Early Life and Education of Kanye West: A Complete Timeline

Discover the defining moments in the early life of Kanye West. From birth to education, explore key events.

Kanye Omari West, known as Ye, is a highly influential American rapper and record producer renowned for his innovative musical style and often controversial public persona. He gained prominence as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, contributing to albums like Jay-Z's 'The Blueprint' before launching his own successful recording career with 'The College Dropout' in 2004. This album and subsequent singles, including 'Slow Jamz,' 'Gold Digger,' and 'Stronger,' achieved significant commercial success, solidifying his position as a leading figure in hip-hop and pop culture. Beyond music, West's ventures include fashion and design, though his career is also marked by controversy due to his outspoken views and public behavior.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

June 8, 1977: Kanye West is born

On June 8, 1977, Kanye Omari West, now known as Ye, was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He later became a prominent American rapper and record producer.

Others born on this day/year

1997: Attended American Academy of Art

In 1997, after graduating from high school, Kanye West received a scholarship to attend Chicago's American Academy of Art and began taking painting classes.

1998: Inspired by Roseland NYC Live

In 1998, Kanye West got inspired by Roseland NYC Live, a live album by Portishead.

December 2002: Released 'Get Well Soon...' mixtape

In December 2002, Kanye West released his debut mixtape 'Get Well Soon...' and announced he was working on 'The College Dropout' album, after surviving a car crash earlier that year.

November 7, 2006: Apology for MTV Europe Music Awards outburst

On November 7, 2006, Kanye West publicly apologized for his outburst at the MTV Europe Music Awards during his performance as a support act for U2 in Brisbane.

2006: Father opens the Good Water Store and Café

In 2006, Kanye West's father, Ray West, opened the Good Water Store and Café in Lexington Park, Maryland, using startup capital from his son.

September 2007: Spoofed MTV Europe Music Awards incident on SNL

In September 2007, Kanye West spoofed his outburst at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards on the 33rd-season premiere of Saturday Night Live.

November 2007: Settlement with Evel Knievel

Days before his death in November 2007, Evel Knievel amicably settled the lawsuit with Kanye West after West paid him a visit. Knievel stated that he thought West was a "wonderful guy and quite a gentleman."

November 2007: Mother's Death

In November 2007, Kanye West was profoundly affected by the death of his mother, Donda West, and the end of his engagement to Alexis Phifer.

2008: West calls himself 'a vessel'

In a 2008 interview with The Fader, Kanye West stated that "I'm like a vessel, and God has chosen me to be the voice and the connector".

2009: Interrupted Taylor Swift at MTV Awards

In 2009, Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards to proclaim that Beyoncé deserved the award instead, leading to widespread criticism.

2009: West states he believes in God

In a 2009 interview with online magazine Bossip, Kanye West stated that he believed in God, but at the time felt that he "would never go into a religion".

November 2010: Recanted apology for MTV Awards incident

In a November 2010 interview, Kanye West appeared to recant his past apologies for interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, describing his act as "selfless".

September 2012: Donation to Obama's Re-election Campaign

In September 2012, Kanye West donated $1,000 to Barack Obama's re-election campaign, supporting Obama's bid for a second term as President.

June 2013: Birth of North West

In June 2013, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's first child, North West, was born.

October 2014: Donation to Democratic National Committee

In October 2014, Kanye West donated $15,000 to the Democratic National Committee, contributing to the party's political efforts.

2014: West refers to himself as a Christian

In 2014, Kanye West referred to himself as a Christian during one of his concerts.

April 2015: North West baptized

In April 2015, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian traveled to Jerusalem to have North baptized in the Armenian Apostolic Church at the Cathedral of St. James.

August 2015: Donation to Hillary Clinton's Campaign

In August 2015, Kanye West donated $2,700 to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, showing his support for her candidacy.

December 2015: Birth of Saint West

In December 2015, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's second child, Saint West, was born.

2015: Civil Lawsuit Settled

In 2015, a separate civil lawsuit brought by the paparazzo was settled a week before it was due for trial. The details of the settlement were not disclosed.

November 19, 2016: Hospitalization at UCLA Medical Center

On November 19, 2016, Kanye West abruptly ended a concert and was subsequently committed to the UCLA Medical Center due to hallucinations and paranoia. The episode was initially described as "temporary psychosis" caused by dehydration and sleep deprivation. He was released from the hospital on November 30.

December 2016: Meeting with President-elect Donald Trump

In December 2016, Kanye West met with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago. West indicated he would have voted for Trump if he had voted.

2016: Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis

In 2016, Kanye West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, although the diagnosis was not made public until his 2018 album Ye. The diagnosis was later questioned by West.

2016: Conviction Expunged

In 2016, Kanye West's conviction for misdemeanor battery was expunged from his criminal record following an appeal. This cleared his record of the incident.

February 2017: Deletion of Trump Tweets

In February 2017, Kanye West deleted all his tweets about Donald Trump, purportedly due to dislike of the new president's policies, particularly the travel ban.

January 2018: Birth of Chicago West

In January 2018, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's third child, Chicago West, was born via surrogate.

April 2018: Reiterated Support for Donald Trump

In April 2018, Kanye West reiterated his support for Donald Trump, reaffirming his political alignment with the president.

October 2018: Donation to Amara Enyia

In October 2018, Kanye West donated to progressive Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia, supporting her campaign for mayor.

2018: Opioid Addiction Revelation

In a 2018 interview, Kanye West revealed that he had become addicted to opioids after they were prescribed following liposuction. He suggested this addiction may have contributed to his nervous breakdown in 2016.

2018: Wishing to change name

Kanye West alluded to wishing to change his name since 2018 and had used Ye as a nickname for several years prior, stating in a 2018 interview that he believed "ye" was the most commonly used word in the Bible.

May 2019: Birth of Psalm West

In May 2019, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's fourth child, Psalm West, was born via surrogate.

September 2019: Kim Kardashian says West is born again

In September 2019, Kim Kardashian stated: "He has had an amazing evolution of being born again and being saved by Christ."

October 2019: West says he loves Jesus Christ

In October 2019, Kanye West said with respect to his past, "When I was trying to serve multiple gods it drove me crazy" in reference to the "god of ego, god of money, god of pride, the god of fame", and that "I didn't even know what it meant to be saved" and that now "I love Jesus Christ. I love Christianity."

November 2019: Intention to Run for President in 2024

At an event in November 2019, Kanye West stated his intention to run for president again in the 2024 presidential election, but joked that he would create so many jobs that he wouldn't need to run.

2019: Reported Acceptance of Bipolar Diagnosis

By 2019, Kanye West had reportedly accepted his bipolar disorder diagnosis again, after previously suggesting it was a misdiagnosis.

July 4, 2020: Presidential Run Announcement

On July 4, 2020, Kanye West announced via Twitter that he would be running in the 2020 presidential election.

July 15, 2020: Presidential Paperwork Filed

On July 15, 2020, official paperwork was filed with the Federal Election Commission for Kanye West, under the "BDY" Party affiliation, amid claims that he was preparing to drop out of the presidential race.

July 2020: Divorce Consideration

In July 2020, Kanye West acknowledged the possibility of Kim Kardashian ending their marriage due to his adoption of anti-abortion views. Later that month, West wrote on Twitter that he had been attempting to divorce Kardashian.

July 2020: Presidential Campaign Details

In July 2020, Kanye West aligned himself with the philosophy of a consistent life ethic and advocated for the creation of a culture of life. In July 2020, West told Forbes that he is ignorant on issues such as taxes and foreign policy.

July 2020: Abortion consideration revelation

In July 2020, during a presidential campaign rally, Kanye West revealed that he had previously considered abortion during Kim Kardashian's first pregnancy.

November 4, 2020: Concession in 2020 presidential election

On November 4, 2020, Kanye West conceded in the 2020 presidential election on Twitter. He received 66,365 votes in the 12 states he had ballot access in, averaging 0.32%.

2020: Unsuccessful presidential campaign

In 2020, Kanye West ran an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign in the United States.

January 2021: Divorce Discussions

In January 2021, CNN reported that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian were discussing divorce.

August 2021: Name Change Application

In August 2021, Kanye West applied to court to legally change his name from "Kanye Omari West" to "Ye", citing "personal reasons" for the change.

October 2021: Selling Wyoming Ranch

In October 2021, Kanye West began the process of selling his Wyoming ranch.

October 2021: Legal Name Change to 'Ye'

In October 2021, Kanye West's request to legally change his name to "Ye", with no middle or last name, was granted by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge.

2021: Net Worth Peak

In 2021, Kanye West's net worth was as high as $1.8 billion, making him one of the wealthiest musical artists.

October 2022: Net Worth Decline

In October 2022, Forbes estimated Kanye West's net worth had dropped to $400 million, largely due to Adidas's termination of their partnership following his public antisemitic statements.

November 2022: Officially launched presidential campaign

In November 2022, Kanye West officially launched his presidential campaign and claimed to have asked former president Donald Trump to be his running mate.

November 2022: Divorce Finalized

In November 2022, the divorce settlement between Kanye West and Kim Kardashian was finalized. West was ordered to pay $200,000 in monthly child support.

December 2022: Suggested Autism Diagnosis

In December 2022, Kanye West suggested he might be autistic, hinting at a possible self-diagnosis or suspicion of autism spectrum disorder.

January 2023: Informal Marriage to Bianca Censori

In January 2023, it was reported that Kanye West informally married Bianca Censori, an architect working for Yeezy, in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills. The ceremony was not legally binding as they did not file for a marriage license.

October 2023: West not a candidate in 2024

In October 2023, an attorney for Kanye West stated that he "is not a candidate for office in 2024".

January 2024: Titanium Prosthodontics installed

In January 2024, dentist Thomas Connelly installed permanent titanium prosthodontics for Kanye West.

June 29, 2024: Visit to Moscow

On June 29, 2024, Kanye West visited Moscow, Russia, to celebrate the 40th birthday of Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy. This visit led to West being labeled an "enemy of Ukraine".

2024: Presidential Run in 2024

Kanye West had stated his intention to run for president again in the 2024 election.

February 2025: Professional Autism Diagnosis

In February 2025, Kanye West stated that he had received a professional diagnosis of autism.

April 2025: Incestuous relationship with cousin

In April 2025, Kanye West disclosed having an incestuous relationship with a male cousin that began in childhood and lasted until he was 14 years old.