Initially, a much sought after producer of other artists' albums, West had great difficulty in getting a record contract for his own work. His father was a Black Panther turned photojournalist and his mother a born again Christian counselor, West was thought to lack the "street cred" necessary to be a popular and serious rapper. He proved everyone wrong with a string of platinum albums and Grammy Awards. Outspoken, egotistical, unconventional, inventive, and ingenious, Kanye West is one of the hip-hop world's most fascinating and unpredictable artists.
