Kanye West Tickets

Kanye West is traveling on the Glow in the Dark tour this summer with Rihanna, N*E*R*D and Lupe Fiasco, among other big names in hip hop. This is his large-scale tour since dropping "Graduation" in the fall of 2007.


West is known for his temper tantrums, but he is also known for writing and producing some of the most popular hip-hop tracks of the past decade including a number of singles with innovative techniques like "Stronger" and "Gold Digger."

West was raised in Chicago in an upper middle class setting. He attended Chicago State University but dropped out due to poor grades, which was chronicled in his first album. West gained popularity as a producer, working with artists such as Talib Kweli, Alicia Keys, John Legend and Jermaine Dupri, among others.

West became a household name with his work on Jay-Zs "The Blueprint," which included the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A)." The wannabe rapper struggled to prove his rhyming abilities, as he didnt have the street image necessary in hip hop culture.

Eventually he was singed with Jay-Zs label and released "The College Dropout" in 2004. The album was a critical and commercial success, and set the standard for his sampling and wordplay. The Album included the massive hits "Jesus Walks" "All Falls Down," "The New Workout Plan" and "Slow Jamz" with Twista.

The turnover was quick - in 2005, West released another critical darling with "Late Registration." The album, which was starting to showcase Wests ego above most other things, including the hits "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" and "Gold Digger." When Grammy Awards were dolled out in 2006, West was vocal about his disappointment after losing the "Album of the Year" honor, and his comments were widely reported.

In 2007, West released his third album, "Graduation." The album was critically acclaimed and included the hits "Stronger," "Good Life" and "Flashing Lights." The album cleaned up at the Grammy Awards, earning wins for "Best Rap Album," "Best Rap Solo Performance" for "Stronger," "Best Rap Song" for "Good Life" and "Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group" for "Southside" with Common.

The past year has been difficult for the rapper, who lost his mother after complications related to plastic surgery in November. He is throwing himself into his work, though, and has planned the most popular hip hop tour of the season.