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KANYE WEST

Artist profile

Kanye Omari West

Born: June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, US

Years active: 1996 - present

“Now I could let these dream killers kill my self-esteem, or use my arrogance as the steam to power my dreams...”

Kanye Omari West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, 1977. He left college to pursue a musical career, producing tracks for Jay-Z while polishing his demo. He released The College Dropout in 2004. It sold 2.6 million copies and won Best Rap Album. His follow-up releases have been equally successful and West has become a celebrity famous for his outrageous and entertaining statements.

Kanye-West

Rapper, record producer and singer Kanye Omari West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, 1977. His parents divorced when he was three. He was raised on Chicago’s South Side by his mother, an English professor, and spent summers with his father, an award-winning photographer who became a church counselor.

West graduated from Polaris High School and completed one year of art school at Chicago State University. After spending time rapping and working with local artists, West moved to New York in 2001 to pursue his music career full time. Jay-Z hired him to produce songs for his album The Blueprint, which sold more than 420,000 copies in the first week alone. West went on to produce for a handful of stars including rapper Ludacris and singer Beyonce.

While serving as producer to the stars, West cut his own demo and began shopping it around. He signed a deal with Roc-A-Fella Records, Jay-Z’s label, in 2002 and began recording in the studio. On the way home from a session in Los Angeles, West fell asleep at the wheel and was involved in a head-on car collision that left him with a fractured jaw.

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With his jaw wired shut, West returned to the recording studio to complete his debut release The College Dropout. The album, which was released in 2004, sold 2.6 million copies and earned him a Best Rap Album Grammy. He matched that feat with 2005’s Late Registration and 2007’s Graduation.

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West also has won three Best Rap Song Grammys for his hits “Jesus Walks,” “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” and “Good Life.” For his hit “Gold Digger,” he took home the Best Rap Solo Performance award in 2005. West also won a Grammy for Best R&B Song for “You Don’t Know My Name,” sung by Alicia Keys. His collaboration with Common on “Southside” earned West the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2007.

West was devastated when his mother, Donda West, died to complications from cosmetic surgery on November 10, 2007. During his first concert following the funeral, he dedicated a performance of “Hey Mama” to his mother.

Moving on after his tragic loss, West put out his next album, 808s & Heartbreak, in 2008. The recording reached the top of the charts and featured several hits, including “Heartless” and “Amazing.” That same year, West earned two Grammys for his work with other artists. His duet with Estelle, “American Boy,” won for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and his work with Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and T.I. netted the honor for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

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In 2009, West released two albums on the same day—Good Morning Good Night: Dusk and Good Morning Good Night: Dawn. That same year, Kanye West debuted the line of shoes he designed for the luxury goods brand Louis Vuitton. He engages in a number of charitable activities as well. Founded by his mother in 2007, he supports the Kanye West Foundation, which works to reduce the number of high school dropouts.

West and designer Alexis Phifer began dating in 2002. He proposed in August 2006, but the engagement ended 18 months later. West had also been romantically linked to model Amber Rose. In early 2012, West began dating reality television star Kim Kardashian. He announced at a concert in that December that he and Kardashian are expecting their first child together.

On June 15, 2013, West became a father for the first time. He and Kardashian welcomed a daughter who was born in a hospital in Los Angeles. The couple decided to name their daughter North. On October 21, 2013, West proposed to Kardashian at the AT&T baseball stadium in San Francisco. Kardashian accepted his proposition.

After an interview that West had with Britain’s BBC in September of 2013, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel made a parody of the scenario, mocking West in the process. In response, West released a tirade of tweets attacking Kimmel. The tweets were deleted shortly after being posted. Kimmel also announced that he spoke to West on the phone afterwards, with West saying that Kimmel’s life would be much better if he apologized. West was later brought on to Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where the two cleared the air about their ongoing feud.

The following May, West and Kardashian married in true celebrity style. The couple held their rehearsal dinner at Versailles, once the home to French royalty, located outside of Paris. On May 24, 2014, the pair moved their celebration to Florence, Italy, for their official ceremony. They exchanged their vows at Forte di Belvedere, a historic fortress, in front of family and friends. Andrea Bocelli sang as Kardashian walked down the aisle and other attendees included designer Rachel Roy and director Steve McQueen.

In 2015, during the 10th season of Kardashian’s reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, she documented her and West’s desire to get pregnant again, and her struggles with fertility issues. In May of that year, Kardashian revealed in a teaser for her reality show that she is pregnant with her and West’s second child. The couple welcomed a son in December 2015.

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In recent years, Kanye West has released wave after wave of new music. He debuted the record My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010, which included such collaborators as Nicki Minaj and Kid Cudi. The following year, West teamed up with Jay-Z for the top-selling album Watch the Throne.

West seemed to go all out to promote his most recent effort Yeezus in 2013. He debuted the songs “New Slaves” and “Black Skinhead” on Saturday Night Live and performed at that year’s Met Gala in New York as well. West even had a video of himself performing “New Slaves” projected on the walls of 66 buildings in 10 cities. This song, however, has stirred up some controversy with its explicit lyrics and examples of modern-day slavery. West critiques the country’s criminal justice system as well as compares being a celebrity to being a slave.

On February 11 2016, Kanye West released his seventh studio album: The Life Of Pablo.

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Discography

Movies

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town Ohio mans moves to Brooklyn, New York, to thr...

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A Man Named Scott

A Man Named Scott

In 2009, Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi released his debut LP, Man on the Moon: The End of Day. A genre-bending album that broke barriers by fea...

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John Legend - Live at the House of Blues

John Legend - Live at the House of Blues

John Legend brings his old-school soul sound to the stage with this concert recorded at Hollywood's House of Blues in August 2005, deliverin...

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Live 8

Live 8

On 2 July 2005 an estimated 3 billion people came together in the fight against extreme poverty. LIVE 8 - 10 concerts featuring over 1000 mu...

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Watch the Throne

Watch the Throne

A 10-minute long mini documentary showing the Watch the Throne sessions. Contains snippets of songs such as "Lift Off" and "Why I Love You"....

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Kanye With Special Guest Drake - Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert

Kanye With Special Guest Drake - Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert

Watch music and cultural icon, Kanye, in his first headlining show in five years, with special guest Drake, live from the Los Angeles Memori...

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You're Watching Video Music Box

You're Watching Video Music Box

The untold story of the world’s longest running video show, Video Music Box. A hip hop mainstay since 1983, VMB gave a platform to artists...

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Runaway

Runaway

A man falls in love with a half-woman/half-phoenix who fell to Earth from the sky....

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Beyoncé: I Am... World Tour

Beyoncé: I Am... World Tour

108 shows, 78 cities, 32 countries, 6 continents, 1.1 million fans. Beyoncé’s I Am... World Tour captures concert footage from numerous s...

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Fade to Black

Fade to Black

An intimate look at hip-hop artist Shawn Carter, Jay-Z, revealing the multiple Grammy Award winning artist as never before, from his backgro...

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Kanye West: Late Orchestration

Kanye West: Late Orchestration

Rapper Kanye West is backed by an all-female orchestra on this recording, which was shot at the legendary Abbey Road studios. Kanye includes...

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Bling: A Planet Rock

Bling: A Planet Rock

Bling is a documentary film which focuses on the complex relationship between “blood” diamonds, conflict, the influence of Hip-Hop music...

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Virgil Abloh: How To Be Both

Virgil Abloh: How To Be Both

Film exploring the life of legendary designer Virgil Abloh. It tracks his spectacular ascent from Kanye West’s right-hand man to his role ...

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Mixtape, Inc.

Mixtape, Inc.

Featuring Kanye West, Chuck D., Gnarls Barkley and many other red-hot hip-hoppers, director Walter Bell's documentary takes you behind the s...

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Kanye West: DONDA Experience Performance 2 22 22

Kanye West: DONDA Experience Performance 2 22 22

The Donda 2 Performance Experience takes place in Miami, FL at the Loandepot Park with performances by additional special guests. Kanye perf...

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The Trouble with KanYe

The Trouble with KanYe

Award-winning journalist Mobeen Azhar investigates music’s most troubling story. How did Kanye West go from one of America’s most celebr...

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We Were Once a Fairytale

We Were Once a Fairytale

We Were Once a Fairytale is a 2009 short film directed by Spike Jonze. It stars hip hop musician Kanye West....

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Kanye West: Coachella 2011

Kanye West: Coachella 2011

Kanye West performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 17, 2011 in Indio, California....

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Cruel Summer

Cruel Summer

A car thief (Kid Cudi) falls in love with a blind Arabian princess whose father allows them to marry under the terms he can help her see....

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A Concert for Hurricane Relief

A Concert for Hurricane Relief

A Hurricane Katrina relief concert. After Louisiana was destroyed by Katrina, famous stars all came together and put on this concert, which ...

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Bad 25

Bad 25

Spike Lee pays tribute to Michael Jackson's Bad on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the epochal album, offering behind-the-scenes footage of ...

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Travis Scott: Circus Maximus - Live in Rome

Travis Scott: Circus Maximus - Live in Rome

Travis Scott's first ever live performance of his fourth studio album, Utopia....

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Kanye West - Live at Glastonbury

Kanye West - Live at Glastonbury

The Main Stage features the Kanye West show at the Glastonbury 2015 festival. The performance marks the debut of the controversial rapper fo...

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Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit 2007

Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit 2007

Seven Brazilian models grace the beaches of Brazil, four knockouts dance to Reggae in Jamaica, Oluchi and Tori get the blues in Memphis. The...

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Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit 2007 TV Special

Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit 2007 TV Special

The 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit show takes you around the world to where music comes alive. Even body painting has a music theme with i...

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Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversary Special

Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversary Special

Former members of Saturday Night Live come together to remember the past 40 years of Saturday Night Live....

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Made in America

Made in America

Hip-hop artist Jay-Z organizes the "Budweiser Made In America" music festival....

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David Blaine: Real or Magic

David Blaine: Real or Magic

David Blaine's signature brand of street magic mystifies the most recognisable celebrities in the world, such as Jamie Foxx, Bryan Cranston,...

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500 Days in UCLA (Cut Footage Documentary)

500 Days in UCLA (Cut Footage Documentary)

Additional/cut footage from the leaked Kanye West documentary titled "500 Days in UCLA", directed by Nico Ballesteros. Includes a lengthy "p...

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With Child

With Child

The official visual album film for the 2020 version of Kanye West’s album DONDA...

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Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records

Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records

Under the direction of founder and world-renowned DJ Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw Records has consistently released critically acclaimed...

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Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

With the 70s behind him, San Diego's top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy, returns to take New York's first 24-hour news channel by storm....

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Beat Kings

Beat Kings

The "Beat Kings" is the first documentary exploring the original architects of hip hop; "The Producers". For over three decades, beat makers...

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Paparazzi: Full Throttle LA

Paparazzi: Full Throttle LA

Paparazzi: Full Throttle L.A. is a 1 hour documentary film that follows the journey of LA's most infamous paparazzo "Dano" as he reports Hol...

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Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wh...

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Uncle Tom

Uncle Tom

In this collection of interviews with some of America's most conservative black pundits, white director Justin Malone presents his vision of...

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Unity

Unity

Despite the advent of science, literature, technology, philosophy, religion, and so on -- none of these has assuaged humankind from killing ...

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Last Week

Last Week

A short documentary film by Ye featuring a series of vignettes: A video game-esqe scene of a hooded masked figure completing tasks in Shibuy...

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The Love Guru

The Love Guru

Born in America and raised in an Indian ashram, Pitka returns to his native land to seek his fortune as a spiritualist and self-help expert....

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Kanye West: Glastonbury 2015

Kanye West: Glastonbury 2015

Kanye West performs on The Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 27th, 2015 in Glastonbury, England....

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Daft Punk Unchained

Daft Punk Unchained

Daft Punk Unchained is the first film about the pop culture phenomenon that is Daft Punk, the duo with 12 million albums sold worldwide and ...

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Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Recorded on September 25th, 2015, Kanye West delivers a live rendition of his 2008 album "808s & Heartbreak" at the Hollywood Bowl in Los An...

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If These Walls Could Sing

If These Walls Could Sing

The untold story of the Abbey Road studio, all-star interviews and intimate access to the premises....

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Fresh Dressed

Fresh Dressed

The history of Hip-Hop / Urban fashion and its rise from southern cotton plantations to the gangs of 1970s in the South Bronx, to corporate ...

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Cherry Bomb: The Documentary

Cherry Bomb: The Documentary

Illegal Civ Cinema made a documentary about the making of Tyler's latest album, Cherry Bomb....

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Shooting Star(s): The Rise of Hip Hop Photographer Johnny Nunez

Shooting Star(s): The Rise of Hip Hop Photographer Johnny Nunez

In this revealing biographical portrait, filmmakers Axel Ebermann and Daniel Frei document the rags-to-riches story of photographer Johnny N...

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The Black Mamba

The Black Mamba

Nike's Black Mamba film, starring Kobe Bryant, made its debut at the NBA All Star Weekend. The almost six-minute film, directed by action di...

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Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

A collection of music videos and behind the scenes footage released to promote Kanye West's upcoming debut album, College Dropout. The compi...

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State Property 2

State Property 2

Three gangsters vie for control of the streets of Philadelphia....

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To Our Daughter

To Our Daughter

Kylie Jenner documents her pregnancy and birth of her daughter....

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Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly

Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly

While crafting his Grammy-nominated album "Astroworld," Travis Scott juggles controversy, fatherhood and career highs in this intimate docum...

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Jesus Is King

Jesus Is King

Filmed during summer 2019, Jesus Is King brings Kanye West’s famed Sunday Service to life in the Roden Crater, visionary artist James Turr...

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Kanye West: VH1 Storytellers

Kanye West: VH1 Storytellers

Fresh off the release of Kanye's fourth #1 album, 808s & Heartbreak, VH1 and Mr. West collaborated for a special concert as part of the crit...

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Life Is But a Dream

Life Is But a Dream

Life Is But a Dream is a HBO documentary about the life of US singer Beyoncé Knowles during the years 2011 and 2012 and on the recording of...

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Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize

Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize

An outstanding lineup of entertainers gathers in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to salute Dave Chappelle, recipient of the 22nd annual Mark...

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Music Videos That Defined the 00’s

Music Videos That Defined the 00’s

...

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Concert for Diana

Concert for Diana

Live broadcast of the concert at Wembley Stadium in London on July 1st 2007 to commemorate the life of Princess Diana on what would have bee...

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Colette, Mon Amour

Colette, Mon Amour

2017. Rue Saint Honoré, Paris. Colette, the concept store that has revolutionized trends and pop culture for 20 years, is closing. At the p...

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ANGELZ

ANGELZ

A Kanye West film. Visual album for his then-upcoming album DONDA. Presumed to be scrapped due to Kanye changing the album's direction in la...

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12-12-12 | The Concert for Sandy Relief

12-12-12 | The Concert for Sandy Relief

“12-12-12” was a fundraising concert to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy, it took place on December 12, 2012 at Madison Square Garden....

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Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert

Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert

The Coachella concert series is examined through the lens of rare footage, interviews, and performances from some of the most famous perform...

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Mademoiselle C

Mademoiselle C

A documentary focused on former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief and fashion stylist Carine Roitfeld....

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The Cody Project

The Cody Project

Incomplete work-in-progress cut of a documentary chronicling the production of Dame Dash's With Child movie as well as Kanye West's Donda al...

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Kanye West: A Higher Power

Kanye West: A Higher Power

Kanye West is one of the most recognisable rappers of the 21st Century. This documentary, overseen by industry king George Back, explores th...

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AWGE DVD: Volume 3

AWGE DVD: Volume 3

Third installment of the documentary like series from the A$AP Rocky founded creative agency AWGE...

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Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 Event

Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 Event

The premiere of Yeezy Season 3 and stream of his new album, The Life of Pablo....

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Kanye West - Sunday Service At The Mountain

Kanye West - Sunday Service At The Mountain

The first public Sunday Service performance at Coachella for Easter on April 21, 2019....

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Very Ralph

Very Ralph

The first documentary portrait of fashion icon Ralph Lauren, reveals the man behind the icon and the creation of one of the most successful ...

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DONDA Visual Album

DONDA Visual Album

Visual Album for DONDA directed by Vanessa Beecroft. Exported in August 2020....

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LOML

LOML

An homage to Jafa's friend and collaborator Greg Tate upon his death....

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We Are the World 25 For Haiti

We Are the World 25 For Haiti

In late 2009, it was suggested to writer Lionel Richie and producer Quincy Jones that a re-cut version of "We Are the World" be re-released ...

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YE TY$ KOREA

YE TY$ KOREA

In August 2024, global hip-hop artist Kanye West (now known as Ye) returned to Korea for the first time in 14 years, delivering a performanc...

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Runaway

Runaway

A man falls in love with a half-woman/half-phoenix who fell to Earth from the sky....

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Runaway

Runaway

A man falls in love with a half-woman/half-phoenix who fell to Earth from the sky....

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Cruel Summer

Cruel Summer

A car thief (Kid Cudi) falls in love with a blind Arabian princess whose father allows them to marry under the terms he can help her see....

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Cruel Summer

Cruel Summer

A car thief (Kid Cudi) falls in love with a blind Arabian princess whose father allows them to marry under the terms he can help her see....

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Tower Heist

Tower Heist

A luxury condo manager leads a staff of workers to seek payback on the Wall Street swindler who defrauded them. With only days until the bil...

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With Child

With Child

The official visual album film for the 2020 version of Kanye West’s album DONDA...

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With Child

With Child

The official visual album film for the 2020 version of Kanye West’s album DONDA...

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Top Five

Top Five

Though he began in stand-up comedy, Andre Allen hit the big-time as the star of a trilogy of action-comedies about a talking bear but now he...

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ANGELZ

ANGELZ

A Kanye West film. Visual album for his then-upcoming album DONDA. Presumed to be scrapped due to Kanye changing the album's direction in la...

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Janet Jackson: From Janet. To Damita Jo: The Videos

Janet Jackson: From Janet. To Damita Jo: The Videos

The anthology contains music videos from her first four studio albums released on Virgin Records....

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Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Recorded on September 25th, 2015, Kanye West delivers a live rendition of his 2008 album "808s & Heartbreak" at the Hollywood Bowl in Los An...

More info

We Were Once a Fairytale

We Were Once a Fairytale

We Were Once a Fairytale is a 2009 short film directed by Spike Jonze. It stars hip hop musician Kanye West....

More info

Watch the Throne

Watch the Throne

A 10-minute long mini documentary showing the Watch the Throne sessions. Contains snippets of songs such as "Lift Off" and "Why I Love You"....

More info

Love Is the Message, the Message Is Death

Love Is the Message, the Message Is Death

A reflection on Jafa's desire to craft a "black cinema" that is responsive to the "existential, political, and spiritual dimensions" of Blac...

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Honor Up

Honor Up

The film -- executive produced by rapper Kanye West -- follows character OG, played by Damon Dash, in a saga that flips between his dedicati...

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Kanye West: Late Orchestration

Kanye West: Late Orchestration

Rapper Kanye West is backed by an all-female orchestra on this recording, which was shot at the legendary Abbey Road studios. Kanye includes...

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I Thought About Killing You

I Thought About Killing You

A film about trauma and how it never ends....

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Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

A collection of music videos and behind the scenes footage released to promote Kanye West's upcoming debut album, College Dropout. The compi...

More info

Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

A collection of music videos and behind the scenes footage released to promote Kanye West's upcoming debut album, College Dropout. The compi...

More info

Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

A collection of music videos and behind the scenes footage released to promote Kanye West's upcoming debut album, College Dropout. The compi...

More info

Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

Kanye West: College Dropout [Video Anthology]

A collection of music videos and behind the scenes footage released to promote Kanye West's upcoming debut album, College Dropout. The compi...

More info

Runaway

Runaway

A man falls in love with a half-woman/half-phoenix who fell to Earth from the sky....

More info

Cruel Summer

Cruel Summer

A car thief (Kid Cudi) falls in love with a blind Arabian princess whose father allows them to marry under the terms he can help her see....

More info

Cruel Summer

Cruel Summer

A car thief (Kid Cudi) falls in love with a blind Arabian princess whose father allows them to marry under the terms he can help her see....

More info

Jesus Is King

Jesus Is King

Filmed during summer 2019, Jesus Is King brings Kanye West’s famed Sunday Service to life in the Roden Crater, visionary artist James Turr...

More info

Kanye West: VH1 Storytellers

Kanye West: VH1 Storytellers

Fresh off the release of Kanye's fourth #1 album, 808s & Heartbreak, VH1 and Mr. West collaborated for a special concert as part of the crit...

More info

Jesus Is King

Jesus Is King

Filmed during summer 2019, Jesus Is King brings Kanye West’s famed Sunday Service to life in the Roden Crater, visionary artist James Turr...

More info

Stoned

Stoned

A Dame Dash film....

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