Kanye Omari West (/knje/; born June 8, 1977) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, and founder of the record label GOOD Music and creative content company DONDA. He is among the most successful and acclaimed musicians of the 21st century, and has attracted both praise and controversy for his outspoken public persona.West first became known as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s, producing hit singles for musical artists such as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys before pursing a solo career as a rapper. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 to widespread commercial and critical success, and would go on to explore a variety of different styles and musical genres on subsequent albums that include the baroque-inspired Late Registration (2005), the electronic-tinged Graduation (2007), and the starkly emotive 808s & Heartbreak (2008). Along with critical and commercial success, West became a frequent source of controversy as a result of his outspoken public appearances, including his assertion that President George W. Bush doesn't care about black people during a live television broadcast for Hurricane Katrina relief, and his interruption of singer Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. In 2010, he released his critically acclaimed fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.Over the course of his career, West has collaborated with a range of figures in fashion and the visual arts. He collaborated with Jay-Z on Watch the Throne in 2011 and pursued several projects surrounding his GOOD Music label. In 2013, he released his sixth album, Yeezus. His work as a designer includes multiple collaborations with brands such Nike, Louis Vuitton, A.P.C., and Adidas, and has most recently resulted in the Yeezy Season clothing lines.West is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 32 million albums and 100 million digital downloads worldwide. He has won a total of 21 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time and the most Grammy-awarded artist of his age. Three of his albums rank on Rolling Stone's 2012 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list; two of his albums feature at first and eighth, respectively, in Pitchfork Media's The 100 Best Albums of 20102014. He has also been included in a number of Forbes annual lists. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. Show less «