Kanye West Research Paper

Aadarsh Karthik Ms. Tuohy English I CP 12 March 2024 _____________ : The Influence of Kanye West A young black male walking off the Chicago University campus, with his disappointed mother hovering over him. He assures his mother that he is walking down the right road, but in his eyes, the road is as foggy as it was for her. In 7th grade, Kanye West produced his first beat and this hobby grew to be a producer for one of the most infamous rappers, Jay-Z. One of Jay-Z’s most famous songs, Izzo (H.O.V.A.). was produced by West and this boosted Jay-Z and West’s popularity. However, West is not famous for his beats but his debut album, The College Dropout, and this album brought in 6 million copies worldwide (Chart Masters). Moreover, he made The College Dropout into a trilogy

Christian, a media scholar, and professor, considers Kanye to be “‘This is what I tried to explain to people before I came out with the records I was coming with," he says. "I said this is something that is going to be around forever and will be hailed as the curve of where music should be.’” In this quote, West was referring to his debut album, The College Dropout, where his new style of rap opened up new doors for his career. This album won multiple Grammys and helped grow West’s popularity, consequently skyrocketing his influence in the musical industry. On top of that, West’s ego made him what he is now, but his intentions were always pure and his words always contained an underlying message: “‘I do music for the sake of showing off,’ he told Ryan of Spin, explaining that he shows off through music like some people flaunt their cars” (“Kanye West” [Newsmakers]). Before West entered the rap scene, it was focused on gangster rap, however, West created a form of relatable rap that people can connect to. What’s more is that many musicians followed and grew to success using West’s new category of rap, for example, Drake who used West’s 808s and Heartbreak as a template for his