Ever since Kanye West received high praise for his production on Jay-Z's album, "The Blueprint" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam), the Chicago rapper has been out to prove his own talent. After achieving that goal with his 2004 multi-platinum selling debut, "The College Dropout" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam), West pushed himself even harder for his sophomore follow-up, "Late Registration," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 1.14 million copies in its first two weeks, according to Nielsen SoundScan

The set spawned the single "Gold Digger" featuring Jamie Foxx, which has spent 10 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as of this writing. This fall, West embarked on the Touch the Sky tour, with singers Fantasia and Keyshia Cole in tow.

Never squeamish about speaking his mind, the artist ignited debate in September after he criticized President George W. Bush on a nationally televised telethon to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Year: Title: Chart: Peak Position:

2005 Diamonds From Sierra Leone Hot Digital Songs 18
2005 Diamonds From Sierra Leone Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 21
2005 Diamonds From Sierra Leone Hot Rap Tracks 11
2005 Diamonds From Sierra Leone Hot Ringtones 21
2005 Diamonds From Sierra Leone Pop 100 40
2005 Diamonds From Sierra Leone The Billboard Hot 100 43
2005 Gold Digger Hot Digital Songs 1
2005 Gold Digger Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1
2005 Gold Digger Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 53
2005 Gold Digger Hot Rap Tracks 1
2005 Gold Digger Hot Ringtones 1
2005 Gold Digger Pop 100 1
2005 Gold Digger The Billboard Hot 100 1
2005 Hear 'Em Say Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs 30
2005 Hear 'Em Say Hot Rap Tracks 17
2005 Hear 'Em Say Pop 100 51
2005 Hear 'Em Say Pop 100 89
2005 Hear 'Em Say The Billboard Hot 100 56
2005 Heard 'Em Say Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs 22
2005 Heard 'Em Say Hot Rap Tracks 16
2005 Heard 'Em Say Pop 100 40
2005 Heard 'Em Say The Billboard Hot 100 43
2005 Jesus Walks Hot Digital Songs 4
2005 Touch The Sky Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs 72
2004 All Falls Down Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 4
2004 All Falls Down Hot Rap Tracks 2
2004 All Falls Down The Billboard Hot 100 7
2004 Jesus Walks Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 2
2004 Jesus Walks Hot Rap Tracks 3
2004 Jesus Walks Hot Ringtones 35
2004 Jesus Walks The Billboard Hot 100 11
2004 The New Workout Plan Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 59
2004 The New Workout Plan Hot Ringtones 26
2004 Through The Wire Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 8
2004 Through The Wire Hot Rap Tracks 4
2004 Through The Wire The Billboard Hot 100 15

Year: Title: Chart: Peak Position:

2005 Late Registration The Billboard 200 1
2005 Late Registration Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums 1
2005 Late Registration Top Rap Albums 1
2005 The College Dropout Top Rap Albums 5
2004 The College Dropout The Billboard 200 2
2004 The College Dropout Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums 1