From the photo archives: Kanye West

'Through the Wire'

The car crash left West's jaw broken in three places, but he wasted no time in getting back to work, releasing a mixtape in December 2002 called "Get Well Soon." The track that caught everyone's ear was "Through the Wire," a funny, harrowing account of the accident that West recorded while his jaw was still wired shut. It became the first single for his debut album, "The College Dropout," and landed him a coveted spot on the lineup at the 2003 Billboard R&B and Hip-Hop Awards.