Researching Kanye West

West explored diverse musical elements such as orchestral arrangements, synthesizers, and autotune on the acclaimed albums Late Registration (2005), Graduation (2007), and 808s & Heartbreak (2008). Drawing inspiration from maximalism and minimalism respectively, his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and sixth album Yeezus (2013) were also released to critical and commercial successes. West also diversified musical styles on The Life of Pablo (2016) and Ye (2018), and explored Christian and gospel music on Jesus Is King (2019). After a series of delays, West's highly anticipated tenth album, Donda, was released in 2021. West's discography also includes the full-length collaborative albums Watch the Throne (2011) with Jay-Z and Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Kid Cudi.

West's outspoken views and life outside of music have received significant media coverage. He has been a frequent source of controversy for his conduct on social media, at award shows, and public settings—West's comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, race, and slavery have been generally polarized. His Christian faith, marriage to Kim Kardashian, and his mental health have also been sources of media attention. He is frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest artists, with his music among the world's highest-selling and most critically acclaimed. As a fashion designer, West has collaborated with Nike, Louis Vuitton, The Gap, and A.P.C. on clothing and footwear, and leads the Yeezy collaboration with Adidas. In 2020, he launched an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that primarily advocated for a consistent life ethic. He finished seventh in the popular vote with 70,296 votes, 0.04% of the national total. West is the founder and head of the creative content company DONDA.

One of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 160 million records sold, West has won 22 Grammy Awards, the joint tenth-most of all time. Among his other awards are the Billboard Artist Achievement Award, a joint-record three Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Six of his albums were included on Rolling Stones 2020 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list; the same publication named him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. West holds the joint record (with Bob Dylan) for most albums (4) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll, and has the 5th most appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 (133 entries). Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. A billionaire, Forbes estimates his net worth at $1.8 billion as of 2021.