Kanye Omari West

Producer, Rapper

Gemini

Glow in the Dark Tour and 808s & Heartbreak (2008–present)

Kanye West and designer Alexis Phifer ended their 18-month engagement in 2008. The couple had been dating on and off since 2002, with Kanye eventually proposing in August 2006. According to a friend, the couple's relationship had been straining, significantly influenced by the sheer amount of time and attention West was dedicating to his current concert tour. "Its always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends," Phifer told People.

On April 16, Kanye kicked off the Glow In The Dark Tour in Seattle at the Key Arena. The tour was originally scheduled to end in June in Cincinnati but has been extended into August. Over the course of the tour Kanye will be joined by a varying group of opening acts including Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, N.E.R.D., DJ Craze, and Gnarls Barkley.

On September 7, West debuted a new song "Love Lockdown" at the MTV Video Music Awards. "Love Lockdown", which features no rapping and only singing using an auto-tune device. This song appears on Kanye's fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. The new album was expected to be released on December 16, but West announced on his blog on September 24, 2008, that he had finished the album and would be releasing it sometime in November, earlier than previously scheduled. In early October, West made a surprise appearance at a T.I. concert in Los Angeles, where he stated that 808s & Heartbreak will be released on November 25th, and that the second single is "Heartless". The album was another number one album for Kanye, even though the first week numbers fell well short of Graduation with 450,145 sold.

On November 23, West performed at the American Music Awards ceremony along with Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Leona Lewis, and others. That same night he won two AMA awards, including Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for Graduation and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist.