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 West, now known as Ye, is an influential American rapper, singer, and record producer, considered a major figure in hip-hop. He is recognized for his diverse musical approach and often controversial opinions on culture and politics. Despite being celebrated as one of the greatest rappers, his artistic accomplishments are frequently overshadowed by his public controversies and persona.

Sections (6)

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

June 8, 1977: Kanye West's Birth

On June 8, 1977, Kanye Omari West, now known as Ye, was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He would later become a prominent figure in hip-hop as a rapper, singer, and record producer.

Others born on this day/year

1997: Attends American Academy of Art

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

2002: Beginning of Relationship with Alexis Phifer

In 2002, Kanye West began an on-and-off relationship with the designer Alexis Phifer.

2005: Criticism of George Bush During Hurricane Katrina

In a 2005 speech, Kanye West criticized the government's response to Hurricane Katrina and stated on live television, "George Bush doesn't care about black people".

August 2006: Engagement to Alexis Phifer

In August 2006, Kanye West became engaged to designer Alexis Phifer, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship since 2002.

2006: Father opens Good Water Store and Café

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

November 2007: Mother's death and end of engagement

In November 2007, Kanye West's mother passed away and his engagement to Alexis Phifer ended, profoundly affecting him.

2008: End of Engagement with Alexis Phifer

In 2008, Kanye West and Alexis Phifer ended their 18-month engagement. Phifer stated the split was amicable.

2008: West states that he is a vessel for God

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

2009: Interruption at the MTV Video Music Awards

At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech, leading to widespread criticism and internet memes.

2009: West states that he believes in God, but would never go into a religion

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

November 2010: Recanting Apology

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

2010: End of Relationship with Amber Rose

In 2010, Kanye West and model Amber Rose ended their relationship. Following their split, West made disparaging remarks that led to Rose feeling bullied and slut-shamed.

April 2012: Beginning of Relationship with Kim Kardashian

In April 2012, Kanye West began dating reality television star Kim Kardashian, with whom he had already been long-time friends.

September 2012: West donates to Barack Obama's re-election campaign

In September 2012, West donated $1,000 to Barack Obama's re-election campaign.

June 2013: Birth of North West

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

October 2013: Engagement to Kim Kardashian

In October 2013, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian became engaged.

2013: Opposition to Abortion

In 2013, Kanye West voiced his opposition to abortion, citing his belief in the Sixth Commandment.

May 2014: Marriage to Kim Kardashian

In May 2014, Kanye West married Kim Kardashian at Fort di Belvedere in Florence. The private ceremony was subject to widespread media coverage.

October 2014: West donates to Democratic National Committee

In October 2014, West donated $15,000 to the Democratic National Committee.

2014: West refers to himself as a Christian during one of his concerts.

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

April 2015: Baptism of North West in Jerusalem

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

August 2015: West donates to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign

In August 2015, West donated $2,700 to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.

December 2015: Birth of Saint West

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

November 19, 2016: West ends concert and is committed to UCLA Medical Center

On November 19, 2016, West abruptly ended a concert before being committed to the UCLA Medical Center with hallucinations and paranoia. The episode was initially described as "temporary psychosis" caused by dehydration and sleep deprivation.

November 21, 2016: Cancellation of Saint Pablo Tour and Hospitalization

On November 21, 2016, Kanye West cancelled the remaining 21 dates on the Saint Pablo Tour, following a week of no-shows, curtailed concerts and rants about politics. He was later admitted for psychiatric observation at UCLA Medical Center due to temporary psychosis stemming from sleep deprivation and extreme dehydration.

December 2016: West meets with President-elect Donald Trump

In December 2016, West met with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago.

2016: West diagnosed with bipolar disorder

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

February 2017: West deletes tweets about Donald Trump

In February 2017, West deleted all his tweets about Donald Trump in purported 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: West reiterates his support for Donald Trump

In April 2018, West reiterated his support for Donald Trump.

September 2018: Announcement of Move Back to Chicago

In September 2018, Kanye West announced that he would be permanently moving back to Chicago to establish his Yeezy company headquarters there. This relocation did not ultimately occur.

October 2018: West donates to progressive Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia

In October 2018, West donated to progressive Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia.

2018: Statement on Enslavement

In 2018, Kanye West stated that the 400-year enslavement of Africans "sounds like a choice", later clarifying his comment was about mental enslavement. He later apologized for the remark.

2018: West discusses opioid addiction

In a 2018 interview, West said that he had become addicted to opioids when they were prescribed to him after liposuction. West has stated that he has had addictions to alcohol, sex, and pornography.

2018: Allusion to Name Change

Since 2018 Kanye West had alluded to changing his name and had used Ye as a nickname for several years. He stated in an 2018 interview that "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 states that West has had an amazing evolution of being born again and being saved by Christ

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

October 2019: West states that he loves Jesus Christ and Christianity

In October 2019, 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.

2019: West reportedly accepts bipolar disorder diagnosis

By 2019, West had reportedly accepted his bipolar disorder diagnosis, though he later suggested it had been a misdiagnosis in 2022.

July 4, 2020: Presidential Election Announcement

On July 4, 2020, Kanye West announced via Twitter his intention to run in the 2020 presidential election.

July 15, 2020: Filing Paperwork with the Federal Election Commission

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

July 2020: Acknowledgment of Possible Divorce

In July 2020, Kanye West acknowledged the possibility of Kim Kardashian ending their marriage due to his adoption of anti-abortion views and wrote that he had been attempting to divorce Kardashian. He also claimed his family was trying to "lock [him] up".

July 2020: Statements on Taxes and Foreign Policy

In July 2020, Kanye West stated to Forbes that he was ignorant on issues such as taxes and foreign policy during his presidential campaign.

July 2020: Consideration of Abortion 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 the 2020 Presidential Election

On November 4, 2020, Kanye West conceded in the 2020 presidential election via Twitter, having received 66,365 votes across 12 states with ballot access, averaging 0.32%.

2020: Presidential Campaign

In 2020, Kanye West ran an unsuccessful independent campaign for President of the United States.

January 2021: Discussion of Divorce

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

August 2021: Application for Name Change

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

October 2021: Process of 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 change his legal name to "Ye" was granted by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge.

2021: Peak Net Worth

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

2021: Announcement of Jeen-Yuhs Documentary Debut

In 2021, it was announced that the documentary Jeen-Yuhs, which filmed Kanye West over 21 years, from his early days in Chicago to his presidential run, would debut. The documentary covered significant life events including the death of his mother.

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October 2022: Decrease in Net Worth

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

November 2022: Finalization of Divorce Settlement

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

November 2022: Official Launch of Presidential Campaign

In November 2022, Kanye West officially launched his presidential campaign.

December 2022: West suggests he may be autistic

In December 2022, West suggested that he may be autistic.

2022: Abortion as Genocide

In 2022, Kanye West described abortion as "genocide and population control" of black people.

2022: Antisemitic Statements and Termination of Partnerships

In late 2022, Kanye West made a series of antisemitic statements, resulting in the termination of his collaborations, sponsorships, and partnerships with Vogue, Universal Music Group, CAA, Balenciaga, Gap, and Adidas.

January 2023: Kanye West informally marries Bianca Censori

In January 2023, Kanye West and Bianca Censori, who works for West's Yeezy brand, had a private ceremony in Beverly Hills, but it was not legally binding. Following West's trips to Australia, there were discussions about denying him a visa due to his antisemitic remarks.

July 2023: Reinstatement on Twitter

In July 2023, Twitter reinstated Kanye West's account after he assured them that he would not post harmful content.

October 2023: Withdrawal from 2024 Presidential Race

In October 2023, Kanye West's attorney stated that he "is not a candidate for office in 2024", effectively ending his presidential aspirations for that election cycle.

December 2023: Apology for Antisemitic Remarks

In December 2023, Kanye West apologized for his antisemitic remarks in a written statement on Instagram. He subsequently made further controversial statements.

January 2024: Dentist installs titanium prosthodontics for West

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

June 29, 2024: West attends Gosha Rubchinskiy's birthday in Moscow

On June 29, 2024, West traveled to Moscow, Russia, to celebrate the 40th birthday of Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy. Following the trip, West was labeled an "enemy of Ukraine".

2024: Intention to Run for President in 2024

Kanye West initially stated his intention to run for president in 2024 at a November 2019 event, though he later withdrew.

February 2025: Antisemitic Rant and Super Bowl Advertising

In February 2025, Kanye West went on an antisemitic rant on X, professing his love for Hitler, and purchased local advertising during Super Bowl LIX, which directed viewers to his website where he was selling a swastika t-shirt. He also defended Sean Combs from sexual abuse allegations.

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February 2025: West receives professional diagnosis of autism

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

April 2025: Revelation of Childhood Incestuous Relationship

In April 2025, Kanye West revealed that he and a male cousin had an incestuous relationship as children, starting when they attempted reenacting what they saw in gay pornography magazines found in his mother's closet. The relationship involved oral sex until he was 14, when he ended it.

May 2025: Pariah Status

In May 2025, Rolling Stone reported that Kanye West's social media tirades had turned him into "a cultural and business pariah".

2025: Effort to Change Social Media Handles

In 2025, Kanye West made an effort to change his social media handles from @kanyewest to @ye. HotNewHipHop noted that the public still generally referred to him using his birth name.