Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a Grammy award winning rapper, producer, author, designer and singer. He began making beats and rapping in the early 90s in Chicago, IL, United States when he formed the rap group GO GETTERS with Chicago natives GLC and Really Doe. He later gained nationwide popularity in New York when he began producing tracks for artists such as Jay-Z, Twista, Mase, Talib Kweli and Alicia Keys.