GENRE:	Hip-Hop/Rap
COMPARABLE TO:	Jay-Z

"I don't give a fuck....I don't care if people think I'm arrogant" says 26 year-old Kanye (pronounced kI-yAy) West an established producer in the capricious world of hip-hop music. Kanye West has produced songs for Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and DMX. He closely evaded death in a near fatal accident in 2002. West says, " I look at this accident as God saying, 'I'm going to hand you the world'. Two weeks after the accident, while his mouth was still wired shut, he recorded the single "Through the Wire" which documents the effect the accident had on him: "In the blink of an eye his whole life changed/ If you could feel how my face felt you would know how Mase felt/ Thank God I ain't too cool for the safe belt". Like most of Kanye's songs, he injects humor into his raps: "I drink a boost for breakfast, and ensure for dizzert/ Somebody ordered pancakes I just sip the sizzurp"

With the release of his 2004 album, College Dropout, he crosses the foray into performer. Already being called "one of the best albums of 2004" College Dropout features songs with Jay-Z, Ludacris and Mos Def. West's appeal comes from his abilities to produce and write reflective, clever rhymes. In one of his raps, referring to his ability to buy expensive items, he says, "I'm a big tipper/I don't need be trippin'/It's my first Rolex/It don't even be tickin'" and "This is the first pair of earrings I can wear/without them fogging up in the shower".

While College Dropout does not match the originality of Outkast's The Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, it is a good album worth listening to. Expect to hear more from Kanye as both a producer and a performer.

For more info on Kanye West, visit his web site: http://www.kanyewest.com

~ Michelle

Sources: Launch.com, Spin.com, KanyeWest.com