Chicago-bred rapper Kanye West began his music career as a producer for artists such as Jermaine Dupri, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Mase, among others. After inking a deal with Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, West released his debut album, 2004's The College Dropout, featuring hit songs including "Jesus Walks" and "All Falls Down," as well as "Through The Wire," a triumphant tale of survival he recorded with his jaw wired shut two weeks following a near-fatal car accident.

The College Dropout garnered West 10 GRAMMY nominations and two awards at the 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards, including Best Rap Album, the first of four Best Rap Album honors he's accumulated over his career. Released in 2005, West's sophomore album, Late Registration, featured the No. 1 hit "Gold Digger," which propelled the album to the top of the Billboard 200. West formed his own label, GOOD Music, in 2004 signing artists such as John Legend, Common and Mos Def, and went on to release three more No. 1 albums: Graduation (2007), 808s & Heartbreaks (2008) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). West teamed up with Jay-Z in 2011 for Watch The Throne, which earned a GRAMMY for Best Rap Performance.

West has earned 46 total career GRAMMY nominations and 18 GRAMMY wins. He is nominated for six awards for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards.