Kanye West: an Image Built for Success

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KANYE WEST: AN IMAGE BUILT FOR SUCCESS According to Rolling Stone Magazine, “Kanye West is full of contradictions: He’s arrogant but self-deprecating, materialistic but religious, remarkably rude but also sensitive…By melding the gangsta ethos with his own nerdy persona and making hip-hop that was at once deeply introspective, utterly distinct, and lots of fun, West became the most important new pop star of the 2000s – a character who made the mainstream come to him, rather than the other way around.” Jon Pareles of The New York Times describes Kanye West as, “a success: a multimillion selling rapper, a Grammy winner, a surefire producer of hits and enough of a public figure to get national attention.” However, Kanye is not your typical rap star. More specifically, his “bad-boy” image is not an extension of his origins but a mere trait that he has acquired to attract attention and boost his career. This assertion is confirmed, given his nearly privileged background and education. The ability to know how to appeal to different types of people has enabled Kanye to create this “bad-boy” image to attract the attention of public and at the same time, boost his career. Kanye Omari West was born on June 8, 1977 to Ray and Donda West in Atlanta, Georgia. His upbringing was very different compared to the way many of today’s rappers grew up. Both of Kanye’s parents were educated people, so they were able to provide him with the best life that they could provide him. In contrast, other rappers struggled to get through life because of poverty, drugs, and other hardships. In a biography of Kanye West on Contactmusic.com, it states, “Kanye's father, Ray, was a member of the Black Panther movement, as well as being one of the first black photojournalists for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.” Time Magazine reported in an article that he is now a “Christian marriage

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