What was Kanye West's childhood like?

Answer 1

No, Kanye West doesn't have any children...yet. At an Atlantic City concert on December 30, 2012, Kanye announced his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, is pregnant with his child. The due date has not been announced yet, but it is thought the baby will be born sometime in the summer of 2013.

Answer 2

Twenty-seven year-old Kanye West was born in Atlanta as the only child of parents Ray and Donda. His parents divorced when he was three and he moved to Chicago with his mother, although he would grow up spending summers with his dad. Unlike many of his peers in the world of rap music, West’s life wasn’t one steeped in poverty and the resulting lack of opportunity. His father Ray is a pastoral counselor. His mother Donda teaches English and serves as head of the department at Chicago State University. West also inherited a heart for activism as his grandparents were heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement and his father had once been a member of the Black Panthers. Right from the start, it was obvious West had a creative bent. When he was little he wanted to grow up to be a fashion designer. By the time he was in third grade, he had fallen in love with rap music and was starting to do some rapping himself. After discovering Video Games he changed his career aspirations, deciding he wanted to design his own games. When he was 14, he got a music sampler in order to make musical soundtracks for the video games he hoped to one day develop. That same year, he also met a man named Willie Scott. West calls Scott his “stepfather” and says he owes his strong discipline and work ethic—something that has certainly paid off for West in terms of success—to Scott’s influence. Once he discovered how to sample and manipulate music in the process of making his own beats, his video game dream died. He was hooked on making his own music. This became his career goal after a chance encounter with a local Chicago beat producer named NO I.D. who was producing rap artist Common at the time. NO I.D. convinced young Kanye to dig into the rich catalog of old soul and R&B music hits to find samples that he could manipulate and rework. West developed the skill that can be heard clearly in his music today. During his high school years, West continued working hard to create and sell his own beats for $50 to $200 a pop. A good student, he took honors classes and also found time to work at The Gap. He also made some extra money selling Cutco knives to family and friends. His creativity could also be seen in his painting and drawing abilities. In fact, West was so good that he was offered a one-semester scholarship to the American Academy of Art in Chicago. He went reluctantly knowing he was someday going to make it in the world of hip-hop music. He says, “I didn’t believe in school but I didn’t have anything better than that (at the time)” (Rolling Stone, 4/29/04). Eventually, he took advantage of getting a tuition discount at Chicago State—thanks to his mom—and stayed there for a semester and a half before dropping out. All the while he continued to pursue music by taking piano lessons.

Answer 3

Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a successful record manager, and Tina Beyincé, a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles' father is African American and her mother is of Creole (African American, Native American, and French) descent.[5] Knowles was baptized after her mother's maiden name, as a tribute to her mother and to prevent the name from becoming obsolete, since only a few of the Beyincé males carry the name.[5] Her maternal grandparents, Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon, were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles.[5] She is the elder sister of Solange, a singer-songwriter and actress.

Knowles was schooled at St. Mary's Elementary School in Texas, where she enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent in singing was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high-pitched notes.[6] Although a shy girl, as her mother considered her, Knowles' interest in music and performing began unexpectedly after participating in a school talent show. Once she had a moment on the stage, she overcame her shyness and wanted to become a singer and performer.[7] By age seven, Knowles had entered her first talent show, singing John Lennon's "Imagine". She won the contest and was honored with a standing ovation.[8][9] At the same age, Knowles started gaining attention from the press, having been mentioned in the Houston Chronicle as a nominee for the local performing arts award The Sammy.[10]

In the fall of 1990, Knowles enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she would perform onstage with the school's choir.[6] She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston[11] and later went to Alief Elsik High School, located in the Houston neighborhood of Alief.[5][12] Knowles was a soloist in the choir of her church, in St. John's United Methodist Church.[6] She only lasted in the choir for two years, however, because she was preoccupied with her newfound career.[13]

At the age of eight, Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for a girl group.[14] They, along with Knowles' friend Kelly Rowland, were placed into a group that performed rapping and dancing. Originally named Girl's Tyme,[8] they were eventually cut down to six members.[6] With Knowles and Rowland, Girl's Tyme attracted audience nationally. West coast R&B producer, Arne Frager, flew into Houston to see them. He eventually brought them to his studio - The Plant Recording Studios - in Northern California, with Knowles' vocals being featured because Frager thought she had personality and the ability to sing.[6] As part of efforts to sign Girl's Tyme to a major label record deal, Frager's strategy was to debut them in Star Search,[7] the biggest talent show on national TV that time.[6] Girl's Tyme participated in the competition but lost it because the song they performed was not good, Knowles herself admitted.[15][16] Knowles had her first "professional setback" after that defeat, but regained confidence after learning that pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had also the same experience.[6]

To manage the group, Knowles' father (who was at that time a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job.[17] He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training.[7] The move reduced Knowles' family's income by half and her parents separated because of the pressure.[5] Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four,[6] with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993.[14] Rehearsing in Tina's Headliners Salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time;[14] Tina contributed to the cause by designing their costumes, which she continued to do throughout the Destiny's Child era. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later before they could release an album.[5]

I copy that from Wikipedia...

Answer 4

Kanye West's parents divorced when he was three years old, and he and his mother moved to Chicago Illinois.

Answer 5

Polaris High School, Attened Chicago State and Clark Atlanta Universities. He dropped out of the college courses to focus on music.