo appearances in films which include: The College Dropout Video Anthology (2004) Late Orchestration (2006) VH1 Storytellers (2010) Runaway (2010) Jesus Is King (2019) A Man Named Scott (2021) Jeen-Yuhs (TBA) Marital Life: West started a relationship with designer Alexis Phifer in 2002 they got engaged in 2006, the relationship crashed in 2008. He also dated Amber Rose from 2008 to 2010. In 2014, West got engaged to reality star Kim Kardashian in a private ceremony. The union produced four children North "Nori" West, Saint West, Chicago West, and Psalm West. Kim Kardashian filed for divorce on February 19, 2021, they both cited "irreconcilable differences" as the cause of divorce and agreed to joint custody of their four children. They also agreed that they do not need spousal support. Currently, Ye is in a relationship with Bianca Censori, and both got married on 20 December 2022. The two were said to have started dating weeks after his breakup with Kim. Though the relationship is wading through the test of time, Ye is criticized for controlling his wife by having her appear nude in public. Other Ventures: In 2019, Kanye West surpassed Jay-Z to become the highest-paid person in hip-hop. Entrepreneur and musician Kanye West has a lucrative multi-year deal to design the sneaker brand Yeezy for Adidas. He gets an annual royalty from Adidas, which makes Yeezy shoes. The Yeezy brand pulled in an estimated $1.7 billion in sales in 2020. In June 2020, retailer Gap and Kanye West announced they would start selling a line of West's Yeezy clothing designed for Gap. Sales of the Yeezy Gap clothing are expected to begin in the second half of 2021. Awards Kanye West has won numerous high-profile awards including the Grammy 21 times, BET Awards, and many more. Grammy Awards (24 times): As of February 2026, Kanye West is currently the third most-awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, behind Kendrick Lamar, who has 27 wins, and Jay-Z, who has 25 wins. His 24 trophies include Best Rap Album for his first three solo studio albums: The College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation. His most recent wins were in 2022 for Best Melodic Rap Performance (Hurricane) and Best Rap Song (Jail). Billboard Music Awards (17-18 times): He has multiple wins in both Rap and Gospel categories, including Top Christian Album and Top Gospel Album for Jesus Is King (2020) and Donda (2022). BET & BET Hip Hop Awards (30 times): He has won 11 BET Awards and 19 BET Hip Hop Awards, and the BET Honors Visionary Award in 2015. MTV Video Music Awards (5 times): He got the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2015 for his efforts. Brit Awards (3 times): He holds a joint record for the most wins for Best International Male Solo Artist. Other Notable Recognition Fashion & Design: In 2015, he won the Shoe of the Year for the Yeezy Boost at the Footwear News Achievement Awards. Critical Acclaim: He pairs with Bob Dylan for the most albums (4). Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in both 2005 and 2015. Business Ventures Yeezy LLC: His main company which he founded in 2013 for his fashion brand. He owns 100% ownership of the Yeezy and YZY trademarks. Mascotte Holdings, Inc.: The primary holding company for his intellectual properties of over 160 trademarks for "Yeezy," "Donda," and "Yeezus". YZY (Yeezy.com): His e-commerce platform. DONDA: A creative content company named after his mother which focuses on music and film production. GOOD Music: His record label, founded in 2004. Other Major Stakes & Investments Skims: Ye reportedly retains a 5% stake in Kim Kardashian's Skims. Music Catalog: His portfolio of masters and publishing rights is estimated at about $130 million. Real Estate: He also holds millions of dollars in properties. New & Prospective Ventures Gamma Partnership: For his 2026 album titled Bully, Ye signed a distribution deal with Gamma. Independent Apparel: Following the Adidas split, he has released other products like Yeezy Pods and other "Yeezy Season" clothing lines. YEWS: A news website launched as "yews.news" in late 2023, but moved to "yews.live". The news site covered sports, politics, and lifestyle, but the domain is not active as of this time.
