Kanye West Tour Dates

Bio

When not blowing up the Twittersphere with his caps-lock key, Kanye West is reinventing himself, though one thing remains constant: whatever he does-- it's gonna be good. The in-demand producer and hip-hop heavyweight recently rocked the main-stage at Coachella, generating buzz for his upcoming tour. Kanye West tour dates are currently scheduled internationally throughout Summer, 2011.

The Chicago native grew up in an intellectually stimulating environment, his mother was a professor and English chair at Chicago State University. West himself attended Chicago State University, but soon dropped out due to a burgeoning career in music. By the late '90s, West was producing rap and hip-hop music's hottest tracks and club bangers. His breakout production credit was Jay-Z's 2001 jam "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", which led to more collaborations with Jay-Z, Ludacris, DMX, Monica, and Foxy Brown.

It wasn't long before West wanted to step out of the production panel and into the recording booth. With much reluctance from record execs, West was able to finagle a solo recording deal with Def Jam. On the way to the recording studio in 2002, West was involved in a near fatal car accident that left him hospitalized and severely hurt for several weeks. West drew inspiration from the accident and with the help of a Chaka Khan hook, he crafted his debut single "Through the Wire" which chronicles his experience in the accident. His debut album, "The College Dropout", was released in 2004 and he was immediately heralded as the MC who was going to take hip-hop to the next level, which he certainly has. The album was certified triple platinum and all hesitations of West's rhyming abilities were laid to rest.

After the success of the album, West collaborated with Brandy on her comeback album as well as Alicia Key's sophomore release and ensured hit singles for both of the R&B singers. He released his sophomore album, "Late Registration", in 2005 with the lead off single "Diamonds From the Sierra Leone". The album was a critical and commercial success with Rolling Stone calling the album a "Sweepingly generous, absurdly virtuosic hip-hop classic". The album debuted at #1, selling over 860k copies in its maiden week. West went on to be nominated for eight Grammy awards including Album of the Year, winning for Best Rap Album.

Kanye repeated the success with his third album "Graduation", which sold 437k copies on its first day of release and nearly a million copies in its first week. The album was a huge success and earned West another 8 Grammy nominations at the 50th annual awards ceremony. In 2008, Kanye West concert dates were scheduled on the "Glow in the Dark Tour", which featured Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, and Nas at certain stops. The tour began in April, 2008, consisted of five legs visiting North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia for a total of 61 shows.

West released his fourth album, "808s & Heartbreak" in 2008, which was a departure from his previously upbeat demeanor. The album's initial singles "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless" chronicled heartache and love lost. The album debuted at #1 in 2008 and sold nearly half a million copies in its maiden week. Kanye was quick to return in 2010 with his latest album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Watch the Throne" in 2010. In 2011, Kanye West headlined the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California where his performance was widely publicized in the national media as one of the greatest hip-hop showings of all time. West also announced that he will be releasing a new album in summer, 2011 with the lead single "H.A.M.".

Throughout all the success and controversy, Kanye West has maintained a ninja-like focus towards his recording career. He is undoubtedly one of the best performers, producers, and personas in American pop culture history. Kanye West's 2011 concert schedule includes several international performances throughout Summer, 2011. Use Eventful as your source for Kanye West tour dates and venue information.

Categories: Music | Hip Hop/Rap | Pop