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The Evolution of Kanye West - Grab a drink, grab a glass. It's June 8 — and in case you didn't know, that's Kanye West's birthday! His 36th, to be exact. And though it's not like his ego needs the boost, it's the perfect time to look back at his amazing journey from underdog to top of the food chain. Click on to follow the evolution of Kanye West. —Alex Gale (Photo: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson /Landov)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Kanye Omari West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, but moved to Chicago when he was three years old. And you say, Chi-City?(Photo: Vibe.com)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - After dropping out of college to pursue his music career, Kanye found some big-time mentors, crafting beats under the watchful eye of fellow Windy City boardsman No I.D. and ghost-producing for Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie.(Photos from left: Courtesy XXLMag.com, Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - After landing credits with Foxy Brown and Jermaine Dupri, Kanye broke into the Roc-A-Fella camp by producing "The Truth" for Beanie Sigel in 2000. (Photos from left: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic, Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Kanye became one of the most sought-after producers after he crafted several standouts on Jay-Z's 2001 classic The Blueprint. His use of sped-up soul samples turned hip hop production on its ear.(Photo: Courtesy Roc-A-Fella Records)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy Roc-A-Fella Records

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Ludacris, Alicia Keys, Cam'ron and Talib Kweli are just some of the greats that had hits thanks to Yeezy's trademark chipmunk soul in the wake of his classic work with Hov.  (Photos from left: Billy Farrell/BFAnyc/Sipa USA, Neilson Barnard/Getty Images, Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - In 2002, Kanye was involved in a near-fatal car crash and had to have his jaw wired shut. Soon after — with his jaw still mostly immobilized — he was in the studio recording "Through the Wire," his unforgettable 2004 debut single about the incident. (Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Kanye made his official debut on the mic with a verse on "The Bounce," from Jay-Z's 2003 double album, The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse.  (Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - After dropping a handful of acclaimed mixtapes, Kanye finally dropped his debut album, The College Dropout, in 2004. Packed with hits including the groundbreaking "Jesus Walks" and Kanye's first No. 1, "Slow Jamz," the album sold over 3 million copies and won a Grammy for Best Rap Album. (Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Records)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Soon after becoming a star in his own right, Yeezy also became a record exec. In 2004, his G.O.O.D. Music imprint launched the career of superstar singer John Legend. A year later, the label resurrected the flagging fortunes of Common by releasing the classic, Kanye-produced Be.  (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Kanye went big on his sophomore album, the 2005 classic Late Registration. Working with acclaimed pop-rock producer Jon Brion, Kanye expanded past his chipmunk soul signature sound with lusher live instrumentation and epic bridges, crescendos and breakdowns. Behind hits like "Gold Digger" and "Touch the Sky," the album was Kanye's first to hit No. 1.    (Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Records)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Even back then, Yeezy was already known for his outspoken rants in his interviews and onstage and for veering off script at award shows. But no one expected Kanye to speak out like he did at a telethon benefitting victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, just days after Late Registration dropped. But Kanye summed up the feelings of many appalled Americans when he said, "George Bush doesn't care about Black people" on the air. (Photo: Courtesy NBC)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Kanye dropped another amazing album in 2007 with Graduation, selling nearly a million copies in a week. The album featured an evolving Kanye incorporating extensive synthesizer work and electronica into his music for the first time.  (Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Records)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - In late 2007, Kanye's mother and manager, Donda West, died of complications from cosmetic surgery. The tragedy deeply affected Kanye, who co-founded his Kanye West Foundation with his mother and often praised her in his music. (Photo: MJ Kim/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Reeling after the death of his mother and his split from fiancée Alexis Phifer, Kanye camped in Hawaii to record his fourth album, 808s and Heartbreak. The album was a huge left turn for Kanye, veering toward electronica and techno, and featuring mostly Auto-Tuned singing. Fans and critics were torn, but the album was hugely influential (we're looking at you, Drake). (Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Records)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - In 2008, Yeezy introduced the world to bald, blonde beauty Amber Rose, his girlfriend at the time. Though they split in 2010 — and she's now engaged to Wiz Khalifa — Yeezy and Rose made a huge splash. (Photo: Rob Loud/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Kanye had even President Obama calling him a "jackass" when he infamously interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video at the 2009 MTV Awards to let the world know — correctly, in our opinion — that Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" was much more deserving.   (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - After an avalanche of criticism in the wake of Taylorgate, Kanye holed up in Hawaii yet again. In 2010, he emerged with another masterpiece, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.  (Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Records)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Kanye has had an even more strained relationship with the press ever since this interview with Matt Lauer of the Today show in 2010. Kanye criticized the show for playing footage of the Taylor Swift incident, and later tweeted that he felt "tortured," "misunderstood" and "alone."(Photo: Courtesy NBC)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - Kanye made headlines in 2012 with the leaked song "Way Too Cold." The song says he fell in love with Kim Kardashian around the same time she was involved with ex-husband Kris Humphries. Sure enough, days after the song leaked, Kimye were spotted together all over by paparazzi. The two are now expecting a baby girl. (Photo: WENN.com)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - 'Ye released G.O.O.D. Music's first compilation album, Cruel Summer, in September 2012. It spawned four singles, including "Mercy" and "Clique," and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts, selling more than 200,000 it's first week. It also took the Top 10 in the U.K., Canada, Australia and Switzerland.  (Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Kanye West - At age 36, Kanye is one of the biggest rappers on the planet, and he dominated the hype machine yet again this year with the global-guerilla roll-out of his forthcoming Yeezus, his sixth studio album. The album's lead single "New Slaves" was debuted via projections on the sides of buildings in more than 66 cities around the world.(Photo by: Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)