MUMBAI: Controversial, obnoxious, gifted, brash. American pop star Kanye West has been called many names, but he's never been called safe or boring.
A hip-hop producer and songwriter, he has already won six Grammy Awards for just two albums, two years in a row. Star World will air his concert tonight 29 March at 9 pm.
He burst onto the scene as a singer-songwriter a couple of years ago. In this special, he once again approaches old music with new arrangements.
Backed by an all-female 17-piece orchestra in an intimate gig at London's famous Abbey Road studios, he belts out songs from his albums College Dropout and Late Registration, but with a twist. It also features special guest, neo-soul singer/pianist John Legend. Viewers can also check out West's superstar friends in the audience, like Jay-Z & Beyoncé.
Drawing from musical influences as diverse as Franz Ferdinand to classical music, West counts Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, Ludacris, Prodigy, Mariah Carey and Mos Def among his collaborators, whether as a producer or as a songwriter. His own record label, G.O.O.D. (Getting Out Our Dreams) Music has already signed acts like Common and John Legend - both of whom earned Grammy nominations alongside him this year.
He once posed in a crown of thorns as Jesus on the cover of Rolling Stone. He has also been quoted saying, "George Bush doesn't care about black people" on American television in a Hurricane Katrina benefit. He is not afraid to speak out against hip-hop's discrimination against homosexuals, and rant about political correctness.