Dickipedia: Kanye West

Youth
Like many rappers, West grew up in an upper-class Chicago suburb where his mother was chair of the state university’s English Department. His mother passed on a rich vocabulary that West later put to use when he said, “The way Kathie Lee needed Regis, that’s the way y’all need Jesus.”

“Through the Wire”
In 2002, West was involved in a near-fatal car crash that inspired him to appreciate the frailty of human life and led him to write the only rap song in history to contain a reference to the movie "Vanilla Sky." Despite heavy reliance on a Chaka Khan sample, “Through the Wire” became West’s 2nd Top 20 single.

Style
Over the years, West has crafted a signature style built on clever wordplay and the incorporation of themes into his work that other rappers would deem childish, stupid, or “whack.” These themes include “polo shirts” and “college.”

And also, Jesus
West's Christian faith--apparent in many of his songs, such as "Jesus Walks"-- became particularly pronounced in 2006, with West embracing many of its tenets:

...Reverence – He appeared on the cover of “Rolling Stone” wearing a crown of thorns.
...Piety – In a magazine interview, West said that if the Bible were written today, he would be in it.
...Chastity – The interview was with “Playboy.”

Being a dick about awards
...At the 2009 VMAs, singer Taylor Swift beat out Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Beyonce to win the award for Best Female Video, Kanye West stormed the stage, took her microphone, and said Beyonce had been robbed. "Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!" He screamed about her "Single Ladies" performance. Beyonce, of course, won Video of the Year, and had West waited til the end of the show to freak the hell out he might have seen that.