Kanye West’s Romances: A History
From pre-fame romances to globetrotting banter and family life, Ye has been through all the ups and downs.
Kanye WestRelationships are always bound to make headlines. Although his marriage to Kim Kardashian has been in the news for half the past decade, it’s not the only high-profile romance he’s been involved in!
Throughout his career, Kanye has been spotted bonding with several other stars, from models to fashion designers. In fact, he was engaged once before he married Kim! And now that he’s back on the market, his love life only seems to get more interesting.
Here’s everyone Kanye has publicly dated over the course of his career…
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Sumeke Rainey
Before Kanye made it big in music, he was dating his high school sweetheart Sumeke Rainey. Although not much is known about their relationship, he did mention his former love in “Never Let Me Down,” a track from “The College Dropout.”
“Nothing sad that on that day my daughter’s father died / So I promised Mr. Rainey I’d marry your daughter,” he rapped.
Alexis Phifer
In 2002, Kanye began dating designer Alexis Phifer and the pair remained together until 2004 when the rapper’s career began to take off. After about a year apart, the duo reunited and eventually got engaged in August 2006 during a trip to Capri. Their engagement lasted 18 months, with the couple splitting in early 2008 shortly after the unexpected death of Kanye’s mother, Donda.
“It’s always sad when things like this come to an end, and we remain friends. I wish him the best in his future and in all his endeavours. He is one of the most talented people I have ever met “, she said. People at the time.
Brooke Crittendon
During Kanye’s split from Alexis, he briefly dated “Harlem Heights” star Brooke Crittendon. He even took her to the 2006 Grammys, where they walked the carpet together. The couple separated later that year, which Brooke attributes to the pressure of being in the spotlight.
“[I] had to live in the shadow of “Kanye’s ex-daughter”. I’m so much bigger than that. Mr. West and I are friendly. I wish him the best and he wishes me the same. As far as I’m concerned, if he needed anything, I’d be there and [he would do] the same for me,” said Brooke Gasoline several years after the split.

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Pink Amber
Kanye started dating Amber Rose in 2008 after seeing her in Ludacris’ music video for “What Them Girls Like.” He invited her to fly to Los Angeles and star in the never-before-seen video for “Robocop” — and the rest was history. The former couple were spotted around the world until their split in 2010. At the time, the breakup was reportedly due to Kanye’s busy schedule recording “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” but the things quickly went wrong. Kanye at one point said he needed to take “30 showers” after dating Amber, to which she alleged she was “constantly bullied” by Kanye throughout their relationship. Even a decade after the split, Amber still had negative feelings about their relationship.
“Me and him are two very different people. I’m a compassionate person. I have empathy. I’m a good person. That’s why people love me. That’s why everyone I’m with out liked me…if he said things to make his wife more comfortable, but to shame me and say you needed 30 showers, like, bro, you made me do the around the world Since when do you need 30 showers? Amber said on the “No Jumper” podcast in 2020.
Kim Kardashian
Kanye first met Kim Kardashian in 2003, but the pair didn’t start dating until 2012. The duo have remained friends over the years and really bonded during a trip to Paris after Kim’s split with ex Kris Humphries. In late 2012, Kim was pregnant with the couple’s first child, and months after welcoming their first daughter, Kanye popped the question in an elaborate proposal at the San Francisco Giants ballpark. The couple officially married in 2014 in a beautiful ceremony in Florence, Italy. Kim and Kanye went on to welcome three more children and even renewed their vows in 2019.
Unfortunately, the duo started to struggle in 2020 after Kanye’s presidential run and the controversial comments he made about their family. During the year, Kanye spent much of his time at the family property in Wyoming while Kim spent time with their children in Los Angeles. In February 2021, Kim officially filed for divorce from Kanye.

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Irina Sheikh
After his split from Kim, Kanye reportedly started dating model Irina Shayk. The duo had known each other professionally for years, with Irina being featured in Kanye’s 2010 music video for “Power” and having modeled for Yeezy. While it’s unclear exactly when the couple first started dating, they were first spotted publicly in June during a trip to Paris. The reputed relationship didn’t last long as Irina and Kanye broke up in August.
Julia Fox
Things moved quickly for Kanye and his late girlfriend, model and actress Julia Fox. The couple first met on New Year’s Eve in Miami, where Julia said they had an “instant connection”. The next day, they flew to New York together, where they had their second date – and Kanye arranged a makeover for Julia. The following week, they were spotted hanging out with Madonna as well as Floyd Mayweather and Antonio Brown. While it’s unclear where the new romance will go, Julia admitted that Kanye is different from everyone she’s dated.
“I’m so used to being fucked up in relationships, so I keep waiting for him to disappoint me, because he makes very grand promises, and it’s like, ‘How did could he have succeeded with all the other things he’s been through?’ But he still does… It was the most instant natural organic attraction and connection. I feel really safe with him,” Julia said. magazine interview.
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