Tom Head - Kanye West: Rap Superstar and Fashion Designer

Published in 2020 by Enslow Publishing, LLC. 101 W. 23rd Street, Suite 240, New York, NY 10011 Copyright 2020 by Enslow Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. | Head, Deirdre, author. | Head, Deirdre, author.

Title: Kanye West: rap superstar and fashion designer / Tom Head and Deirdre Head. Description: New York: Enslow Publishing, 2020. | Series: Stars of hip-hop | Audience: 2 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018051110| ISBN 9781978509627 (library bound) | ISBN 9781978510227 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781978510241 (6 pack) Subjects: LCSH: West, KanyeJuvenile literature. | Rap musiciansUnited States BiographyJuvenile literature. Classification: LCC ML3930.W42 H43 2020 | DDC 782.421649092 [B] dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018051110 Printed in the United States of America To Our Readers: We have done our best to make sure all websites in this book were active and appropriate when we went to press.

However, the author and the publisher have no control over and assume no liability for the material available on those websites or on any websites they may link to. Any comments or suggestions can be sent by email to . Photo Credits: Cover, p. Stephen Lovekin/WireImage/Getty Images. CONTENTS FROM GEORGIA TO CHINA K anye West is a superstar. He always knew he wanted to be great at whatever he did.

Kanye Omari West was born on July 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. His mother was named Donda. She grew up in Oklahoma. Donda earned her PhD degree. She taught people how to speak English. She also taught college courses.

Kanyes father was named Ray. Ray grew up in a military family. He took pictures for a newspaper. Kanye West smiles during a fashion show in Paris, France. He has found success in music and fashion. Ray and Donda taught Kanye to work hard.

They also taught him to believe in himself. He was their only child. Kanyes parents wanted him to do great things. Donda wrote a book called Raising Kanye in 2007. She talked about his childhood and what it was like being his mom. LIFE IN CHICAGO Donda and Ray divorced when Kanye was three years old.

Donda took Kanye and moved from Georgia to Chicago. She began a job as an English professor at Chicago State University. Kanye visited his father every summer. Donda read history books to Kanye at night. She raised him to love learning. Ray taught Kanye to think for himself.

Early Talent In preschool, Kanye was very good at drawing pictures. His teachers noticed this right away. He didnt just draw stick figures. He drew detailed pictures of people. Kanye West stands with his mother, Donda West, in 2007. Young Kanye felt like an outsider in China.

Not many black people lived there. A YEAR IN CHINA Kanye was ten years old in 1987. That year, Donda was asked to teach at Nanjing University. This school is in China. She said yes and brought Kanye with her. Donda taught English to Chinese young adults.

Kanye quickly learned how different China was from the United States. I think being in China got me ready to be a celeb because, at that time, a lot of Chinese [people] had never seen a black person. Kanye learned . But he didnt fit in. His classmates had never seen a black person before. They kept touching his hair and skin.

His mother took him out of school. She taught him at home. They spent a year in China. Then they came back to the United States. GROWING UP IN CHICAGO D onda and Kanye went back to Chicago in 1988. Donda returned to her job at Chicago State University.

She could come home as soon as Kanye left school. Sometimes she brought him to work with her. Kanye joined a dance group. He practiced his dance moves in the mirror. He also entered talent shows. He loved helping other contestants.

But he wouldnt let them help him. He thought he was too good to need anyone elses help. Kanye performs at a 2009 concert. He was certain of his talent from an early age. STATE OF MIND Kanye and his friends grew up in the 1980s. They loved listening to the music of the time.

Kanye especially loved the hip-hop bands Kid n Play and De La Soul. Soon Kanye and his friends wanted to record their own music. At thirteen, Kanye and two of his friends formed a band. They called themselves State of Mind. They rented a basement They practiced and recorded a song. It was Kanyes first experience as a musician.

He loved it. But he focused more on his music than on his studies. His grades started slipping. A Dr. Seuss Song The song Kanye recorded with his friends was called Green Eggs and Ham. The title came from the Dr. Kid n Play was one of Kanyes favorite groups. Kid n Play was one of Kanyes favorite groups.

ACTING UP Kanye West always knew he had talent. He always believed he would be a superstar. He always thought he would change the world. Some people thought he was full of himself. It sometimes made him hard to deal with. Be humble. Be humble.

When was the last time someone told you to be amazing? Be great! Be great! Be awesome! Be awesome! Many young people struggle with being selfish. Kanye did, too. He was full of creative ideas. Sometimes it was hard for him to realize other people also had creative ideas. He thought he was going to get a record deal when he was thirteen. Kanye worked on other peoples music before he made it as a rapper. Kanye worked on other peoples music before he made it as a rapper.

His mother, Donda, noticed Kanye began misbehaving at home. She told him she didnt like how he was acting. He promised he would do better. MUSIC PRODUCER K anye has a cousin named Tony Williams. Williams noticed Kanyes talent. He taught Kanye how to use drum machines and music.

He also helped Kanye meet people who worked in the music business. One of them was a DJ named No I.D. No I.D. helped Kanye learn more about making music. Kanye worked hard to raise money to buy studio . His mother helped him get started.

Kanye also showed an early interest in fashion. Donda would give him money to buy clothes. But he didnt spend it on a closet full of cheap clothes. Instead he bought a few expensive pieces. He wore them over and over. gives a speech in 2017. gives a speech in 2017.

He taught Kanye about music when Kanye was just getting started. THE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS Kanye was a gifted student when he was young. But his grades went down as he got older. He was more interested in music than he was in his classes. His mother worried he might not graduate.