Holy Yeezus! Snakkle Looks Back at Controversial Kanye’s Life and Times

Born June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Kanye moved to Chicago with his mother, Donda West, when his parents divorced in 1980. In this video diary documenting a recent visit to his childhood home on Chicago’s Southside, Kanye said, “Always knew it was gonna happen like this ... Where I’m at right now is where I was when I was, like, 4 years old. You know, like, first hitting a piano or something like that.”

Despite the early move and divorce of his parents, Donda and Ray West, Kanye had a happy childhood. His mother was a professor of English, first at Clark Atlanta University and then at Chicago State University. For kindergarten, he attended John H. Vanderpoel—which Kanye called “the school that was hard to get into”—before moving to the suburbs. Although Kanye didn’t grow up with his father (a former Black Panther who is now a Christian minister), they have maintained a relationship, and the two have were spotted at a Lakers-Bulls game together in December; Kanye even Tweeted about it: “Went to the game with my dad ... this is a dope Christmas.”

After living in Chicago, Kanye moved with his mother to Oak Lawn, Illinois, where he was a good student at Polaris High. “I got A’s and B’s. And I’m not even frontin’,” Kanye told MTV. After graduating, he attended the American Academy of Art and later his mother’s workplace, Chicago State University, before dropping out to focus on his budding music career. Seven years later, just as he was recording his own debut album, Kanye was in a near-fatal car accident that left his jaw wired shut and inspired his smash debut single, “Through the Wire” (the video of which includes graphic images of just how busted up Kanye’s face was).

Kanye’s success began behind the scenes, as he produced hit songs for hip-hop and R&B stars including Jermaine Dupri, Common, John Legend, Janet Jackson and Jay-Z, whose Roc-A-Fella Records was initially reluctant signed Kanye to make his own albums. Turns out that was a good gamble—his debut album, The College Dropout, was both a critical and commercial success, selling more than four million copies and earning two Grammys (the third statue Kanye earned that year was for co-writing the Alicia Keys song “You Don’t Know My Name”). Kanye has won a total of 18 Grammys thus far, placing him within the Top 10 Grammy winners of all time.

Jay-Z, the undisputed king of rap entrepreneurship, knew all about Kanye’s talent long before The College Dropout; Kanye’s distinctive sampling, rhythmical style and synthesis of genres are evident in Jay-Z’s hit 2001 album The Blueprint. Kanye—who was featured in the documentary Fade to Black, about Jay-Z’s supposed retirement from the music industry—quickly found a fast friend and mentor in Jay-Z. The two have since appeared on numerous of each other’s songs; in 2012 they released the collaborative album Watch the Throne and went on a worldwide tour in support of it.

With The College Dropout, Kanye “made rap accessible to audiences that hadn’t paid attention in years,” according to a Time cover story. He was a different kind of rap star than what the public was used to; he made no claims to having sold drugs or come up tough from the streets. And he dressed differently; rather than baggy jeans and sports jerseys, he wore “a pink shirt with the collar sticking up and Gucci loafers,” according to Damon Dash, who was at the time the CEO of Roc-A-Fella. Or, as the Time article put it, Kanye “often dresses as if he’s anticipating an acceptance letter from Exeter.” And it’s not jut about the look or the background; Kanye’s musical taste runs the gamut from classical string sections to classic rock, all of which makes its way into his songs.

Kanye clearly goes off-script in his appearance on the NBC telethon for victims of Hurricane Katrina. “I hate the way they portray us in the media,” he says. “When you see a black family, it says they’re looting; you see a white family, it says they’re looking for food.” Mike Myers, standing alongside Kanye, looks decidedly uncomfortable (check out the nose-rub at the 1:20 mark). But nothing had such a profound impact as Kanye’s statement, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” The camera quickly cut away from the pair. The hubbub continued beyond the telecast, as Bush responded. “I resent it,” Bush told Matt Lauer about the comment. “It’s not true. And it’s one of the most disgusting moments of my presidency.” Kanye then spoke with Lauer in response, backtracking by saying, “I didn’t have the grounds to call him a racist.”

Kanye has always had a thing for fashion, influencing a number of styles. After he sported ’80s-style shutter shades in the video for “Stronger” (from the album Graduation), the sunglasses became a bona fide trend, appearing everywhere from fashion magazines to street vendors. Kanye’s style swings from low to high; his lyrics have name-checked Prada, Christian Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Versace, among other haute brands. He has also served as a fashion columnist for Complex magazine, and created Nike Air Yeezy high-tops, the second iteration of which is due to be released the day after his birthday. His clothing line, DW by Kanye West, features sexy separates.

Kanye and his mother were devoted to each other. She did more than just provide a good home and a secure upbringing; as a professor of English, her influence extended to his literary and lyrical references. The song “Hey Mama” from Kanye’s second album, Late Registration, features the lines, “Can’t you see/You’re like a book of poetry/Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni/Turn one page and there’s my Mommy.” In May 2007, Donda published the book Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar. In it she writes, “I knew that he’d have a gift to share with the world. And I knew I had to cultivate that and nurture him so that he could do the work he was sent here to do. ... Much of my success as a parent came from being blessed with a bright, inquisitive, mischievous, and creative son.” Just a few months later, in November 2007, Dr. Donda West died suddenly from complications following plastic surgery. She was 58 years old.

No one could accuse Kanye of being shy with his opinions. Never was this more apparent than when he stormed the stage and grabbed the mic after Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” won the VMA for best female video. “Yo Taylor,” Kanye said, “I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.” Beyoncé, who is married to Kanye collaborator Jay-Z, was nominated for her “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” and looked shocked at Kanye’s actions. When she won the award for video of the year, Beyoncé graciously invited Swift back onstage to finish her acceptance speech. A year later, Kanye offered a protracted apology over Twitter which you just have to read to believe.

Are you following Kanye West on Twitter? No? Trust us: Go do so now. It’s like the most compelling performance art writ large across the Interwebs. It comes in bursts—clearly he Tweets when he’s inspired. If you’ve ever wondered what exactly goes on in his head, how his remarkable verbal gymnastics come about, read through some of his unfiltered musings via Twitter. In fact, his Tweets have inspired other artists, too, including a woman who embroiders your favorite Kanye Tweet to order and Josh Groban, whose musical ode The Best Tweets of Kanye West (“Fur pillows are hard to actually sleep on”) appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Kanye’s fifth album was released in 2010 to resounding critical acclaim—and its share of controversy. This time it was over the cover artwork, which is a significantly pixelated image of the titular twisted fantasy. (Check out the original “dirty” version of the cover art.) Also, the video for the hit “All of the Lights” comes with a prominent warning about potentially causing seizures in anyone with photosensitive epilepsy. Unsurprisingly, the densely orchestrated, musically and lyrically complex album has gone platinum.

Kanye brought his latest flame, reality-TV presence Kim Kardashian, to the Cannes Film Festival premiere of Cruel Summer, a “seven-screen experience” short movie he produced, directed and wrote. The relationship between the two has figured in the new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians; little sister Khloé says, “Kanye and Kim, they’re kind of like two peas in a pod.” Let the gossip commence! One report has them on the verge of eloping (never mind that Kim’s divorce to Kris Humphries isn’t finalized yet), while another claims Kanye is helping Kim with her “fashion choices.” Whatever the truth, there’s no doubt we’ll be seeing more—lots more—of both of these mega-public personalities.

After hooking up and seriously dating, Kanye West and a pregnant Kim Kardashian attend the Costume Institute Benefit gala celebrating the opening 'PUNK: Chaos To Couture' held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013. Baby North West, was born on June 20, 2013. Kanye is rumored to have proposed marriage to Kim, just days after the birth of their daughter.