Kanye West Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Musical style == [[File:Kanye West at Revel Ovation Hall.jpg|thumb|upright|West performing in 2012]] West's musical career is defined by frequent stylistic shifts and different musical approaches.<ref name="amg">{{cite web|year=2007|access-date=April 24, 2008|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p353484|title=Kanye West—Biography|last=Birchmeier|first=Jason|publisher=Allmusic. All Media Guide|archive-date=February 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217223433/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p353484|url-status=live}}</ref> In the subsequent years since his debut, West has both musically and lyrically taken an increasingly [[Experimental music|experimental]] approach to crafting [[Progressive rap|progressive hip hop]] music while maintaining accessible [[Popular music|pop]] sensibilities.<ref name="Gates, Henry Louis, et al. 2010 705–713">{{cite book |last1=Gates|last2=Henry Louis|display-authors=etal|editor-last1=Bradley|editor-first1=Adam|editor-last2=DuBois|editor-first2=Andrew |title=The Anthology of Rap|url=https://archive.org/details/anthologyofrap00brad|url-access=registration|location=[[New Haven, Connecticut]]|publisher=[[Yale University Press]]|date=2010 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/anthologyofrap00brad/page/705 705–713]|chapter=Kanye West|isbn=9780300141900}}</ref><ref name="Caramanica">{{cite news|author=Caramanica, Jon|title=The Education of Kanye West|url=https://nytimes.com/2007/08/26/arts/music/26cara.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 26, 2007|access-date=September 17, 2007|archive-date=November 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114004037/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/arts/music/26cara.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Rob Tannenbaum 2006 p. 49">Tannenbaum, Rob. "Playboy Interview: Kanye West." ''[[Playboy]]'' (March 2006), 49.</ref> Ed Ledsham of ''[[PopMatters]]'' said that "West's melding of multiple genres into the hip-hop fold is a complex act that challenges the dominant white notions of what constitutes true [[art music|'art' music]]."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ledsham|first=Ed|date=June 2, 2015|url=https://www.popmatters.com/194052-who-will-survive-in-america-kanye-wests-hybridization-of-hip-hop-2495523254.html|title=Who Will Survive in America? Kanye West's Hybridization of Hip-Hop|magazine=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=November 25, 2019|archive-date=April 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428040758/https://www.popmatters.com/194052-who-will-survive-in-america-kanye-wests-hybridization-of-hip-hop-2495523254.html|url-status=live}}</ref> West's rhymes have been described as funny, provocative and articulate, capable of seamlessly segueing from shrewd commentary to comical [[Braggadocio (rap)|braggadocio]] to introspective sensitivity.<ref name="McCormick">{{cite web|author=McCormick, Neil|title=Kanye West: Hip hop's David Bowie|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/10940931/Kanye-West-Hip-hops-David-Bowie.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/10940931/Kanye-West-Hip-hops-David-Bowie.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=July 2, 2014|access-date=July 12, 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> West imparts that he strives to speak in an inclusive manner so groups from different racial and gender backgrounds can comprehend his lyrics, saying he desired to sound "just as ill as [[Jadakiss]] and just as understandable as [[Will Smith]]".<ref name=Vh1>VH1 staff (October 12, 2005). {{cite web |url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1511372/10122005/west_kanye.jhtml |title=Kanye West: Greatness, Perfection, Gucci |access-date=January 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051027222703/http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1511372/10122005/west_kanye.jhtml |archive-date=October 27, 2005 }}. [[VH1]]. Viacom. Retrieved May 16, 2008.</ref> Early in his career, West pioneered a style of hip-hop production dubbed "chipmunk-soul",<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-100-greatest-debut-albums-of-all-time-20130322/the-college-dropout-19691231 |title=100 Best Debut Albums Ever |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=October 13, 2013 |access-date=November 22, 2016 |archive-date=March 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325070201/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-100-greatest-debut-albums-of-all-time-20130322/the-college-dropout-19691231 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Cowie, Del">{{cite web | author=Cowie, Del | title=The Many Sides of Kanye West | url=http://www.exclaim.ca/index.asp?layid=22&csid=1&csid1=2325 | work=[[Exclaim!]] | date=February 27, 2004 | access-date=February 17, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050130180742/http://www.exclaim.ca/index.asp?layid=22&csid=1&csid1=2325 | archive-date=January 30, 2005}}</ref> a sampling technique involving the manipulation of tempo in order to [[Chopping (sampling technique)|chop]] and stretch [[Pitch (music)|pitched-up]] samples from vintage soul songs.<ref name="king">{{cite news|access-date=April 26, 2008|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/kanye-west-king-of-rap-403127.html|title=Kanye West: King of rap|work=The Independent|location=UK|date=September 22, 2007|author=Burrell, Ian|archive-date=September 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930070532/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/kanye-west-king-of-rap-403127.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Ryan">{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2016/02/09/kanye-west-new-album/79814890/# |title=Is Kanye West the greatest artist of the 21st century? |last=Ryan |first=Patrick |work=USA Today |date=February 9, 2016 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160210162150/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2016/02/09/kanye-west-new-album/79814890/ |archive-date=February 10, 2016}}</ref> On his debut studio album, ''[[The College Dropout]]'' (2004), West formed the constitutive elements of his style, described as intricate hip-hop beats, topical subject matter, and clumsy rapping laced with inventive wordplay.<ref name="Gates, Henry Louis, et al. 2010 705–713" /><ref name="auto1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/arts/music/kanye-west-talks-about-his-career-and-album-yeezus.html|title=Behind Kanye's Mask|date=June 16, 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 22, 2016|archive-date=June 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612210522/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/arts/music/kanye-west-talks-about-his-career-and-album-yeezus.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The record saw West diverge from the then-dominant [[gangsta rap|gangster persona]] in hip hop in favor of more diverse, topical lyrical subjects,<ref name=ebony>Davis, Kimberly. [https://books.google.com/books?id=J9kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA93 "The Many Faces of Kanye West"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302210259/https://books.google.com/books?id=J9kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA93#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=March 2, 2024 }} (June 2004) ''[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]''.</ref> including higher education, materialism, [[self-consciousness]], [[minimum-wage]] labor, [[Institutional racism|institutional prejudice]], [[class struggle]], family, sexuality, his struggles in the music industry, and [[middle-class]] upbringing.<ref name="Love">Love, Josh. [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/kanye-west/the-college-dropout.htm Review: ''The College Dropout''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060915033648/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/kanye-west/the-college-dropout.htm |date=September 15, 2006 }}. [[Stylus Magazine]]. Retrieved on July 23, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2009912270315|title=Music of the decade|date=December 27, 2009|last=James|first=Jim|newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722204901/http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2009912270315|archive-date=July 22, 2012|access-date=June 17, 2011}} [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1928558221.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+27%2C+2009&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=I.3&desc=Music+of+the+decade Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107123558/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1928558221.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+27,+2009&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=I.3&desc=Music+of+the+decade |date=November 7, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Caramanica" /> Over time, West has explored a variety of [[music genre]]s, encompassing and taking inspiration from [[chamber pop]] on his second studio album, ''[[Late Registration]]'' (2005),<ref name=Pilot /> [[arena rock]] and [[europop]] on his third album, ''[[Graduation (album)|Graduation]]'' (2007),<ref name=Greene>{{cite web|author=Greene, Jayson|title=Kanye West Graduation—Music Review|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/kanye-west/graduation.htm|work=[[Stylus Magazine]]|date=September 10, 2007|access-date=September 10, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929172650/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/kanye-west/graduation.htm|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref><ref name=Loop>{{cite web|author=Laws, Angel|title=Exclusive Interview W/ Kanye West|url=http://concreteloop.com/interviews-kanyewest|work=Concrete Loop|publisher=concreteloop.com|date=October 5, 2007|access-date=October 5, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006002519/http://concreteloop.com/interviews-kanyewest|archive-date=October 6, 2007}}</ref> [[Synthpop|synth]]-driven [[electropop]] on his fourth album, ''[[808s & Heartbreak]]'' (2008),<ref>{{cite book|last=Graves|first=Kirk Walker|page=49|year=2014|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s_CHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49|title=Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy|chapter=A (Very) Brief Aside Re: '808s & Heartbreak'|access-date=August 3, 2014|publisher=[[A&C Black]]|isbn=978-1-62356-542-8|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302200328/https://books.google.com/books?id=s_CHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-kanye-west-808s-amp-heartbreakrocafellamercury-1038395.html|access-date=August 3, 2014|date=November 28, 2008|title=Album: Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak(Roc-a-Fella/Mercury)|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|location=London|archive-date=December 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201073453/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-kanye-west-808s-amp-heartbreakrocafellamercury-1038395.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Acid house|acid-house]], [[Drill (music genre)|drill]], [[industrial hip hop|industrial rap]] and [[Trap music (hip hop)|trap]] on ''[[Yeezus]]'' (2013),<ref name="chicagotribune" /><ref name="atlantic">{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/06/the-shocking-poignance-of-kanye-wests-i-yeezus-i/276919/|title=The Shocking Poignance of Kanye West's 'Yeezus'|work=[[The Atlantic]]|date=June 18, 2013|access-date=June 19, 2013|author=Kornhaber, Spencer|archive-date=June 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618154714/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/06/the-shocking-poignance-of-kanye-wests-i-yeezus-i/276919/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Gospel (music)|gospel]] and [[Christian hip hop|Christian rap]] on ''[[The Life of Pablo]]'' (2016), ''[[Jesus is King]]'' (2019) and ''[[Donda]]'' (2021),<ref>{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|year=2016|issue=February 16|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/ct-kanye-west-pablo-review-ent-0217-20160215-column.html|title=Kanye West's bewildering, frustrating 'Pablo'|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=April 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405173258/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/ct-kanye-west-pablo-review-ent-0217-20160215-column.html|archive-date=April 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="rs-wip">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/kanye-wests-jesus-is-king-a-work-in-progress-892567/|title=Kanye West's 'Jesus Is King' Still Sounds Like a Work-in-Progress|magazine=Rolling Stone|url-access=limited|date=September 30, 2019|access-date=October 2, 2019|first=Charles|last=Holmes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001125147/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/kanye-wests-jesus-is-king-a-work-in-progress-892567/|archive-date=October 1, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="rs-detroit">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/kanye-west-jesus-is-king-detroit-892196/|title=Inside Kanye West's Album (and Film) Premiere in Detroit|magazine=Rolling Stone|url-access=limited|date=September 28, 2019|access-date=October 2, 2019|first=Samuel J.|last=Robinson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001024556/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/kanye-west-jesus-is-king-detroit-892196/|archive-date=October 1, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ConsequenceReview">{{Cite web|last=Shorter|first=Marcus|url=https://consequence.net/2021/08/donda-review-kanye-west-analysis/|title=Kanye West Channels His Vulnerability on Donda, Delivering His Best Album in Years|date=August 30, 2021|work=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]|access-date=August 30, 2021|archive-date=August 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830004008/https://consequence.net/2021/08/donda-review-kanye-west-analysis/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[psychedelic music]] on ''[[Kids See Ghosts (album)|Kids See Ghosts]]'' (2018).<ref>{{cite web |last=Thiessen |first=Christopher |title=Kids See Ghosts: Kids See Ghosts (album review) |url=https://www.popmatters.com/kids-see-ghosts-2579340354.html?rebelltitem=1 |website=[[PopMatters]] |date=June 20, 2018 |access-date=July 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715150327/https://www.popmatters.com/kids-see-ghosts-2579340354.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1 |archive-date=July 15, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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