Kim Kardashian has built an empire over the past few years. She has her own reality show, clothing and makeup lines, and diet products, so it should be no surprise that she has been the most searched name on Yahoo in 2012.

No stranger to drama in her personal life, Kardashian undertands that sparking controversy does not hurt. She recently caused an outcry among many when she went to Bahrain to open a branch of Millions of Milkshakes. Many residents of the island nation did not think Kardashian was reputable enough to be in their country. According to BBC News, some chanted, “"God is great; Kim's a slut.”

Regardless of whether you love or hate the reality star, her popularity cannot be denied.

With millions of Twitter followers, Kardashian has a solid fan base that cares about her personal life, including that of her boyfriend, Kanye West.

In a song called "Clique," West brags about how Kardashian initially became a household name. West raps, "Eat breakfast at Gucci. My girl a superstar all from a home movie."

Kardashian was in a sex tape with then-boyfriend Ray J in 2003. It was leaked in 2007, and the tape has since become one of the best-selling celebrity sex tapes of all time.

West seems quite proud of his girlfriend for the infamous video.

This is not the first time West has spoken about Kardashian in his songs. Earlier this summer, he released a song "Perfect B-tch" in honor of Kardashian, tweeting, "I wrote the song 'Perfect B-tch' about Kim." The song is "about his search for the perfect woman and how he has now found the 'perfect b-tch,'" according to a source who spoke to the New York Daily News.

He also released a song titled "Cold," previously titled "Theraflu," and it has become known as the anthem in which West first publicly professed his love for Kardashian. "And I'll admit, I had fell in love with Kim/Around the same time she had fell in love with him/Well that's cool, baby girl, do ya thang/Lucky I ain't had Jay drop him from the team," West raps, referring to Kardashian's ex-husband, Kris Humphries, who now plays for the Brooklyn Nets.

Check out Kim Kardashian’s hottest looks, and see why she is the most searched person on Yahoo in 2012.

Kim kardashian Yahoo