Kanye West

Kanye West
Birth Date: June 08, 1977
Birth Place: Atlanta, Ga.

Kanye West is anything but a wallflower: he's spoken out against homophobia and materialism, and famously slammed White House inaction after Hurricane Katrina, saying, "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

But at the end of the day, West's music speaks for itself. After bringing a soulful, distinctive sound to artists like Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, West won multiple Grammys for his rap debut, The College Dropout, and his follow-up, Late Registration.

In November 2007, tragedy struck when West's mother, Donda, passed away after undergoing a cosmetic procedure. He delivered an emotional tribute to her at the 2008 Grammy Awards, where he won his third Best Rap Album Grammy for Graduation. Said West: "I know you wouldn't want me to stop and you want me to be the No. 1 artist in the world, and Mama, all I'm going to do is keep making you proud. We run this!"