He has been a frequent source of controversy due to his conduct on social media, at award shows and in public settings, as well as his comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, race, and slavery.

Due to his association with Angelettie, West was not able to release a solo album, so he formed the Go-Getters, a hip-hop group composed of him and fellow Chicago natives GLC, Timmy G, Really Doe, and Arrowstar.

[50][51] "Jesus Walks", the album's fourth single, reached the top 20 of the Billboard pop charts, despite industry executives' predictions that a song containing such blatant declarations of faith would never make it to the radio.

[70] Recorded mostly in Honolulu, Hawaii in three weeks,[71] West announced his fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak, at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, where he performed its lead single, "Love Lockdown".

[108] Primarily inspired by architecture,[106] West's perfectionist tendencies led him to contact producer Rick Rubin fifteen days shy of its due date to strip down the record's sound in favor of a more minimalist approach.

[138] In February 2016, West stated on Twitter that he was planning to release another album in the summer of 2016, tentatively called Turbo Grafx 16 in reference to the 1990s video game console of the same name.

[157] Pusha T's Daytona, "the first project out of Wyoming", was released in May to critical acclaim, although the album's artwork—a photograph of deceased singer Whitney Houston's bathroom that West paid $85,000 to license—attracted some controversy.

[183] On November 20, days after ending their long-running feud,[184] West and rapper Drake confirmed that they would stage the "Free Larry Hoover" benefit concert on December 9 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

[186] Later that month on January 15, West released the first single for his upcoming album Donda 2, "Eazy" featuring The Game,[187] to be executive produced by American rapper Future.

[207] On September 28, during a concert in Haikou, China at the Wuyuan River Stadium, West announced his eleventh solo album Bully, debuting the track "Beauty and the Beast".

[210][211][212] Ed Ledsham of PopMatters said that "West's melding of multiple genres into the hip-hop fold is a complex act that challenges the dominant white notions of what constitutes true 'art' music.

[214] West imparts that he strives to speak in an inclusive manner so groups from different racial and gender backgrounds can comprehend his lyrics, saying he desired to sound "just as ill as Jadakiss and just as understandable as Will Smith".

[218][219] On his debut studio album, The College Dropout (2004), West formed the constitutive elements of his style, described as intricate hip-hop beats, topical subject matter, and clumsy rapping laced with inventive wordplay.

[253] West founded the record label and production company GOOD Music in 2004, in conjunction with Sony BMG, shortly after releasing his debut album, The College Dropout.

[271] Sixteen artist stakeholders including Jay-Z, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Madonna, Chris Martin, Nicki Minaj co-own Tidal, with the majority owning a 3% equity stake.

[272] In October 2022, in direct response to bans he received on Twitter and Instagram stemming from his antisemitic comments,[273] West reached an agreement in principle to acquire the alt-tech social network Parler for an undisclosed amount.

[306][better source needed] On July 15, 2020, official paperwork was filed with the Federal Election Commission for West, under the "BDY" Party affiliation[307] amid claims that he was preparing to drop out.

[310] His platform advocated for the creation of a culture of life, endorsing environmental stewardship, supporting the arts, buttressing faith-based organizations, restoring school prayer, providing for a strong national defense, and "America First" diplomacy.

[2][106] In a 2005 speech, West criticized both the media and the government's racial disparities in their response to Hurricane Katrina, stating on live television "George Bush doesn't care about black people".

[333] In late 2022, West made a series of antisemitic statements,[334] resulting in the termination of his collaborations, sponsorships, and partnerships with Vogue, Universal Music Group, CAA, Balenciaga, Gap, and Adidas.

[349] In February 2025, he went on an anti-Semitic 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.

[353] In October 2022, Forbes estimated his net worth to have dropped to $400 million in large part due to Adidas's termination of their partnership following a series of public antisemitic statements.

[364] The couple's high-profile status and respective careers have resulted in their relationship becoming subject to heavy media coverage; The New York Times referred to their marriage as "a historic blizzard of celebrity".

[382] The divorce settlement was finalized in November 2022, and West was ordered to pay $200,000 in monthly child support and be responsible for half of the children's medical, educational, and security expenses.

"[404] In 2014, after an altercation with a paparazzo at the Los Angeles Airport, West was sentenced to serve two years' probation for a misdemeanor battery conviction, and was required to attend 24 anger management sessions, perform 250 hours of community service, and pay restitution to the photographer.

[432] While the episode was first described as one of "temporary psychosis" caused by dehydration and sleep deprivation, West's mental state was abnormal enough for his 21 cancelled concerts to be covered by his insurance policy.

"[219] Sharing similar sentiments, Dave Bry of Complex Magazine called West the twenty-first century's "most important artist of any art form, of any genre.

"[464] Rolling Stone credited West with transforming hip-hop's mainstream, "establishing a style of introspective yet glossy rap" while deeming him "a producer who created a signature sound and then abandoned it to his imitators, a flashy, free-spending sybarite with insightful things to say about college, culture, and economics, an egomaniac with more than enough artistic firepower to back it up.

[467] The release of his third studio album has been described as a turning point in the music industry,[468] and is considered to have helped pave the way for new rappers who did not follow the hardcore-gangster mold to find wider mainstream acceptance.

[469][470][471] Hip-hop artists like Drake,[472] Nicki Minaj,[473] Travis Scott,[474] Playboi Carti,[475] Lil Uzi Vert,[476] and Chance the Rapper[477] have acknowledged being influenced by West.