June 15, 2006
By Tammy O'Reilly
KANYE West is in the house, performing his unique brand of hip hop at the Coca Cola Dome in Northgate on 11 July.
Though he started out with aspirations of being a hip-hop artist, the rise to fame for Kanye Omari West has not been straightforward.
His clean living, tertiary education and passive nature made him unmarketable as an artist, so he made a respectable name for himself behind the scenes producing and writing lyrics for the likes of Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys.
He kept trying to bring out a solo album, but was rejected so often he virtually gave up. Until one fateful day in October 2002.
He fell asleep at the wheel of his car on the way home from the studio, crashed it beyond repair, and emerged with a jaw fractured in three places. His brush with death so inspired him that within two weeks, with his jaw still wired shut, he recorded Through the Wire.
This single was so successful that it convinced the bosses at Rockafella Records to give West a record deal, and he released his first album College Dropout in 2004.
College Dropout was an instant hit with hip-hop fans and critics alike, selling over 440 000 albums in its first week and almost three million within a year and a half. The album also earned him eight Grammy nominations in 2005, and he picked up two more for producing and writing songs for Diary of Alicia Keys.
He continues to produce music for some giants of the music industry, under his own record label, GOOD Music, an acronym for Getting Out Our Dreams. At the 2006 Grammys, he picked up three awards for his second album Late Registration, including Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song.
Known for his social conscience, Kanye West's special genre of hip hop is a sped-up blend of his own lyrics and golden oldies. Don't miss the chance to experience the prolific artist live at the Coca Cola Dome in Northgate on Tuesday, 11 July.
Tickets are available at www.computicket.com and prices begin at R111, with the best seats in the house going for R293. Floor standing tickets go for R190 each, but Edgars Club Members and staff get them for R175 on presentation of their membership cards.
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