Kanye Omari West Was born on June 8th 1977, Kanye West is an American hip hop recording artist, songwriter, record producer, film director, entrepreneur and fashion designer from Chicago, Illinois. The baroque-inspired Late Registration followed in 2005, and Graduation in 2007. Kanye West switched rapping for singing on his emotive 2008 effort 808's & Heartbreak, and embraced maximalism on 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Following several collaborations, West released his sixth album, Yeezus, in 2013.