Kanye West is a witty lyricist who writes with simplicity
and humor, and for a long time, he used those gifts
to craft songs for other performers. West's songwriting
and producing credits included hits for top-level rappers
such as Jay-Z and Ludacris before he finally decided
to try his hand, or rather his voice, at a rap career
of his own. West's friends and colleagues in the industry
backed his career, but he struggled at first to step
out of the shadows of his image as a songwriter and
producer. Then came the incident that changed
West's life.
His jaw was fractured in three places in a car accident
in the fall of 2002, and the jaw had to be wired shut.
Aside from his physical injuries, the accident made
West reflect on life and its meaning and became his
inspiration for his first single, "Through the
Wire." The track's title, a takeoff on the Chaka
Khan song "Through the Fire," which it samples,
exhibits a bit of West's wit. He recorded the song an
amazing two weeks after the accident occurred -- with
his jaw still wired shut.
The single became the first issue from "The College
Dropout," an album released on Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella
Records in 2004. Soon, the song was all over the radio
and the charts. "Jesus Walks" was later released
off the same album and became an enormous success as
well.
In 2005, West put out a second album, "Late Registration,"
from which came the smash single "Gold Digger,"
featuring Jamie Foxx channeling the legendary Ray Charles.
The album sold nearly a million copies in just a week,
and the Grammy Awards took notice, nominating West for
eight trophies, including Album of the Year and Single
of the Year for "Gold Digger."
Reviews for "Late registration" have been,
for the most part, raves, but some critics have given
it a mixed rating. Fans don't seem to agree, as West
concert tickets are still going almost as fast as they
can be printed.
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