It’s less than a year since Kanye West released Late Registration, an album so good that it broke the hearts of rappers everywhere. Thanks in no small part to the superb single ‘Gold Digger’, Kanye became the favourite hip hop artist of pretty much everyone on the planet. And then, just to prove it, he took off on a global sell-out tour, playing everywhere from Tennessee to Tokyo.
So what does Mr West do on his days off? Put his feet up and watch Eastenders with a cup of tea? Not exactly. In the past few months he’s found the time to record the theme song for the new Mission Impossible movie, finish a track with Pharrell Williams (the second hottest talent in rap) and start work on his own movie. And if rumours are to be believed, he’s going to be single-handedly producing Jay-Z’s comeback album.
It’s the least Kanye can do for Jay-Z, who kickstarted the career of the college dropout from Chicago. In the beginning, it was an uphill struggle for Kanye to impress Jay-Z and the team at Roc-A-Fella records. Because even though he’s famous for his extravagant dress sense, West just doesn’t look like a rapper.
“I had Italian shoes, my size medium t-shirts,” he has said. “I dress kind of like a producer, like, all producers dress like this. Picture how it looks with me busting a hard rap with a tight t-shirt on. And I’m rapping to Jay-Z, I’m rapping to the greatest.”
Kanye started by producing tracks for Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys and Ludacris, all the while honing his own rapping skills. His work ethic and innovative approach to producing impressed Jay-Z, who gradually began to throw more work Kanye’s way.
He produced four tracks on Jay-Z’s Blueprint album, including ‘Takeover’, the track that made public the feud between Jay-Z and fellow New York rapper Nas. The track got a lot of media attention, with Kanye’s production receiving widespread critical praise. It seemed he was on the verge of making a name for himself, and with the hype building, he started work on his debut album.
Then came October 23, 2002. Driving home from the recording studio, West fell asleep at the wheel. He crashed, fracturing his jaw in three places, and doctors inserted a metal plate in his skull. He has confessed to having flashbacks to the accident every day.
“That steering wheel could have been two inches further out,” West said, “and that would have been it. You find out how short life is and how blessed you are to be here.”
‘Through The Wire’ was recorded just a few weeks later, with West’s jaw still wired shut. It was the first single off The College Dropout, and remains a live favourite, sure to bring the house (or the marquee) down.
West has called his current tour “ground-breaking”, and it certainly breaks the mould for rap shows. Theatrical, intense, passionate, funky – its over-the-top brilliance sums up Kanye West perfectly. And he even manages to fit an A-ha sample into the show.
But as well as being a showman, West is that increasingly rare phenomenon – a rapper with a social conscience. Probably the best known example of this was his outburst on NBC, when he accused George W Bush of not caring about black people. And just one listen to tracks like ‘Heard Em Say’ or ‘Roses’ on the second album shows that flash clothes and ego aren’t the only things that occupy West in his quieter moments. And maybe that’s why he strikes a chord with so many...
Including Tom Cruise, who made West an ‘honorary uncle’ to his daughter Suri, everyone’s favourite mini-Scientologist. Cruise also hand-picked West for another job – performing the theme song for Mission Impossible 3. The song ‘Impossible’ will feature on his next album, to be titled Graduation and due for release in October this year.
Other tracks on the album could include ‘Bittersweet’, recorded with singer-songwriter John Mayer, which was due to appear on Late Registration, until Kanye decided it just didn’t fit. Also a contender to make the cut is ‘Homecoming’, a track that came out of a spontaneous jamming session with Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Kanye has already announced that he’ll follow up his third album with one entitled A Good Ass Job. Maybe after that he’ll find time for a day off. A proper one.