Hear Every Guest Verse Kanye West Has Done Since 1996

20 years before he was a platinum-selling rap mogul and culture clasher, Kanye West was a young producer just trying to get his flows off. The site Wakelet allows fans to relive Ye's humble beginnings by arranging the rapper's earliest guest features. The site has compiled Kanye West's guest appearances from 1996 to 2003, the years before he shot to rap stardom or was even a notable name in the beat making game.

Kanye's backpack rapper days are on full display here as he spits on cuts for Jagged Edge, Consequence, Talib Kweli and Grav. The standout of the compilation is arguably Yeezy's bars on Abstract Mindstate's "Welcome 2 Chicago."

Since these fledging rap days, Kanye managed to parlay his connects in the industry into working with legends like Jay Z and Paul McCartney, effectively becoming one himself. Now at 39 years old, Ye's empire and influence is so strong in the music world that a co-sign from the Chicago export guarantees young artists at least a shot at the big leagues. This collection of obscure tracks is a dope reminder of just how far he's come.

In the midst of touring his certified platinum 2016 album, The Life of Pablo, West had a minor family crisis, causing him to abruptly end his show at The Meadows Festival in Queens, N.Y. A week after his wife Kim Kardashian West was robbed at gunpoint in Paris, Kanye was spotted heading to the studio for the first time.

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