From the Vaults: Kanye West, the 19-Year-Old Rapper

He sometimes fancies himself a god (in music, in fashion, in everything) but Kanye West is human just like the rest of us. Below is a video from when he was 19 and still just another young rapper trying to make it big.

Unearthed by DDotmen, the video, shot in 1996, shows the young rapper with a mic in hand, spitting verses in his hometown Chicago.

He might have been young, with less of an ego and definitely less gold jewelry, but even then, Kanye was showing signs of greatness.

Say what you will about him as a man, but there's no denying his influence in today's music.

And here's how it all started.