Ten interesting things you (probably) didn’t know about Kanye West
We all know the obvious - he's had major global music success, he was married to Kim Kardashian, and, well, I'm sure we're all aware of his infamous rants and raves - but what does Ye prefer to keep hidden from his millions of fans
You’d think you know everything there is to know about the controversial American celebrity who isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind, but it appears Kanye West has a few skeletons in his closet.
We all know the obvious – he’s had major global music success, he was married to Kim Kardashian, and, well, I’m sure we’re all aware of his infamous rants and raves – but what does Ye prefer to keep hidden from his millions of fans?
To find out what these interesting facts about Kanye West are, continue reading …
1. His dad was a Black Panther
He dedicated a few lyrics to his pops on The Life of Pablo, but we’re sure you’re one of the many to wonder about Kanye’s father. Ray West was a black panther in the ’60s and ’70s before becoming one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
According to Kanye, “My father was a paparazzo himself. My father was a medical illustrator, a Black Panther, a Christian marriage counselor.”
With such a strong role model in his life – it makes sense that Kanye has passionate views and wants to share them with the world.
2. His mother’s death initiated a law
Kanye’s late mother Donda West sadly died in 2007 at the age of just 58 from coronary artery disease and several post-operative factors after her liposuction and mammoplasty procedures. Following her unfortunate death, Kanye decided to launch the “Donda West Law” , which was signed and approved by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
This legislation makes it mandatory for patients undergoing cosmetic surgery to have medical clearance through a physical examination before any operation. Good on Kanye!
3. Kanye is a college drop out
Kanye bagged himself a scholarship at Chicago’s American Academy of Art for a year, then transferred to Chicago State for a degree in English.
He eventually dropped out and went on to produce his very first album, The College Dropoutwhich was mostly about having the guts to embrace who you are rather than following the path that society has imprinted for you.
4. Michael Jackson admired Ye’s style
Indeed, Michael Jackson was a super-fan of Kanye and had serious style envy for the rapper. In fact, the legend himself apparently called Kanye to ask about the jacket that he wore in his Stronger music video.
Turns out, Yeezy also had the same admiration for the King of Pop (who doesn’t?). He revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe that, “For me, as Kanye West, I would not be Kanye West if it wasn’t for Michael Jackson…”
5. Kanye produced Jay-Z’s tracks before stardom
Kanye got his big break in 2000 by becoming a producer for artists on Roc-A-Fella Records. He was super influential on Jay-Z’s album, The Blueprint where he produced five of the 13 tracks on there – more than any other producer.
This is where Jay noticed the talent Kanye has and the bromance began.
6. He recorded a song with his jaw wired shut
This Kanye fact might just blow your mind! After falling asleep at the wheel in 2002, Kanye was involved in a near-fatal car crash which left him with a shattered jaw. Bed-ridden in hospital, with the notorious rapper going out of his mind, he had an electronic drum machine delivered to the hospital so he could work on his music.
He even recorded a song with his jaw still wired shut. Through the Wire in particular, detailed Ye’s experience after the accident.
7. He once considered suicide
Kanye has admitted in the past that he once considered suicide. In 2018, he revealed in an interview with The New York Times:
“Oh yeah, I’ve thought about killing myself all the time. It’s always a option and [expletive]…Like Louis C.K. said: I flip through the manual. I weigh all the options. I’m just having this epiphany now, ’cause I didn’t do it, but I did think it all the way through. But if I didn’t think it all the way through, then it’s actually maybe more of a chance of it happening.”
8. Kanye is officially a billionaire
It’s not surprising that Ye sits on this amount of wealth – a whopping net worth of $1.8 billion to be exact.
The artist was declared a “billionaire” by Forbes in 2021 after immersing into plenty of business ventures including music, fashion, architecture, technology and film. His Yeezy sneaker empire in particular finished 2019 with revenue of $1.3 billion alone!
9. He wanted to be a Pornstar
Nothing seems to amaze us when it comes to the Louis Vuitton Don. He’s a rapper, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, artist, ‘genius’ and visionary…what else could possibly be missing from Kanye’s resume? Hmm, a porn star maybe?
The billionaire admitted that the thought of being a male porn star once crossed his mind. Telling The Sun in 2007, he said, “That career choice popped into my head once or twice. Which guy doesn’t want that? Just sometimes in their life. This was my mentality before I was engaged [to former fiance Alexis Phifer].”
10. Kanye wants to be the next US president
Kanye is known for his “out-there” ideas, but this one shocked us all. While speaking at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in August 2015, Kanye finished his 13-minute monologue by revealing, “As you probably could’ve guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for president.”
Yeah, you read that right. In what was one of Kanye’s craziest moments, he decided to change career path and run for president in 2020.
Who knew he had such high political ambitions? Turns out, his presidential run didn’t work out, but he did earn 0.04% of the votes during the election.
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