Kanye West

Timeline of Kanye West. His achievements in the musical world and downfalls. View this amazing timeline story of a musical genius who knows no boundaries

9 June 1977

2 January 1980

2 January 1990

2 May 1994

2 August 1996

2 January 1998

2 January 2000

12 September 2001

2 October 2002

11 February 2004

3 September 2005

12 September 2007

25 November 2008

14 September 2009

23 November 2010

8 August 2011

14 September 2012

18 June 2013

24 May 2014

1 February 2015

14 February 2016

1 June 2019

25 October 2019

4 July 2020

22 February 2022

09June
1977
09 June 1977

The Birth of Kanye West

Kanye Omari West was born on June 8, 1977. He is the son of the late Donda Williams and Ray West. He was born in Douglasville, Georgia. 

02January
1980
02 January 1980

Kanye’s Parents Get Divorced

Kanye West’s mother, Donda, and his father Ray got divorced in 1980. West and his mother moved to Chicago when he was only 3 years old.

02January
1990
02 January 1990

Donda West Funds Kanye’s Dream

When the rapper was 13 years old, his mother paid for the recording of his first song in a basement studio. Donda West shared that the basement studio was far from ideal; nonetheless, Kanye West was extremely happy to record.

02May
1994
02 May 1994

Kanye Graduates from Polaris High School

Kanye graduated from Polaris High School in 1994. The rapper received a scholarship to attend Chicago’s American Academy of Art. He studied painting while at the university. He then transferred to Chicago State University. While at Chicago State University, Kanye majored in English Literature.

02August
1996
02 August 1996

Ye Freestyles

In August 1996, Kanye West appeared at the Fat Beats storefront in Greenwich Village. While he was at the storefront, Kanye dropped a freestyle that became very famous.

02January
1998
02 January 1998

Kanye West Gets the Big Break

Kanye West gets a taste of the industry in 1998 when he sells his first beat to local Chicago rapper Gravity. The rapper bought the beat from Kanye Wes for $8,000. Kanye West then sold a beat to Jermain Dupri for $5,000. Dupri used the bear for his debut album, ‘Life in 1472’. After Dupri’s release, one of Kanye West’s beats were selected for Ma$e's Harlem World group album, ‘The Movement’. Shortly after these achievements, Kanye West dropped out of Chicago State University to do music on a full-time basis.

02January
2000
02 January 2000

Kanye West’s Career Gets Major Boost

Kanye West’s career shifted into high gear in 2000. That year, the artist began producing for Roc-A-Fella Records artists. He produced ‘This Can’t Be Life’ from Jay-Z’s album, ‘The Dynasty’. He also produced the title track for Beanie Sigel’s ‘The Truth’. This year marked the start of the decade that Rolling Stone believes made Kanye West the icon that he now is. 

12September
2001
12 September 2001

West Produces Five Tracks for the Blueprint

West got cemented into his career in 2001 because of his contributions to Jay-Z’s ‘The Blueprint’. The rapper produced five tracks for the album. The tracks he contributed that earned him a lot of recognition were ‘Izzo (H.O.V.A)’ and ‘Takeover’. The role Kanye West played in ‘The Blueprint’ and the huge success that came from the record led to an increase in demand for Kanye West.

02October
2002
02 October 2002

Kanye West Meets in Car Accident

In 2002, Kanye West met in a car accident that almost resulted in his death. The accident occurred because the rapper fell asleep while driving from a recording studio in California. The rapper was left with a broken jaw that was wired closed by reconstructive surgery. After the incident, Kanye West returned to the studio the record ‘Through the Wire’. The song featured a sample from Chaka Khan. The rapper also produces Jay Z and Beyonce’s ’03 Bonnie & Clyde’.

11February
2004
11 February 2004

Kanye West Releases ‘The College Dropout’

Kanye West’s debut album, ‘The College Dropout’ was a massive success. The album sold 441,000 units in its first week. It also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album is the body of work on which songs like ‘Jesus Walks’ and ‘All Falls Down’ can be found. The album gets certified 3x platinum.

03September
2005
03 September 2005

Kanye’s Controversial Statement About George Bush

Kanye West went on to win two Grammy Awards for The College Dropout. A few days after releasing ‘Late Registration’, Kanye West stated on national television that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” He made this statement to criticize the way that the president responded to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Regardless of his statement, Kanye West lands his first number one with ‘Late Registration’. The album sold 860,000 copies in the first week of its release. 

12September
2007
12 September 2007

The Competitive Release of ‘Graduation’

Kanye West scheduled September 11, 2007, as the release date of his third studio album, ‘Graduation’. The rapper was up against 50 Cent whose album, ‘Curtis’, was also slated to be released on that day. Kanye West crushed 50 Cent on release day. ‘Graduation’ nabbed the number one spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album sold 957,000 copies in its first week. 

25November
2008
25 November 2008

‘808s and Heartbreak’ is Released

The rapper performed ‘Love Lockdown’ at the MTV Music Awards and sparked a lot of interest in his unique style of music. The rapper later released ‘808s & Heartbreak’ in November 2008. The dark sound of this album is due to the struggles the rapper was having with the death of his mother and the end of a relationship that West was grieving. 

14September
2009
14 September 2009

Kanye Interrupts Taylor Swift

Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video at the VMA’s. The rapper shared that Beyonce should have been the winner. The same year, Kanye West partnered with Nike in 2009 to release the Air Yeezys.

23November
2010
23 November 2010

The Release of ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’

The Kanye West released ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’. The album featured the likes of Jay Z, Kid Cudi, Rihanna, RZA and Elton John. The rapper won the Best Rap Album at the 54th staging of the Grammy Awards. 

08August
2011
08 August 2011

Kanye and Jay-Z Teams Up for ‘Watch the Throne’

Jay-Z and Kanye West joined forces in 2011 to release ‘Watch the Throne’.

14September
2012
14 September 2012

The Release of ‘Cruel Summer’

Kanye West released ‘Cruel Summer’ in 2012. The album featured hits such as ‘Mercy’ and ‘Clique’.

18June
2013
18 June 2013

The Release of ‘Yeezus’

In 2013, Kanye West released his most polarizing album, Yeezus. While the album was extremely unorthodox, it still debuted at number one. 

24May
2014
24 May 2014

Kanye West Marries Kim Kardashian

Kanye West got married to Kim Kardashian in 104 at a private ceremony in Italy.

01February
2015
01 February 2015

The Evolution of Yeezys

In February 2015, Kanye West debuted his Adidas line Yeezy Season 1. The shoe line would go on to become extremely popular throughout the world.

14February
2016
14 February 2016

The Release of the ‘Life of Pablo’

Kanye West released the ‘Life of Pablo’ in 2016. The artist went on a huge tour called the Saint Pablo Tour. The tour was cancelled prematurely with the rapper being hospitalized for exhaustion.

01June
2019
01 June 2019

Kanye West Conversion and Sunday Services

In 2019, Kanye West revealed that he had met God. The rapper starred to have his popular Sunday Services privately and then started to have the event across the world.

25October
2019
25 October 2019

The Release of ‘Jesus is King’

The rapper releases his first album since his conversion, ‘Jesus is King’. The album features Christian raps and popular rap artists.

04July
2020
04 July 2020

Kanye West Runs for President

On July 4, 2020, Kanye West announced that he would be running for the office of the President. At one of his first campaign rally, Kanye West seemingly has a breakdown and shares very personal information that he later had to apologize to his wife for making.

22February
2022
22 February 2022

Release of donda 2

Kanye West's upcoming album Donda 2 is his eleventh studio album. It will be released on February 22, 2022, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam. In early September 2021, West began recording the album.

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