Donate | NPR Shop | NPR Community | Login | Register
Kanye West artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Before his own rise up the music charts, Kanye West spent his time producing hits for other top rappers, including Jay-Z. Convinced of the need to display his own unique skills, he released the hugely successful disc College Dropout in 2004.
()
All Songs Considered's list of the 50 most important recordings of the decade continues, from Britney Spears to Amy Winehouse.
()
For all the accusations of misogyny that face hip-hop artists, no musical genre shows more reverence to the mother figure. Tupac's "Dear Mama" may be the most easily identifiable example — if not the pinnacle — of the mama meme, but many great rappers have taken a few minutes to honor the women who brought them into the world. Here are five more songs for and about your mom.
()All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen talks with NPR music reviewers Tom Moon, Will Hermes and Meredith Ochs about this year's Grammy Awards nominees. They offer their predictions for who will win, who should win and offer a lively debate on the value of the Grammys.
()
Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker offers his picks for the best music of the year, including Fiona Apple's latest album and a Bob Dylan DVD. He also addresses the topic of women in music, and he talks about the year in hip-hop. Tucker is the film critic for New York magazine.
()
Music critic Sarah Bardeen rounds up a three-part review of the best new music of 2005 with her favorite CDs of the past year — a sonic stew of hip-hop, smooth Latin stylings and raw Brazilian soul.
()Before his own rise up the music charts, Kanye West spent his time producing hits for other top rappers, including Jay-Z. Convinced of the need to display his own unique skills, he released the hugely successful disc College Dropout in 2004.
()Hear an interview with Ron Roeker from the Recording Academy on how the Grammy selection process works, plus music from the Best New Artist category.
()Below are the 20 most mentioned songs from both listeners and reviewers with randomly selected comments from some of those who picked them.
()Bill Gates has Expedia. Barry Diller has Hotels.com. Now singer Kanye West has his own travel Web site. Carrie Brownstein says that when artists become brands, music falls through the cracks.
()
Amy Winehouse racked up award after award in the 50th edition of Sunday's Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. But Herbie Hancock's jazz tribute to Joni Mitchell pulled off a last-minute upset, winning Album of the Year.
()
The J.A.M. Awards laud contributions in the areas of justice, art and music. Terri Corley-Mizell, wife of the late Jam Master Jay, talks about this year's nominees.
()
The hip-hop artist lost his mother, a frequent presence in his music, over the weekend. Rolling Stone writer Toure explores the tradition of superstars admiring, employing and taking care of their moms.
()
This past Tuesday, two rival rappers released new CDs on the same day. Kanye West and 50 Cent both rank among the most popular artists making hip-hop today. But the so-called feud between the two stands apart from others in the history of the genre.
()Music labels are hoping for better sales this year. Two highly anticipated albums have arrived, stoking a much-hyped rivalry between performers 50 Cent and Kanye West. It's a heavyweight battle for sales.
()Hip-hop star 50 Cent and rival Kanye West are releasing albums Tuesday. 50 Cent promised to stop recording solo albums if West's album Graduation sells more than his Curtis. Their rivalry can be traced to the roots of rap music.
()
All year long, NPR features the best of contemporary music with interviews, performances and profiles. In celebration of the 48th Grammy Awards, a look at selected winners who were featured in the past year on NPR shows.
()Day to Day producer Christopher Johnson profiles rapper and producer Kanye West, who has been nominated more Grammy Awards than any other artist this year. His nominations include Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
()
The Chicago rapper's new album, 808s and Heartbreak features him singing instead of rapping, but he's filtered his vocals through the voice processing system known as Auto-Tune, an increasingly popular trend among pop artists. The result is a melancholy, intimate and decidedly quirky effort.
()Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker offers his picks for the best music of the year, including Fiona Apple's latest album and a Bob Dylan DVD. He also addresses the topic of women in music, and he talks about the year in hip-hop. Tucker is the film critic for New York magazine.
()All Things Considered music reviewer Will Hermes shares his picks for the 10 best CDs of 2005, from the "wonderfully strange" world of Animal Collective to the "gorgeous hymn rock" of Sigur Ros.
()Late Registration is the new album by hip-hop artist Kanye West. West recently drew a flurry of attention after telling an audience tuned in to a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims that "George Bush doesn't care about black people."
()
When Chicago's Kanye West released his debut, College Dropout, in 2004, many weren't sure if this hip-hop producer could also pick up the mic and make it as a rapper. Reviewer Oliver Wang says the music shines on West's new CD, Late Registration.
()Rock critic Ken Tucker offers up his top 10 lists of the best albums and singles of 2008.music. Here's his look at some of his own favorites.
()
This wasn't the strongest year for hip-hop, but 2007 still featured some excellent releases that pushed the genre's boundaries, as well as a few records that reveled, old-school style, in great beats and rhymes.
()
![Thunder, Lightning, Strike [Bonus Tracks]](http://media.npr.org/images/amg/pop/cov75/drh000/h030/h03057g9eqg.jpg)
Loading...