The Dorchester Hotel, London, 2003
As press conferences go, it was certainly memorable. For many of the assembled British press, it was their first introduction to Kanye Omari West.
Invited to attend with hip-hop mega star Damon Dash, most of the hacks were on hand to ask Dash about working with Victoria Beckham on her ill-fated solo album. They paid little attention to the puffy-cheeked man next to Dash, dressed in a peach Polo and brown aviator.
Finally, a question was put to West: would he be producing for Dash's UK signed group, SAS, who had failed to turn up for the press call?
"I was thinking, y'all weren't taking this opportunity to speak to me? I'm like the number one producer in America right now. How many people actually
listen to music? Okay. Now if anybody listens to music and you hear the name 'Kanye West' there's no way you'd let him sit here this long without asking a question. Right now, in America, I own half of the Top 10 -
Slow Jam (Twista Ft. Jamie Foxx and Kanye), (Alicia Keys)
You Don't Know My Name,
Encore (Jay-Z
) and
Through The Wire. I am what music will be for the next four years. At least," he said.
And, just like that, Damon was promptly forgotten. West spoke for over 10 minutes to the increasingly bemused faces of the Daily Mail et al. We might not have realised then, but West was setting a precedent; from the Mike Myers side-eye-giving "George Bush hates black people" to the stage invasion of "Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you and I'm a let you finish…", West has never been one to hold his tongue.
Initially, he concentrated on composing. As well as his own six solo albums, he's created for the likes of his 'big brother' Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Drake, Rick Ross T.I., Ludacris and Lil Wayne. "I call it spirit music," Kanye told me in an interview for i-D magazine back then, and the same could be said of the sounds he creates today. He started with the sped-up soul samples, flirted with Shirley Bassey then 808's, lost his mother, found and discarded the Vocoder and is now known, most simply, for massive, huge, hits.
Not only has he challenged the musical status quo, West also ushered in a new look for hip-hop. Sure, Pharrell had been bathed in BAPE long before, but Kanye took pastel polo shirts and skinny jeans to the masses. "I won't be pigeonholed," West insisted when I interviewed him shortly after the press conference. "I like tennis shoes and dress shoes – you telling me I gotta wear one for the rest of my life?"
He may have initially been mocked as looking 'gay' but he couldn't care less. An early supporter of gay rights, no mean feat in the homophobic arena of rap, it wasn't long before boys from Essex to Edinburgh could be seen in tight jeans and slatted sunglasses. When he released the Air Yeezy, a trainer collaboration with Nike, there were overnight queues as fanboys patiently waited to get their pair. Pretty incredible when you consider that when he was first written about, his name was always followed with a '(Pronounced Khan-Yay)'.
"I feel like I'll be a major influence but God is the saviour; I'm the ambassador of hip hop," were his last words to me that day. "I will be to producer-stroke-rappers what Eminem was to white rappers. Even if I wasn't me I'd be so happy to have a 'me'. Sometimes I wish I wasn't me just so I could enjoy myself more," he grinned, reveling in his own audacity. "I actually like to see my most asshole statements in black and white. But it's not arrogant whatsoever - it's straight confidence."
His audacious statements have polarised popular opinion, yet most have to agree that Kanye West is one of the most creative figures working in contemporary culture. Whether writing about his favourite architect, giving away free music every Friday via Twitter, popping to Prague to direct his debut film or cleaning out Kim's closet on camera, the 35 year-old rapper, producer, writer, fashion designer and budding director is always – ALWAYS – interesting, innovative and inventive. Pushing the boundaries of pop music, tearing apart the Hip Hop rulebook, aggravating authority but always – ALWAYS - fighting the cause of culture.
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Kanye at the Artist Empowerment Coalition Grammy Sunday Brunch February 2003 in NYC.
Here Kanye sports a look typical of an aspiring hip-hop music mogul in baggy low jeans, white trainers, hat, oversized tee and bomber jacket. The bomber is Ralph Lauren Polo and marks the beginning of Kanye’s dedicated preppy period.
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Kanye West at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2004
Nearly a year to the day, Kanye again attended the Grammys, but this time decked out in a dusky pink blazer, chinos, white collar blue shirt and blue tie. He was accompanied by his mascot ‘Dropout Bear’, the motif for his just released debut album ‘College Dropout’.
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Kanye West and Drop-Out Bear at MTV's TRL in February 2004
Two days later Kanye attended the MTV TRL studios in Times Square. The Kanye of this ‘style era’ was defined by his devotion to two designer labels; Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton. In his song Last Call, West refers to himself as the "Louis Vuitton Don". Accordingly, he wore a monogrammed backpack in most of his live performances and music videos, as seen here. Under the LV bag was usually Ralph Lauren, recognizably with popped-collar Polo shirts and anything emblazoned with the ‘Polo Bear’.
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Kanye West Live in Concert in May 2004
Again the rapper can be seen with the bear emblazoned on his clothes. The black hoodie is accessorized with gold chains, rings and a Rolex. Swagalicious.
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Kanye West during the MTV EMAs 2004 in Rome, Italy
Affirming his devotion to the preppy style, at the 2004 EMAs Kanye wore a pink and brown Argyle jumper, brown shirt, baby pink chinos and white trainers accessorized with medallions.
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Kanye during 3rd Annual Artist Empowerment Coalition Pre-GRAMMY Brunch in Feb 2005
Once again Kanye poses in pink with a pink polo neck, velvet blazer and tinted shades for this retro look, as he completes his second album ‘Late Registration’.
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Kanye West performs Jesus Walks at the Grammy Awards 2005
Arguably one of Kanye's most memorable performances, the rapper was joined on stage by Mavis Staples, John Legend and the Blind Boys of Alabama. West took us to Sunday service, then died in the arms of a silhouetted woman and attended his own funeral before ascending to heaven in a white suit with enormous angel wings. How do you top that? Only Kanye can. Moments later, his College Dropout won Best Rap Album, with West delivering a remarkably self-assured acceptance speech culminating with, "A lot of people were wondering what I was going to do if I didn't win anything tonight ... I guess we'll never know." That night he scooped 3 Grammys.
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Kanye West performs at the Concert for Diana at Wembley in July 2007
At the concert commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, Kanye West wore a cream suit, red tie and Alain Mikli sunglasses to perform a medley of his biggest hits including Diamonds Are Forever and new Daft Punk sampled single Stronger. During his electro experimentation period, West mixed up street-wear brands like Bathing Ape with luxury labels like Dior. The Alain Mikli shutter shades he always wore during this time featured first in the groundbreaking Stronger video, spawning a million imitations.
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Kanye West performs on stage at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in September
During the promo tour for My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy, West put on a series of shows in eye-catching ensembles, most notably at 2010's MTV VMAs, where he performed a poignant version of Runaway in a head-to-toe infrared suit and matching Louis Vuitton sneakers. In 2010 Yeezy collaborated with Louis Vuitton, designing his own Don sneakers (which he's wearing here), and also took on an internship with Fendi in Rome.
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Kanye West performs at Coachella 2011
Characteristic of his attraction to controversy, West performed at the California music festival in a women’s blouse from Parisian label Celine. Some sneered and made juvenile "cross-dresser" jeers, but the fashion cognoscenti understood the brilliance of this sartorial decision. Not only did he pull off the look with aplomb but it also cemented his status as a fashion frontrunner. Besides West had already lyrically immortalised Celine’s Phoebe Philo in his song Dark Fantasy and presented her with a CFDA award.
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Kanye West attends the Louis Vuitton Menswear SS12 show in Paris
Having debuted his own womenswear collection in October 2011 Kanye rocked up to the front row of the Louis Vuitton SS12 menswear in a t-shirt and leather trousers. Though some hoped that he might wear the eagerly awaited Nike Air Yeezy 2 trainers for his next public outing, West instead showed his allegiance to the French fashion house by wearing Louis Vuitton Patchwork Dons from his 2009 collaboration.
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Kanye West performs at the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
November 2011 was a major fashion month for Kanye. First he rocked a Givenchy leather skirt at his Madison Square Garden show, then he gave a front row seat to someone for wearing Jeremy Scott x Adidas trainers and following that he went and wore the Versace x H&M bomber for his performance at the Victoria's Secret show with Jigga. He teamed the jacket with leather trousers (again) and his unreleased Air Yeezy 2 trainers. Big look for a BIG performance.
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Kanye West performs on 'Watch The Throne' tour in November 2011
Givenchy designer Ricardo Tisci art directed the Watch the Throne Jay Z and Kanye album, creating an iconography for the album sleeve and tour. Jay and Ye took to the stage in black Tisci designed Givenchy T-shirts with artwork from Watch the Throne across the chest, Givenchy stars along the collar and KW and JZ initials monogrammed on the sleeve. Ball so hard.
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Kanye West attends the Givenchy Menswear AW12 show in Paris January 2012
In between recording upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album in London with Pusha T, Big Sean, Frank Ocean to name a few, Kanye popped into Paris Fashion Week. The rapper, designer and fashion aficionado sat front row at the Givenchy Menswear AW13 show, sporting a beard, black hoodie, leather pants (yes again), layered sweatshirt and gold chains. West enjoyed the show next to friend and former Vogue Paris Editor-in-Chief, Carine Roitfeld.
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Kim Kardashian and Kayne West at the cinema in September 2012
Perhaps inspired by Yeezy's love of leather, Kim wore a leather skirt with her favourite peplum silhouette to join her new beau at the cinema. Yeezy wore his matching leather trousers with a simple grey tee and a mass of gold chains.
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Kanye West outside the Christian Dior SS13 in September
West attended Raf Simons' inaugural Christian Dior show in his now signature-look of head-to-toe black. The rapper smartened with a black blazer and added a pop of colour with his red high top trainers.
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Kanye West at the Maison Martin Margiela & H&M Global launch party in October
Yeezy turned up at the fashion party decked out entirely in Margiela for H&M, wearing a camel, double-breasted overcoat with inverted lapels, white jeans, and white shirt. At the star-studded event Kanye was by far the best dressed, as to be expected from a rapper who makes reference to Margiela in many of his songs.
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