Like his music, Kanye West's relationships are legendary. In 2004, his first known public romance was with his high school sweetheart, Sumeke Rainey, whom he dated until the release of his first album, The College Dropout, catapulting him to unimaginable fame.
West and model Amber Rose evolved into something of a power couple during his 808s & Heartbreak (2008) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) eras after West made the transition from up-and-coming rapper and producer to earning a seat at the table of hip-hop royalty in the late 2000s.
In addition, Kim Kardashian, for whom the Chicagoan artist believed he was destined, was the most famous and infamous of the leading ladies in West's life.
In an interview with Angie Martinez on Hot 97 in 2013, West said, “I thought our love story was like a love story for the ages. It's like a Romeo and Juliet sort of thing when we met for the first time.” Kim and Kanye’s rise and fall were documented across various seasons of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which chronicled their 2014 wedding in Italy, the birth of their four beautiful children, and their controversial divorce in 2021.
West is still making headlines for the women he romances, even after Kardashian. Let us take a look at Kanye West's dating history.
Sumeke Rainey
West dated his high school girlfriend before he became famous. He mentioned her in the song "Never Let Me Down" from his 2004 debut album, The College Dropout, while their relationship was out of the public eye. "Nothing sad as that day my girl's father passed away, So I promised to Mr. Raney I'm gonna marry your daughter," he rapped in the song.
When he became famous, the pair's relationship ended.
Alexis Phifer
From 2002 to 2008, rapper and designer Alexis Phifer was in a relationship. When West's career exploded after the release of The College Dropout in 2004, the two of them had a rough time. They later reunited in August 2006, when the Grammy winner proposed to her over a lobster and pasta dinner. After being engaged for almost 18 months, West's mom Donda unexpectedly passed away, and the pair called it off in April of 2008.
Brooke Crittendon
The Harlem Heights star and former MTV employee dated him during a brief split from Phifer. She attended the 2006 Grammy Awards with him and his mother before they parted ways that summer.
Crittendon later spoke to Essence that she had to live in the shadow of that she is just 'Kanye's ex-girl.' “I am so much bigger than that," she added.
Amber Rose
Following his split from Phifer, the "Fade" rapper dated a Philadelphian model and TV personality from 2008 to 2010. Rose called it off, accusing West of constantly bullying her after they broke up. "He's given me only fame. I had to just take that," Rose said during a 2017 interview on Complex's Everyday Struggle talk show. "I must have taken this breakup on top of it."
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian began dating the hip-hop artist, whom she had been friends with for years after her 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries ended in 2012. They announced they were expecting their first child together in December of that year. Four months after welcoming daughter North in June 2013, West popped the question in an elaborate proposal in San Francisco.
The couple got married in Florence, Italy, in 2014. The musician and Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ expanded their family as they welcomed son Saint in December 2015 and their daughter Chicago and son Psalm via surrogate in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Throughout their relationship, Kardashian and West have had a rollercoaster ride through public ups and downs, leading her to file for divorce on February 19, 2021.
Irina Shayk
In June 2021, PEOPLE confirmed that West was seeing model Irina Shayk, who shares a daughter with actor Bradley Cooper, several months after Kardashian filed for divorce. In France, where West celebrated his 44th birthday, the two of them were seen together. "She seems to be in love," a source told PEOPLE at the time. "He invited her to France, and she's really happy about it." They're not formally dating each other, but the two sides are interested."
Shayk's already been a model for Yeezy and appeared in the "Power" music video back in 2010. Sources told People in August 2021 that the two of them broke up.
Julia Fox
On New Year's Eve 2021, West met actress Julia Fox in Miami and the two began a whirlwind romance. But the couple split up by Valentine's Day 2022. "Julia and Kanye remain good friends and collaborators, but they are no longer together," according to People
Chaney Jones
In February 2022, when they were first photographed shopping together at Miami's Bal Harbour, West was already romantically linked to Jones. One month later, he seemed to confirm the romance by commenting on photos of them with the black heart emoji on Instagram.
West began seeing model Chaney Jones after his split from Fox. They dated for five months and, according to the reports, split in June 2022 after they took a trip to Japan.
Bianca Censori
After ending things with Jones, West began dating an Australian architect and entrepreneur Bianca Censori, who has been working for his fashion brand Yeezy since November 2020. In December 2022, when he appeared to name a song, "Censori Overload," after her, it was the first sign of West’s admiration for Censori.
West and Censori were seen dining together at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on January 9, 2023. TMZ reported on January 13, 2023, that the couple had secretly married in a private ceremony, and that a day before their dinner date, they were photographed wearing wedding rings. TMZ says that West and Censori have yet to file their official marriage certificate, which raises questions about the legitimacy of their courtship.
