rajpurkar/squad huggingface dataset:
Title: Kanye_West

Kanye West began his early production career in the mid-1990s, making beats primarily for burgeoning local artists, eventually developing a style that involved speeding up vocal samples from classic soul records. His first official production credits came at the age of nineteen when he produced eight tracks on Down to Earth, the 1996 debut album of a Chicago rapper named Grav. For a time, West acted as a ghost producer for Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie. Because of his association with D-Dot, West wasn't able to release a solo album, so he formed and became a member and producer of the Go-Getters, a late-1990s Chicago rap group composed of him, GLC, Timmy G, Really Doe, and Arrowstar. His group was managed by John "Monopoly" Johnson, Don Crowley, and Happy Lewis under the management firm Hustle Period. After attending a series of promotional photo shoots and making some radio appearances, The Go-Getters released their first and only studio album World Record Holders in 1999. The album featured other Chicago-based rappers such as Rhymefest, Mikkey Halsted, Miss Criss, and Shayla G. Meanwhile, the production was handled by West, Arrowstar, Boogz, and Brian "All Day" Miller.

Question: Who were the beats Kanye made in the 90's originally intended for?
Answer: local artists

Question: What types of records did Kanye sample in his early career.
Answer: classic soul records

Question: What music group did Kanye join when he couldn't release his solo album?
Answer: Go-Getters

Question: In what time period did Kanye begin producing?
Answer: mid-1990s

Question: When did Kanye West start his production career?
Answer: mid-1990s

Question: For which artist did Kanye West act as a ghost producer? 
Answer: Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie

Question: What late 1990s Chicago rap group was Kanye West a member of?
Answer: Go-Getters

Question: What firm managed Kanye West's rap group? 
Answer: Hustle Period

Question: What year was the first Go-Getters album released? 
Answer: 1999
Title: Kanye_West

West spent much of the late-1990s producing records for a number of well-known artists and music groups. The third song on Foxy Brown's second studio album Chyna Doll was produced by West. Her second effort subsequently became the very first hip-hop album by a female rapper to debut at the top of the U.S. Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release. West produced three of the tracks on Harlem World's first and only album The Movement alongside Jermaine Dupri and the production duo Trackmasters. His songs featured rappers Nas, Drag-On, and R&B singer Carl Thomas. The ninth track from World Party, the last Goodie Mob album to feature the rap group's four founding members prior to their break-up, was co-produced by West with his manager Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie. At the close of the millennium, West ended up producing six songs for Tell 'Em Why U Madd, an album that was released by D-Dot under the alias of The Madd Rapper; a fictional character he created for a skit on The Notorious B.I.G.'s second and final studio album Life After Death. West's songs featured guest appearances from rappers such as Ma$e, Raekwon, and Eminem.

Question: Kanye produced the third song from the second album of what artist?
Answer: Foxy Brown

Question: What rappers were featured in the songs that Kanye produced for Tell 'Em Why U Madd?
Answer: Ma$e, Raekwon, and Eminem.

Question: Which U.S. Billboard 200 chart topper did Kanye West produce a song for?
Answer: Foxy Brown

Question: What was the name of the CD produced by Kanye that was by a made-up character?
Answer: Tell 'Em Why U Madd
Title: Kanye_West

West got his big break in the year 2000, when he began to produce for artists on Roc-A-Fella Records. West came to achieve recognition and is often credited with revitalizing Jay-Z's career with his contributions to the rap mogul's influential 2001 album The Blueprint. The Blueprint is consistently ranked among the greatest hip-hop albums, and the critical and financial success of the album generated substantial interest in West as a producer. Serving as an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, West produced records for other artists from the label, including Beanie Sigel, Freeway, and Cam'ron. He also crafted hit songs for Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and Janet Jackson.

Question: What label did Kanye begin to work for in 2000?
Answer: Roc-A-Fella Records

Question: What album did Kanye receive production credits on in 2001?
Answer: The Blueprint

Question: In what year did Roc-A-Fella make Kanye West known?
Answer: 2000

Question: What was the name of the CD West produced for Jay Z in 2001?
Answer: The Blueprint
Title: Kanye_West

Despite his success as a producer, West's true aspiration was to be a rapper. Though he had developed his rapping long before he began producing, it was often a challenge for West to be accepted as a rapper, and he struggled to attain a record deal. Multiple record companies ignored him because he did not portray the gangsta image prominent in mainstream hip hop at the time. After a series of meetings with Capitol Records, West was ultimately denied an artist deal.

Question: Although Kanye was achieving fame by producing, what did he actually want to be?
Answer: rapper

Question: What label declined to work with Kanye after many meetings?
Answer: Capitol Records

Question: What career was Kanye's ultimate dream?
Answer: rapper

Question: What did Kanye West not have that made record companies turn him down?
Answer: gangsta image

Question: Which record company turned Kanye down after many meetings?
Answer: Capitol Records
Title: Kanye_West

According to Capitol Record's A&R, Joe Weinberger, he was approached by West and almost signed a deal with him, but another person in the company convinced Capitol's president not to. Desperate to keep West from defecting to another label, then-label head Damon Dash reluctantly signed West to Roc-A-Fella Records. Jay-Z later admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that many saw him as a producer first and foremost, and that his background contrasted with that of his labelmates.

Question: Who almost picked up Kanye but was ultimately swayed?
Answer: Joe Weinberger

Question: What label finally (although reluctantly) picked up Kanye?
Answer: Roc-A-Fella

Question: What did Kanye's peers see him as while he tried to pursue his rap career?
Answer: a producer

Question: What man was almost ready to give Kanye a record deal?
Answer: Joe Weinberger

Question: What record company eventually signed Kanye West?
Answer: Roc-A-Fella
Title: Kanye_West

West's breakthrough came a year later on October 23, 2002, when, while driving home from a California recording studio after working late, he fell asleep at the wheel and was involved in a near-fatal car crash. The crash left him with a shattered jaw, which had to be wired shut in reconstructive surgery. The accident inspired West; two weeks after being admitted to the hospital, he recorded a song at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw still wired shut. The composition, "Through The Wire", expressed West's experience after the accident, and helped lay the foundation for his debut album, as according to West "all the better artists have expressed what they were going through". West added that "the album was my medicine", as working on the record distracted him from the pain. "Through The Wire" was first available on West's Get Well Soon... mixtape, released December 2002. At the same time, West announced that he was working on an album called The College Dropout, whose overall theme was to "make your own decisions. Don't let society tell you, 'This is what you have to do.'"

Question: What track did Kanye compose and perform while injured from his accident?
Answer: Through The Wire

Question: What was the name of Kanye's 2002 mixtape that he wrote while in the hospital?
Answer: Get Well Soon...

Question: After dropping his mixtape, Kanye revealed the name of his debut album to be what?
Answer: The College Dropout

Question: What was the date of Kanye's car wreck?
Answer: October 23, 2002

Question: What song did Kanye record about his experience with what happened after the wreck?
Answer: "Through The Wire"

Question: What was the name of the mixtape Kanye released in December of 2002?
Answer: Get Well Soon
Title: Kanye_West

Carrying a Louis Vuitton backpack filled with old disks and demos to the studio and back, West crafted much of his production for his debut album in less than fifteen minutes at a time. He recorded the remainder of the album in Los Angeles while recovering from the car accident. Once he had completed the album, it was leaked months before its release date. However, West decided to use the opportunity to review the album, and The College Dropout was significantly remixed, remastered, and revised before being released. As a result, certain tracks originally destined for the album were subsequently retracted, among them "Keep the Receipt" with Ol' Dirty Bastard and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" with Consequence. West meticulously refined the production, adding string arrangements, gospel choirs, improved drum programming and new verses. West's perfectionism led The College Dropout to have its release postponed three times from its initial date in August 2003.

Question: What happened to Kanye's debut album that caused him to remaster most of it?
Answer: it was leaked

Question: How many times was the release date for Kanye's first album pushed back?
Answer: 3

Question: In what city did West finish recording his first album?
Answer: Los Angeles

Question: How many times was The College Dropout's release put off?
Answer: 3

Question: What was supposed to be the original release date for The College Dropout?
Answer: August 2003
Title: Kanye_West

The College Dropout was eventually issued by Roc-A-Fella in February 2004, shooting to number two on the Billboard 200 as his debut single, "Through the Wire" peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks. "Slow Jamz", his second single featuring Twista and Jamie Foxx, became an even bigger success: it became the three musicians' first number one hit. The College Dropout received near-universal critical acclaim from contemporary music critics, was voted the top album of the year by two major music publications, and has consistently been ranked among the great hip-hop works and debut albums by artists. "Jesus Walks", the album's fourth single, perhaps exposed West to a wider audience; the song's subject matter concerns faith and Christianity. The song nevertheless reached the top 20 of the Billboard pop charts, despite industry executives' predictions that a song containing such blatant declarations of faith would never make it to radio. The College Dropout would eventually be certified triple platinum in the US, and garnered West 10 Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, and Best Rap Album (which it received). During this period, West also founded GOOD Music, a record label and management company that would go on to house affiliate artists and producers, such as No I.D. and John Legend. At the time, the focal point of West's production style was the use of sped-up vocal samples from soul records. However, partly because of the acclaim of The College Dropout, such sampling had been much copied by others; with that overuse, and also because West felt he had become too dependent on the technique, he decided to find a new sound.

Question: What place on the Billboard chart did Kanye's album debut at?
Answer: 2

Question: How many publications voted The College Dropout for album of the year?
Answer: 2

Question: What was the name of the single off the debut album that gave Kanye mainstream attention?
Answer: Jesus Walks

Question: What label did Kanye create following the success of his first album's release?
Answer: GOOD Music

Question: When was The College Dropout finally released?
Answer: February 2004

Question: What song was the second released off of Kanye's The College Dropout album?
Answer: "Slow Jamz"

Question: How many Grammy nominations did The College Dropout receive?
Answer: 10

Question: What was the name of the record label that West founded?
Answer: GOOD Music
Title: Kanye_West

Beginning his second effort that fall, West would invest two million dollars and take over a year to craft his second album. West was significantly inspired by Roseland NYC Live, a 1998 live album by English trip hop group Portishead, produced with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Early in his career, the live album had inspired him to incorporate string arrangements into his hip-hop production. Though West had not been able to afford many live instruments around the time of his debut album, the money from his commercial success enabled him to hire a string orchestra for his second album Late Registration. West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion, who served as the album's co-executive producer for several tracks. Although Brion had no prior experience in creating hip-hop records, he and West found that they could productively work together after their first afternoon in the studio where they discovered that neither confined his musical knowledge and vision to one specific genre. Late Registration sold over 2.3 million units in the United States alone by the end of 2005 and was considered by industry observers as the only successful major album release of the fall season, which had been plagued by steadily declining CD sales.

Question: What kind of ensemble did Kanye hire to work on his second album?
Answer: string orchestra

Question: What composer worked alongside Kanye on the album's production?
Answer: Jon Brion

Question: What was the name of Kanye's second studio album?
Answer: Late Registration

Question: How many copies of Late Registration sold in its first year?
Answer: 2.3 million

Question: What English music group was an inspiration for Kanye West on his second album?
Answer: Portishead

Question: What was the name of West's second album?
Answer: Late Registration

Question: How many copies of Late Registration were sold in the United States?
Answer: 2.3 million
Title: Kanye_West

While West had encountered controversy a year prior when he stormed out of the American Music Awards of 2004 after losing Best New Artist, the rapper's first large-scale controversy came just days following Late Registration's release, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims. In September 2005, NBC broadcast A Concert for Hurricane Relief, and West was a featured speaker. When West was presenting alongside actor Mike Myers, he deviated from the prepared script. Myers spoke next and continued to read the script. Once it was West's turn to speak again, he said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." West's comment reached much of the United States, leading to mixed reactions; President Bush would later call it one of the most "disgusting moments" of his presidency. West raised further controversy in January 2006 when he posed on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing a crown of thorns.

Question: The loss of which award caused Kanye to leave the American Music Awards?
Answer: Best New Artist

Question: Kanye participated alongside Mike Meyers in a relief benefit show for what natural disaster?
Answer: Hurricane Katrina

Question: What magazine did Kanye don a thorn crown for the cover of in 2006?
Answer: Rolling Stone

Question: In which AMA category did Kanye lose in 2004?
Answer: Best New Artist

Question: Which actor was alongside Kanye West when he insulted President Bush?
Answer: Mike Myers

Question: What magazine did Kanye West pose for in 2006 that caused another controversy?
Answer: Rolling Stone

Question: What broadcast for NBC was Kanye presenting for when he spoke negatively about President Bush?
Answer: A Concert for Hurricane Relief
Title: Kanye_West

Fresh off spending the previous year touring the world with U2 on their Vertigo Tour, West felt inspired to compose anthemic rap songs that could operate more efficiently in large arenas. To this end, West incorporated the synthesizer into his hip-hop production, utilized slower tempos, and experimented with electronic music and influenced by music of the 1980s. In addition to U2, West drew musical inspiration from arena rock bands such as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin in terms of melody and chord progression. To make his next effort, the third in a planned tetralogy of education-themed studio albums, more introspective and personal in lyricism, West listened to folk and country singer-songwriters Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash in hopes of developing methods to augment his wordplay and storytelling ability.

Question: What band did Kanye tour with for a year?
Answer: U2

Question: What setting did Kanye want his next tracks to perform well in?
Answer: large arenas

Question: Who did Kanye study in order to develop his lyrical skills?
Answer: Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash

Question: Which band did Kanye West travel with for the Vertigo Tour?
Answer: U2

Question: What decade of music inspired Kanye West after his tour with U2?
Answer: 1980s

Question: Other than U2 and Led Zeppelin, what other band inspired Kanye West?
Answer: The Rolling Stones

Question: What other country singer besides Johnny Cash did Kanye listen to?
Answer: Bob Dylan
Title: Kanye_West

West's third studio album, Graduation, garnered major publicity when its release date pitted West in a sales competition against rapper 50 Cent's Curtis. Upon their September 2007 releases, Graduation outsold Curtis by a large margin, debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and selling 957,000 copies in its first week. Graduation once again continued the string of critical and commercial successes by West, and the album's lead single, "Stronger", garnered the rapper his third number-one hit. "Stronger", which samples French house duo Daft Punk, has been accredited to not only encouraging other hip-hop artists to incorporate house and electronica elements into their music, but also for playing a part in the revival of disco and electro-infused music in the late 2000s. Ben Detrick of XXL cited the outcome of the sales competition between 50 Cent's Curtis and West's Graduation as being responsible for altering the direction of hip-hop and paving the way for new rappers who didn't follow the hardcore-gangster mold, writing, "If there was ever a watershed moment to indicate hip-hop's changing direction, it may have come when 50 Cent competed with Kanye in 2007 to see whose album would claim superior sales."

Question: What was the name of Kanye's third album?
Answer: Graduation

Question: Kanye released Graduation at the same time of what other famous rapper, thus drawing media comparison?
Answer: 50 Cent

Question: How many copies did Graduation sell in its first week of release? 
Answer: 957,000

Question: What famous electronic duo did Kanye sample on his third album?
Answer: Daft Punk

Question: What was the name of Kanye West's third CD?
Answer: Graduation

Question: What artist was Kanye's third album release competing against?
Answer: 50 Cent

Question: What music group was in Kanye's first release off of Graduation?
Answer: Daft Punk
Title: Kanye_West

West's life took a different direction when his mother, Donda West, died of complications from cosmetic surgery involving abdominoplasty and breast reduction in November 2007. Months later, West and fiancée Alexis Phifer ended their engagement and their long-term intermittent relationship, which had begun in 2002. The events profoundly affected West, who set off for his 2008 Glow in the Dark Tour shortly thereafter. Purportedly because his emotions could not be conveyed through rapping, West decided to sing using the voice audio processor Auto-Tune, which would become a central part of his next effort. West had previously experimented with the technology on his debut album The College Dropout for the background vocals of "Jesus Walks" and "Never Let Me Down." Recorded mostly in Honolulu, Hawaii in three weeks, West announced his fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak, at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, where he performed its lead single, "Love Lockdown". Music audiences were taken aback by the uncharacteristic production style and the presence of Auto-Tune, which typified the pre-release response to the record.

Question: Following the loss of his mother, who did Kanye end his long-term relationship with?
Answer: Alexis Phifer

Question: What vocal technology did Kanye pick up for his next set of artistic endeavors?
Answer: Auto-Tune

Question: In what year did Kanye West's mother pass away?
Answer: 2007

Question: What was the name of Kanye's ex-fiance?
Answer: Alexis Phifer

Question: What was the name of Kanye's 2008 music tour?
Answer: Glow in the Dark Tour

Question: In what state did Kanye West record them majority of his fourth album?
Answer: Hawaii

Question: What was the first song released off of Kanye's fourth album?
Answer: "Love Lockdown"
Title: Kanye_West

808s & Heartbreak, which features extensive use of the eponymous Roland TR-808 drum machine and contains themes of love, loneliness, and heartache, was released by Island Def Jam to capitalize on Thanksgiving weekend in November 2008. Reviews were positive, though slightly more mixed than his previous efforts. Despite this, the record's singles demonstrated outstanding chart performances. Upon its release, the lead single "Love Lockdown" debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a "Hot Shot Debut", while follow-up single "Heartless" performed similarly and became his second consecutive "Hot Shot Debut" by debuting at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. While it was criticized prior to release, 808s & Heartbreak had a significant effect on hip-hop music, encouraging other rappers to take more creative risks with their productions.

Question: What label pushed out Kanye's fourth studio album?
Answer: Island Def Jam

Question: Which album by Kanye West featured the song "Love Lockdown"?
Answer: 808s & Heartbreak

Question: 808s & Heartbreak was released by what company? 
Answer: Island Def Jam

Question: When was 808s & Heartbreaks released? 
Answer: November 2008

Question: What was the second song released off of 808s? 
Answer: Heartless

Question: The major usage of musical machine on 808s was described as eponymous?
Answer: Roland TR-808 drum machine
Title: Kanye_West

In 2012, Rolling Stone journalist Matthew Trammell asserted that the record was ahead of its time and wrote, "Now that popular music has finally caught up to it, 808s & Heartbreak has revealed itself to be Kanye’s most vulnerable work, and perhaps his most brilliant."

Question: What journalist gave "808s and Hearbreak" critical acclimation 4 years after its release?
Answer: Matthew Trammell

Question: What was the name of the journalist that wrote about Kanye's album in 2012?
Answer: Matthew Trammell