Biographic - Sunday August 4, 2013 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

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Biographic Steve McGarry Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, 1977, Kanye Omari West was raised in Chicago, Illinois, by his college professor mother. He briefly attended art school and Chicago's Columbia College, but dropped out to pursue a career in music, having established a growing reputation producing tracks for a number of local artists. His first big break came in 2000 with the track "This Can't Be Life," on the Jay-Z album "The Dynasty: Roc La Familia." His tracks on the 2001 Jay-Z album "the Blueprint" made him one of the hottest new producers in the business, and he went on to create hits with Jamie Foxx, Twista, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys and Ludacris. By now his sights were set on a recording career of his own. A 2002 car crash provided the inspiration for his 2003 debut single, the top 20 hit "Through the Wire." Release in 2004, his debut album, "The College Dropout," was a huge critical and commercial success, as was 2005's "Late Registration." They earned him a slew of awards, although the outspoken Kanye was not shy in expressing indigation at being overlooked for awards he felt he deserved. By the time his album "Graduation" debuted at the top of the charts worldwide in 2007, he had launched his own record label, which is now home to John Legend, Mos Def and Big Sean. Subsequent albums "808s & Heartbreak" and "My beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" topped the charts and added to his tally of awards. In 2011, he teamed up with Jay-Z for the hugely successful "Watch the Throne" album. Released with summer, Kanye's Album "Yeezus" sold 327,000 copies in its first week to debut at the top of the U.S. charts. To date, the man named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time Magazine has won 21 Grammy's and sold more than 30 million digital songs in the U.S. alone. Recording artist, record producer, business and fashion mogul, Kanye recently became a father when he and longtime paramour Kim Kardashian welcomed their first child, a baby girl they named North.

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