Originally from Chicago, Kanye West's rapid ascension to hip-hop's eliteclass began when he produced a string of hits for Jay-Z's TheBlueprint, including "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Never Change," and "TheTakeover." The rapper has been in high demand ever since, contributingtracks to albums from Scarface, Ludacris, Beanie Sigel, and many others.Influenced by fellow Chi-town native No I.D. (who produced much ofCommon's early material), West's signature style is akin to that of theclassic beat-makers of the early 1990s -- limited synths but heavy on thesoul samples. He popularized the use of sped up vocal loops and sweepingstrings, an approach imitated by countless others. In 2003, it seemed asthough West was everywhere, as he fast became one of hip-hop's mostsweated new artists. Unlike many other producers who step to the mic,Kanye is also an extremely talented emcee who flexes a relaxed but focusedflow that's never short on clever lyrics. After a bad car accident, hereleased two top-notch mix tapes, Get Well Soon and I'mGood, which showcased his beats and rhyme skills and helped to furtherhis reputation. His first solo single, the Chaka Khan-sampling "ThroughThe Wire" on Roc-A-Fella records, found love from mainstream radio rapfans and underground connoisseurs alike, and his heavily anticipateddebut, College Dropout, hit the streets in February 2004. After earning multiplatinum sales, winning several Grammys, and gracing the cover of Time magazine, Kanye dropped his second album Late Registration in late summer 2005, continuing his string of hits with singles like "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" and "Gold Digger."