Posts Tagged ‘Donda West’

Kanye West: I’m the Voice of This Generation

November 13th, 2008

Ego alert: Kanye West is back to doing what he does best, which is talk about his own importance. 

”I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice,” the Associated Press quotes him as saying on Wednesday in London.  ”It’s me settling into that position of just really accepting that it’s one thing to say you want to do it and it’s another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan.”

 

Yes, Kanye believe he is the Air Jordan of music, a role he says could’ve been nabbed by someone like Justin Timberlake, if he’d been more productive with his recording.

 

”There were people who had the potential to do it but they went on vacation, so when Justin went on vacation I made albums,” he says. ”And it just came out to be that.”

 

The voice of this generation released an album last year and is set to debut 808s and Heartbreak on Nov. 24, while JT’s last album was in 2006.

 

Kanye admits life has been hard for him lately, especially with the death of his mother and support system, Donda West last year.

 

”We were together for like 30 years. And you know now when I’m on that stage and I look out and I say, ‘What am I going to do with the rest of my life?’ Like when does a real life start?’ Because I have sacrificed real life to be a celebrity and to give this art to people, which is great," he admits. "It is great that I was able to do that, I’m not trying to shun that in any way, but it’s definitely a Catch-22 and it’s bittersweet.”

Dr. Jan Adams Speaks Out About Donda West

January 31st, 2008 / Author: cwillett

Dr. Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West’s mother Donda before she died following complications from surgery, has opened up to Extra about Donda’s controversial death and reveals he was at her bedside for days following the operation.

“I essentially was there the whole time,” he tells Extra. “I talked to her. I talked to the family. I met them at the hospital.”

Dr. Adams performed a tummy tuck and a breast reduction on Donda that took eight hours, twice as long as expected. Donda died days later on Nov. 10 from complications resulting from the surgery. An autopsy report released earlier this month details that she died from "coronary artery disease and multiple post-operative factors due to or as a consequence of liposuction and mammoplasty."

Her death hit the surgeon hard as he “didn’t just [lose] a patient, I lost a friend.”

Following Donda’s death, Dr. Adams weathered scrutiny for past DUI offenses and for lacking a certification from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. But he claims that he’s not angered by the accusations, which have affected his business, admitting that he’s only performed a “few surgeries” since the death.

“I think the media are human beings doing a job. Truly, the hard part is to sit there and shut up while all this is going on,” he says, adding that he can’t divulge information about the surgery due to doctor/patient privilege.

He does believe the media should let up on Oprah Winfrey though, who referred Donda to him. “I felt the media was kind of hard on Oprah. Here’s this wonderful lady who’s sort of devoted her life to helping people and they tried to ridicule her about somebody having been referred through her.”

Dr. Adams also discussed his infamous walk-off from the set of Lary King Live in November (he made an appearance last week) and defended his actions. “I thought it was the appropriate thing to do… If it’s against the law for me to talk about a patient… Isn’t it against the law for a reporter to ask me? I think I did Larry a favor… What’s really the proof of the pudding is how you react to them [bad things], so I chose to honor my agreement with the patient."

As for the possibility of a civil lawsuit from the West family, Dr. Adams doesn’t expect one to be filed “but one can never tell.”

Although he released a statement regarding Donda’s death in November, Dr. Adams says he doesn’t have anything to say to the family now. "It’s time to grieve and grieving is very difficult… I’ll certainly make myself available [to the West family] when appropriate."

For more on Dr. Adams, tune in to Extra tonight!

Holly Robinson Peete Pays Tribute to Donda West

November 15th, 2007 / Author: cwillett

Among those paying their respects to Kanye West’s late
mother, Donda West, who passed away last week, is actress Holly Robinson Peete,
a close friend of the former college professor.

“Donda was one of those women that walked in a room and just
lit it up… just a mega-kilowatt smile,” Holly tells MomLogic.com about her fellow
mom and author.

The two met in 2005 at a music industry event and continued
to keep in touch after forging what Holly says was an “instant connection.”

“Immediately I was drawn to her as someone who was just so
magnetically special,” the 43-year-old recalls, adding that she’s going to miss everything about Donda.

“I’m going to miss her. I’m going to miss her smile. I’m
going to miss her integrity… and I’m going to miss seeing her and Kanye
together.”

Donda passed away at the age of 58 on Saturday from complications following a
plastic surgery procedure.

Will.i.am to Fill in for Kanye

November 15th, 2007 / Author: cwillett

While he grieves for the sudden, tragic loss of his mother, Donda, Kanye West has had to cancel a number of previously made engagements, including a scheduled appearance at tonight’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. However, the rapper’s pal, Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am has stepped up to fill in the gap.

According to Entertainment Tonight, as a tribute to Donda, who passed away mysteriously soon after undergoing a cosmetic surgery procedure last weekend, Will.i.am will perform his hit “I Got It From My Mama” at tonight’s taping of the show, which will air on CBS on Dec. 4.

Dr. Jan Adams’ Uncle, Former Partner Speaks Out

November 14th, 2007

Dr. Pearlman D. Hicks, uncle and former business partner of
Dr. Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West’s mother, Donda,
before her untimely death last week, has spoken out to Extra about the case and
reveals his nephew is not certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

“I’m not sure. I believe he took his boards, but beyond being certified or not I
really don’t know,” he tells Extra. “I would not be surprised if he was not. When
I’ve seen him, I sort of got the feeling he may not think this is such an
important thing.”

The two shared a medical practice in California but terminated their partnership
a decade ago over monetary issues. Dr. Adams wasn’t contributing his share needed
to maintain their practice and Dr. Hicks admits, “I got the feeling he wanted
to be more of a celebrity kind of physician.”

Still, Dr. Hicks says there is no bad blood between the two
and his nephew, who he says can be considered arrogant from time to time, never
faced any lawsuits or grievances during their time together. “I had no
complaints about him. Everyone liked him. He did a good job while he was with
me.”

As for accusations that Dr. Adams is responsible for Donda’s
death, Dr. Hicks believes they are just that, since death is one of the known
risks of plastic surgery.

“I’m very shocked to hear these allegations now because until
they’re proven, I don’t really believe them,” he says. “The DUI is something that’s
worrisome, but these other things, I just don’t know about that at all!”

Even if he is innocent, Dr. Hicks believes the allegations have
done enough damage to his nephew’s career to impact his future in plastic surgery.

For more from Dr. Hicks and the case, check out Extra tonight.

Photo: Karina Smirnoff’s Nose Job

November 13th, 2007 / Author: cwillett

While the field of plastic surgery has taken a hit this week with the horribly tragic death of Kanye West’s mother, there is at least one person in Hollywood singing its praises — Dancing With the Stars‘ Karina Smirnoff!

“I love it!” the professional dancer tells TV’s Extra. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.” So how is she doing with her recovery? “It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Karina, who says she’s now just a “better version of me,” explains. “No swelling or bruising…. just a little numb.”

Here’s the before and after photo so you can judge for yourself:
before.jpg
karina nose.jpg

Report: More Questions in Donda West Death

November 13th, 2007 / Author: cwillett

The scandal surrounding the mysterious death of Kanye West’s mother, Donda, continues to spiral out of control, with most of the attention now being focused on Dr. Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon involved.

According to a report on CelebTV.com, the executive director of the California Medical Board earlier this year asked the state of California to consider revoking or suspending Adams’ license, citing multiple DUI arrests, including one in March of 2006, for which Adams was ultimately found not guilty of driving under the influence and guilty for driving with a blood alcohol content of higher than .08.

This all follows a report on TMZ yesterday that Donda had been warned by another surgeon to not go through with the surgeries because of an existing heart condition. For his part, Dr. Adams has denied any wrongdoing.

Kanye Issues Statement on Mother’s Death

November 12th, 2007 / Author: cwillett

Following the tragic, unexpected death of his mother, Donda, from complications that arose during surgery over the weekend, platinum-selling musician and producer Kanye West has released the following statement.

“Kanye West, his family and friends would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and kind words that have come in from across the country since the death of his mother, Dr. Donda West.

After working in higher education for 31 years, Dr. Donda West and Kanye West co-founded the Kanye West Foundation with the mission of helping to combat the severe dropout problem in high schools across the country. The first and signature initiative of the Kanye West Foundation is Loop Dreams. Designed to capitalize on students’ existing interest in hip-hop, Loop Dreams challenges students to learn more about what’s behind hip-hop culture in order to help them develop skills, express themselves creatively and be empowered.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Dr. West’s name to the Kanye West Foundation/Loop Dreams Teacher Training Institute. Those donations can be made by visiting the Foundation’s Web site, www.KanyeWestFoundation.org or by mail at Kanye West Foundation, 8560 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069.

Kanye West’s Mother Dies From Surgery Complications

November 12th, 2007 / Author: OK! Staff

Donda West, mother of platinum-selling artist Kanye West, died Saturday, a spokesperson for the rapper confirms. She was 58.

Her publicist, Patricia Green, tells the BBC her client, a renowned professor and former chairwoman of the Chicago State University English department, passed away in Los Angeles from “complications from a cosmetic surgical procedure.”

No further details were released.

Kanye, who was in London when he received word, released a statement through his spokesperson asking “for privacy during this time of grief.”

The 30-year-old was famously close with his mother, who raised him alone from the age of 3 on, and dedicated a song, “Hey Mama,” to her on his second album, Late Registration.

“(Hey Mama), I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I’m so proud of you… I just want you to be proud of me (Hey Mama),” he sang.

Donda also served as her son’s manager and was CEO of his business, West Brands, and chairwoman of the Kanye West Foundation, a non-profit organization encouraging kids to stay in school. In May, she published a book, Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar, documenting her son’s rise to fame.

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