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In this video, www.WatchMojo.com takes a look at the life and career of rapper, singer and producer, Kanye West.

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The Life and Career of Kanye West Rebecca Brayton: This American rapper, singer and producer is not afraid to speak his mind. Welcome to Watchmojo.com and today we’re taking a look at the life and career of Kanye West. Kanye Omari West was born on June 8th, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Chicago at the age of three. While producing for local Chicago artists, West dropped out of university to focus on his music career. By 1998, he was already producing for well-known artists such as Jermaine Dupri and Foxy Brown. Opportunity came knocking when West started producing for Roc-A-Fella Records in 2000. West ended up handling the majority of production on Jay-Z’s acclaimed 2001 record, The Blueprint, an album that spawned one of Jay-Z’s most popular singles, “IZZO (H.O.V.A.).” A year later, West made his rap debut on Jay-Z's next album, The Blueprint Two: The Gift & The Curse. Though he initially had trouble signing a record deal, West released his first effort, The College Dropout, on Roc-A-Fella Records. The successful 2004 album generated several singles, including “Through the Wire,” which was inspired by a 2002 car crash that had almost taken West’s life. It also featured his first number one hit, “Slow Jamz,” and the Grammy-winning, “Jesus Walks.” In 2005, West released his sophomore effort, Late Registration. With the help of film score composer Jon Brion, West constructed another critically and commercially successful album. Late Registration was later nominated for several Grammys, with the songs “Gold Digger” and “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” picking up a few of the accolades. While making his first two albums, West also continued producing for artists like Janet Jackson, Brandy, and Twista. While Kanye West is well-known for his musical talent, he is just as well-known for his sometimes controversial actions. In 2005, while presenting during a Hurricane Katrina relief fundraiser, West accused then-President George W. Bush of racism concerning the slow relief-efforts after the disaster. In 2006, West graced the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine wearing a crown of thorns, evoking the image of Jesus. That same year, West took to the stage at the MTV Europe Music Awards while Justice and Simian were being presented the Best Video Award, and claimed his video for “Touch the Sky” merited the prize instead. West’s third album Graduation was released on September 11th, 2007 to coincide with the release of 50 Cent’s third record, Curtis. The much-publicized sales competition that resulted helped to bring West’s Graduation to the top of the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Singles from the more introspective album include the Grammy- winning “Stronger” and “Flashing Lights.” It was also around this time that West’s mother died due to complications from cosmetic surgery. Her death deeply affected the rapper and influenced his actions and career for years to come. Things started to turn around in 2008 at the 50th annual Grammy Awards when West took home four statues and performed his song “Stronger” with Daft Punk. Later in the year, West took the Glow in the Dark Tour around the world with artists like Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Nas. He debuted his track “Love Lockdown” on the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, which would be the first single from his forthcoming album, 808s & Heartbreak. This record ended up being quite a departure for West, who decided to sing rather than rap on most tracks. With its use of Auto-Tune and a more electronically-influenced sound, 808s & Heartbreak hit number one. West also got into two incidents involving paparazzi in 2008. And the controversy didn’t stop there. In 2009, West infamously stole Taylor Swift’s thunder as she accepted the Best Female Video Award during the MTV Video Music Awards. Kanye: I’m very happy for you. I’m going to let you finish but Beyonce have one of the best videos of all time, one of the best video all time. Rebecca Brayton: 2010 saw the release of West’s fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with guest appearances by Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi and more. The record also produced the singles “Power” and “Runaway,” a track that was accompanied by a 35-minute short film that served as its music video. Despite the controversies, Kanye West has made quite a mark in hip-hop in a very short time. While he has doubled in fashion, has his own management and production company, and founded the Kanye West Foundation, it is his ambition and musical experimentation that have made him unique in the music business.