Kanye West shot to super-stardom with his sample of Ray Charles' I Got A Woman, sung by Jamie Foxx for the track Gold Digger, but his next single could see him sampling the less-credible Wedding March.

The hip hop producer is reportedly engaged to his long-term girlfriend. Little is known about the lucky lady apart from her first name – Alexis – but we can bet that she's no gold digger.

Sources close to the 29-year-old star told People magazine that West proposed to Alexis recently, while the star was out of the US for several weeks. Despite the buzz surrounding their engagement, the pair have managed to keep her occupation, hometown and age hidden from the media.

The mystery woman has reportedly been with West on and off throughout his career, first falling for the star before his notorious car accident in 2002. The near-fatal smash inspired the song Through the Wire, which West rapped from his hospital bed with a wire on his broken jaw.

Although it nearly cost him his life, West now credits his car accident with turning him around. During his Grammy acceptance speech in 2004 "If you have the opportunity to play this game called life, you have to appreciate every moment."

West appears to have decided that this includes taking a chance on love, with his rumoured engagement suggesting a romantic side not often seen in hip hop.

Alexis will presumably be hoping that her marriage lasts longer than that of many of West's contemporaries, with Eminem and wife Kim among the hip hop couples that have become notorious for their dysfunctional relationships.

Winner of six Grammies, West first found fame as a producer with Roc-a-Fella records, where he produced Jay Z's 2001 album The Blueprint. He went on to produce for big names such as Ludacris and Alicia Keys, before releasing his own albums.

His debut, The College Dropout earnt him a Grammy for best rap album and best rap song and he cemented this success with the 2005 follow-up Late Registration, which won a Grammy for best rap album, best rap song and best rap solo performance.