One of Kanye's earliest battles against adversity was back in 2002 when he
was involved in a near-fatal car crash.
The star, who has come a
long way from growing up broke in Chicago to becoming a billionaire this
year, has said previously that 2002 was the pivotal year of his life.
It was a good time for Kanye. He was very up-and-coming living in New
York and big names like Damon Dash (Roc-A-Fella co-founder) were lining up
to sign him.
But Kanye nearly lost it all on October 23, 2002.
Telling
the story previously, Kanye described how he was driving back to his hotel
after a late-night session at the recording studio in California.
He admits he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his rented
vehicle head-on into another car.
It left the other driver with
leg fractures, while Kanye suffered a shattered jaw and nasal fractures.
The
Stronger rapper also claimed he was racially profiled on the crash site, as
police allegedly ran three or four alcohol tests on him before taking him to
the hospital.
"I was sitting in the car after the accident, and they kept
asking me questions," West told MTV at the time. "I was just telling them 'I
want to go to the hospital, I'm in so much pain right now.'"
The
star says the aftermath of the accident as the "worst pain" he's experienced
in his forty-plus years.
