Kanye West Biography (1977-)

Rapper, record producer and singer. Kanye Omari West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, 1977. His parents divorced when he was three. He was raised on Chicago’s South Side by his mother, an English professor, and spent summers with his father, an award-winning photographer who became a church counselor.

West graduated from Polaris High School and completed one…

Lil Wayne Biography (1982-)

Rapper, songwriter. Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of today’s most talented rappers, Lil Wayne has been creating rhymes since he was a child. He grew up in Hollygrove, one of New Orleans’s poorest neighborhoods.

At the age of eight, Wayne started rapping. He later met brothers Bryan and Slim Williams, the…

Vanilla Ice Biography (1967-)

Rapper, singer, songwriter, athlete, and actor. Born Robert Van Winkle on October 31, 1967 (some sources say 1968), in Miami, Florida. During his meteoric rise to fame in the early 1990s, Vanilla Ice became the first white rapper to top the pop singles chart with his hit, “Ice Ice Baby.” He quickly fell from favor, however, and has spent…

Eminem Biography (1972-)

(born Oct. 17, 1972, St. Joseph, Mo., U.S.) American rapper, record producer, and actor, who was known as one of the most controversial and best-selling artists of the early 21st century.

Mathers had a turbulent childhood, marked by poverty and allegations of abuse. At age 14 he began rapping in clubs in Detroit, Mich., and, when unexcused absences kept him…

Queen Latifah Biography (1970-)

Rapper, record producer, actress. Born Dana Owens, on March 18, 1970, in Newark, New Jersey. The second child of Lance and Rita Owens, she is best known for her social politics as well as her gift for rhyme. When she was eight years old, a Muslim cousin gave her the nickname Latifah, which means delicate and sensitive in Arabic….