Kanye West

== Early life ==
West was born on June 8, 1977, in [[Atlanta]], Georgia.{{efn|Most biographies and reference works state that West was born in Atlanta, although some sources give his birthplace as [[Douglasville, Georgia|Douglasville]], a small city west of Atlanta.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JanbEhQx5RwC&pg=PA15 |title=Kanye West: Grammy-Winning Hip-Hop Artist & Producer |first1=Audrey |last1=Borus |first2=Douglas |last2=Lynne |access-date=June 8, 2020 |isbn=978-1-61783-623-7 |year=2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Revolt TV |title=A timeline of Kanye West's 41 years of excellence |url=https://www.revolt.tv/2018/6/8/20819428/a-timeline-of-kanye-west-s-41-years-of-excellence |website=Revolt |date=June 8, 2018 |access-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609022529/https://www.revolt.tv/2018/6/8/20819428/a-timeline-of-kanye-west-s-41-years-of-excellence |url-status=live }}</ref>}} After his parents divorced when he was three years old, he moved with his mother to [[Chicago]], Illinois.<ref>{{cite web|last=Arney|first=Steve|access-date=April 26, 2008|url=http://www.pantagraph.com/news/article_79bc1031-1dc9-511b-8444-243951568e4b.html|title=Kanye West Coming To Redbird.|work=[[Pantagraph]]|date=March 8, 2006|archive-date=April 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428042047/http://www.pantagraph.com/news/article_79bc1031-1dc9-511b-8444-243951568e4b.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="leader">{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_19_111/ai_n19206336|title=Dr. Donda West Tells How She Shaped Son To Be A Leader In ''Raising Kanye''|first=Margena A.|last=Christian|date=May 14, 2007|work=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]|access-date=August 19, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113155045/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_19_111/ai_n19206336|archive-date=November 13, 2007}}</ref> His father, Ray West, is a former [[Black Panther Party|Black Panther]] and was one of the first black photojournalists at ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]''. Ray later became a Christian counselor,<ref name="leader" /> and in 2006, opened the Good Water Store and Café in [[Lexington Park, Maryland]], with startup capital from his son.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mygoodwater.com/about.html|title=About|publisher=Westar Waterworks, LLC t/a The Good Water Store and Café|access-date=December 31, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623223030/http://www.mygoodwater.com/about.html|archive-date=June 23, 2012}}</ref><ref name=wapo-water>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120602139.html|title=How'd You Like Your Water?|first=Michael|last=Tunison|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 7, 2006|access-date=December 31, 2012|archive-date=December 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161208084954/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120602139.html|url-status=live}}</ref> West's mother, [[Donda C. West]] (née Williams),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JanbEhQx5RwC&pg=PA15 |title=Kanye West: Grammy-Winning Hip-Hop Artist & Producer |first1=Audrey |last1=Borus |first2=Douglas |last2=Lynne |access-date=September 2, 2013 |isbn=978-1-61783-623-7 |year=2013}}</ref> 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 his manager.

West was raised in a middle-class environment, attending Polaris School for Individual Education<ref name="KWstBio5">{{cite magazine |last=Davis |first=Kimberly |date=June 2004 |title=The Many Faces of Kanye West |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J9kDAAAAMBAJ&q=kanye&pg=PA93 |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |page=92 |access-date=July 19, 2007 |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302200411/https://books.google.com/books?id=J9kDAAAAMBAJ&q=kanye&pg=PA93#v=snippet&q=kanye&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> in suburban [[Oak Lawn, Illinois]], after living in Chicago.<ref name="cant ignore">{{cite magazine |last=Tyrangiel |first=Josh |date=August 21, 2005 |title=Why You Can't Ignore Kanye |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1096499,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070401082700/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1096499%2C00.html |archive-date=April 1, 2007 |access-date=June 7, 2007}}</ref> At the age of 10, West moved with his mother to [[Nanjing, China]], where she was teaching at [[Nanjing University]] as a [[Fulbright Program|Fulbright Scholar]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dillon |first1=Nancy |title=Donda West gave her all to enrich son Kanye West's life |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/donda-west-gave-enrich-son-kanye-west-life-article-1.256037 |website=[[New York Daily News]] |date=November 14, 2007 |access-date=July 31, 2021 |archive-date=July 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723234715/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/donda-west-gave-enrich-son-kanye-west-life-article-1.256037 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to his mother, West was the only foreigner in his class, but he settled in well and quickly picked up the language, although he has since forgotten most of it.<ref>{{cite book|last=West|first=Donda|author-link=Donda West|title=Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar|publisher=Pocket Books|year=2007|location=New York City|pages=[https://archive.org/details/raisingkanyelive00west/page/85 85–93]|isbn=978-1-4165-4470-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/raisingkanyelive00west/page/85}}</ref> When asked about his grades in high school, West replied, "I got A's and B's."<ref>{{cite web|last=Mos|first=Corey|title=College Dropout Kanye Tells High School Students Not To Follow in His Footsteps|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1517484/20051205/west_kanye.jhtml|website=[[MTV]]|date=December 5, 2005|access-date=July 28, 2006|archive-date=December 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208030420/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1517484/20051205/west_kanye.jhtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

West demonstrated an affinity for the arts at an early age; he began writing poetry when he was five years old.<ref name=Chicago>{{cite news|title=Kanye and His Mom Shared Special Bond|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-11-13/news/0711130488_1_chicago-state-university-degree-from-auburn-university-kanye-west|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=November 13, 2007|access-date=August 7, 2012|archive-date=February 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221044031/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-11-13/news/0711130488_1_chicago-state-university-degree-from-auburn-university-kanye-west|url-status=live}}</ref> West started rapping in the third grade and began making musical compositions in the seventh grade, eventually selling them to other artists.<ref name=KanplicatedPg2>{{cite web|author=Calloway, Sway|author2=Reid, Shaheem|title=Kanye West: Kanplicated|url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/w/west_kanye/news_feature_022404/index2.jhtml|date=February 20, 2004|publisher=MTV|access-date=April 21, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406021640/http://www.mtv.com/bands/w/west_kanye/news_feature_022404/index2.jhtml|archive-date=April 6, 2009}}</ref> West crossed paths with producer [[No I.D.]], who became West's friend and mentor.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bXy2wTEsbCsC|title=Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture|last=Dills|first=Todd|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2007|isbn=978-0-313-33904-2|editor-last=Hess|editor-first=Mickey|volume=2|location=Westport, CT|pages=555–578|language=en|access-date=September 2, 2017|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723234713/https://books.google.com/books?id=bXy2wTEsbCsC|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|557}} After graduating from high school, West received a scholarship to attend Chicago's [[American Academy of Art]] in 1997 and began taking painting classes. Shortly after, he transferred to Chicago State University to study English. At age 20, he dropped out to pursue his musical career.<ref>West, Donda, p. 106</ref> This greatly displeased his mother, who was also a professor at the university, although she would later accept the decision.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|558}}