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KANYE WEST
Wrong Side Of The Tracks
By 2002 Kanye West was itching to make the jump from mixing-desk knob twiddler to stage romping rhyme-spitter. West was a successful producer with several tracks on Jay-Z's hit album, The Blueprint, so the move was a natural one. Or so West thought. But when he got his shot, rapping for Roc-A-Fella Records CEO Damon Dash, something wasn't clicking. Seeing West dressed in a pink Polo shirt and Gucci loafers, Dash believed the producer-cum-rapper's bourgeois style clashed with Roc-A-Fella's street image. "It was obvious," says Dash. "We were not from the same place or cut from the same cloth."
Car Talk
Kanye West nearly died when he fell asleep at the wheel of his Lexus in fall of 2002. Weeks later, with his jaw still wired shut, he recorded the autobiographical "Through the Wire," inspired by Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire." It was on the strength of this song that Roc-A-Fella's Dash finally signed West, resulting in West's Grammy winning debut, The College Dropout. While performing to support the album, West sported the same pink Ralph Lauren cable knits, white YSL pants and lime green Fred Perry argyle sweaters he'd been known for wearing around the Roc-A-Fella camp. West dubbed the look "ghetto-preppy."
The Louis Vuitton Don
The Chicago-bred producer and rapper extraordinaire took on this moniker after the 2004 release of his rare mix CD, "Kon the Louis Vuitton Don." Although occasional West collaborator Pharrell Williams has become the official hip hop face of L.V.—the 33-year-old producer/singer will appear in several ads promoting a line of Louis Vuitton suitcases and luxe bags this fall—West's love affair with the French luxury brand continues unabated. West once rapped that he was the first rapper "with a Benz and a backpack"—these days his bag is as lavish as his car.
Come Up In The Spot Looking Extra Y
Kanye West scored a hat trick at least year's Grammys, netting three statues from a field-leading 10 nominations. And he looked good doing it, decked out in a lavender suit and shirt custom-made by Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati. West's fondness for the Parisian fashion house goes deep; "Half of his wardrobe is YSL," says his stylist Charlene Roxborough.
