West began making beats and rapping in the early 90s in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, when he formed the rap group Go Getters with Chicago natives GLC and Really Doe. He later gained nationwide popularity through his work in New York, where he began producing tracks for artists such as Jay-Z, Twista, Mase, Talib Kweli and Alicia Keys.
West's style of production often utilizes pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his drums and instruments. The first major label song he produced was The Truth by Beanie Sigel, and his first major release featuring his trademark vocal sampling style was This Can’t Be Life, a track from Jay-Z’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West said he sped up the drum beat of Dr. Dre’s Xxplosive to use as a replacement for his drums on This Can’t Be Life.
West has said that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style, and has said on numerous occasions that Wu-Tang rappers Ghostface Killah and Ol’ Dirty Bastard were some of his all-time favorites. Said Kanye West: “Wu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this all the time… We think Wu-Tang had one of the biggest impacts as far as a movement. From slang to style of dress, skits, the samples. Similar to the [production] style I use, RZA has been doing that.”
In 2004 (after being pushed aside by many record companies who felt he wasn't a marketable hip-hop artist), he managed to release his debut solo album, The College Dropout on Roc-A-Fella Records. The album received critical acclaim, including 10 Grammy nominations and the awards for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album, as well as defining the style for which West would become known: "wordplay" and heavy sampling of the 70s soul and RnB tracks.
Not content to rest on his laurels, West invested two million dollars and hired a string orchestra to help with his latest effort, Late Registration (2005). West collaborated with Jon Brion to help develop the sound of the album, despite his lack of experience in hip hop production. The album received widespread acclaim like its predecessor and again claimed the Best Rap Album award at the Grammys.
West was no stranger to controversy, such as storming out at the 2004 American Music Awards after not receiving Best New Artist, but just days after the release of his second studio album, West began embroiled in a major controversy after going off-script during Hurricane Katrina broadcast, proclaiming "George Bush doesn't care about black people", which Bush claimed was "one the most disgusting moments of my presidency". In January 2006, West posed on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing a crown of thorns, once again attracting controversy.
For his third release, West was keen to produce songs that could be used more effectively when performing in arenas. For Graduation, the third and ultimately final entry into his 'Dropout Bear' series, West drew musical inspiration from The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. In the lead up to the album he became involved in a friendly rivalry with 50 Cent over which of the two artists' upcoming albums would sell more, as they were both released on the same day. West ultimately sold 957,000 copies in the first week of release, outselling Curtis by a large margin. The albums lead single "Stronger" sampled Daft Punk, and was West's third number one on Billboard 200. Many proclaim West's 'victory' over 50 Cent to be the 'death' of gangster rap as the dominant hip hop subgenre.
Following the death of his mother, Donda West, and the end of his engagement to long term partner Alexis Phifer, West abandoned his initial plan to release a fourth album entitled Good Ass Job, and shocked his fans by releasing 808s and Heartbreak, which was full of autotune singing, extensive use of the TR-808 drum machine, themes of love, loss and loneliness and very little rapping. It received slightly more mixed reviews than his previous efforts, but many critics cite 808s and Heartbreak as the catalyst for a new wave of rappers, most prominently Drake, due to its themes which were uncommon in mainstream hip-hop.
West's grief seemed to lead to a spiral out of control which culminated in him storming on stage at the 2009 VMAs to interrupt Taylor Swift's award acceptance speech to proclaim that Beyoncé deserved the award instead, in a move that is infamous in pop culture and was vilified by the entire world in the aftermath. West disappeared from the public eye following this, and his upcoming tour with Lady Gaga was cancelled. The disgraced West, who was described as a 'jackass' by President Obama, seemed to have much work to do to return to the his former glory, but he was about to embark on what some critics consider to be the best run of his career.
West holed up in Hawaii for a few months and worked tirelessly to produce what many consider to be his magnum opus. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West's fifth studio album, was released in November 2010 to rave reviews from critics, which solidified his comeback. In stark contrast to his previous effort, which featured a minimalist sound, Dark Fantasy adopts a maximalist philosophy and deals with themes of celebrity and excess. The record included the international hit All of the Lights, and Billboard hits Power, Monster, and Runaway, the latter of which accompanied a 35-minute film of the same name. During this time, West initiated the free music program G.O.O.D. Fridays through his website, offering a free download of previously unreleased songs each Friday of the week, a portion of which were included on the album. Dark Fantasy went on to go platinum in the United States, but its omission as a contender for Album of the Year at the 54th Grammy Awards was viewed as a "snub" by several media outlets.
Following a headlining set at Coachella 2011 that was described by The Hollywood Reporter as "one of greatest hip-hop sets of all time," West released the collaborative album Watch the Throne with Jay-Z. By employing a sales strategy that released the album digitally weeks before its physical counterpart, Watch the Throne became one of the few major label albums in the Internet age to avoid a leak. Niggas in Paris became the record's highest charting single, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2012, West released the compilation album Cruel Summer, a collection of tracks by artists from West's record label GOOD Music. Cruel Summer produced four singles, two of which charted within the top twenty of the Hot 100: Mercy and Clique. West also directed a film of the same name that premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in custom pyramid-shaped screening pavilion featuring seven screens.
Sessions for West's sixth solo effort begin to take shape in early 2013 in his own personal loft's living room at a Paris hotel. Determined to "undermine the commercial," he once again brought together close collaborators and attempted to incorporate Chicago drill, dancehall, acid house, and industrial music. Primarily inspired by architecture, West's perfectionist tendencies led him to contact producer Rick Rubin fifteen days shy of its due date to strip down the record's sound in favor of a more minimalist approach. Initial promotion of his sixth album included worldwide video projections of the album's music and live television performances.
Yeezus, West's sixth album, was released June 18, 2013 to rave reviews from critics. It became the rapper's sixth consecutive number one debut. Def Jam issued "Black Skinhead" to radio in July 2013 as the album's lead single. On September 6, 2013, Kanye West announced he would be headlining his first solo tour in five years, to support Yeezus, with fellow American rapper Kendrick Lamar, accompanying him along the way.
In November 2013, West stated that he was working on and recording his next studio album. The album was to be produced by Rick Rubin and Q-Tip.. Kanye released a single entitled "Only One", on December 31, 2014 featuring Paul McCartney, as well as collaborating with McCartney on the Rihanna track " FourFiveSeconds", released in January 2015. West appeared on the SNL 40th Anniversary Special on February 15th 2015 to debut a new song Wolves, featuring Sia Furler and Vic Mensa. Another single, entitled "All Day" was released on March 2, 2015, again featuring McCartney as well as Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom. In June of the same year, Kanye headlined the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, which garnered much outrage including a petition with 135,000 signatures against his appearance, leading to West declaring he was "the greatest living rock star on the planet" towards the end of his set, and the performance receiving a mixed reaction among fans and critics, due to its controversy. In September 2015, West performed {album artist kanye west]808s and Heartbreak in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl over two nights, which received rave reviews a featured a 60 person orchestra, guests such as Kid Cudi and Mr Hudson, and over 70 dancers. West released "Facts" at the turn of the new year.
West had originally stated that his upcoming album would be called 'So Help Me God' before changing the title to 'SWISH' and announcing that it would be released on February 11th. In January 2016 he released "Real Friends" and "No More Parties in LA", featuring Kendrick Lamar. As well as renaming the album once again to "Waves", West became involved in several twitter controversies in the lead up to the album, including with rapper Wiz Khalifa after he suggested that West had stolen the idea of the wave from other artists and seemingly dissed Kim Kardashian, which later turned out to be a misunderstanding over the use of "KK". West again changed the name of the album just days before it's release, this time to "{album artist=kanye west]The Life of Pablo", and debuted it at Madison Square Garden on February 11, but delayed it's release for a few days. On February 14, West released the album are a performance on SNL. West initially claimed the album was to be a Tidal exclusive, but it was later released on other streaming platforms, although it is yet to receive a physical release. West continued to tinker with the mixing and production of the album even after it was released, and it was updated several times, including the final song "Saint Pablo" in June 2016. West had also made public his plans to release an album in the summer of 2016, entitled "Turbo Grafx 16", based on the 1990s games console, which never surfaced, although he did release a single thought to be from the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album "Cruel Winter", called Champions. In the same month, a video for "Famous" was released, including nude wax figures of celebrities such as West, Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Bill Cosby and George W. Bush.
In August 2016, West embarked on the ambitious Saint Pablo Tour, which included a mobile stage suspended from the ceiling. After the violent robbery of Kim's jewellery in Paris in October, West had to end a show early and postpone shows following it. In the following performances, West cancelled shows early and went on long winded rants against fellow artists such as Jay Z and Beyoncé among others, as well as making controversial political statements including implying his support for Donald Trump. On November 21st 2016, West cancelled the rest of the tour and was hospitalised due to sleep deprivation and extreme dehydration. Following this, West disappeared from social media, and only resurfaced 11 months later with a series of tweets which included many philosophical thoughts and the announcements two albums in June 2018, a solo album which would include 7 tracks on June 1, and a collaboration with Kid Cudi to be released on June 8.
On August 29th, 2021, Kanye released his 10th highly anticipated studio release Donda via GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings after a series of three listening parties.
Personal life:
West was born in Atlanta, Georgia. When he was three years old (as mentioned in Hey Mama) his parents divorced, and he moved with his mother to Chicago, Illinois. His father, Ray West, was a former Black Panther; one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and is now a Christian counselor. Kanye’s late mother, Dr. Donda West, worked as a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as Kanye’s manager. He was later raised in an upper middle class background, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago.
After attending The American Academy of Art, a Chicago art school, West attended Chicago State University but eventually dropped out due to poor grades and to continue working on his music career. While attending school, West produced for local artists, including on rapper Grav’s debut album Down to Earth. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Cam’ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and John Legend among others. He also “ghost-produced” for his once mentor Deric Angelettie according to his song Last Call and the credits of Nas’ Poppa Was a Playa.
West was married to Kim Kardashian. Together they had four children: daughters named North (*2013) and Chicago (*2018); and sons named Saint (*2015) and Psalm (*2019). In 2021, Kardashian filed for divorce.
In 2020, West launched an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that primarily advocated for a consistent life ethic. In 2022, he faced backlash and lost a number of sponsors and partnerships—including his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga—after making antisemitic statements.
'03 Electric Relaxation
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got to
[Chorus]
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
All day long man, we back in town
[Consequence]
Homie check it out I got her mesmerized
So won't you hook a chew scorns, she tellin you buy
Street poetry is how ya boy get paid
And I wear no Escalade, metallic, black or beige
Yo when I walk up in the club you know I do not pay
Aiiyo my man Kanyeezy he got something to say
[Kanye West]
Aiiyo my name is Kanyeezy from the Roc-A fam
And where the glocks don't jam, so where we pop them scrams
See I showed you on the champions how we get down
So don't twist ya lips, I'm like Bobby Brown
You got B2K on all your bedroom wall
But if you be with Kan, gonna work ya walls
Straight from the South side of dem Chi-town streets
The top three in the game, with these here beats
[Consequence]
And if you talk about him, aiiyo I take you out
Either with the nine or the tech's in his mouth
And let that dime gettin friendly than the orgie's at eight
But y'all niggaz don't shine so you couldn't relate
[Chorus]
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (You couldn't relate)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Yo Quence, you couldn't relate)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
[Consequence]
Quence without the game, now he's back to ball
Drive you insane, drop a tat at the mall
You starin at my Rolls' cold way to long
But I ain't scared of robbers, why I wear tephlon
I took her on the ave and she expect me to trip
But I made up with no style while I bought me some kicks
So if you want the drama holler at ya boy
[Kanye West]
Original rude boy like Pastor Troy
The G-500 is my favorite toy
'Cause it don't look like a thug or a hood
But he keep dem gorilla's so we still be good
By the way my name is K, don't forget the A
And the N-Y-E, out N.Y.C
I'ma still rep the gold, no matter where I go
Everybody say I'm hot, I'm sayin I'm cold
Hate when niggaz leave the city and switch up they reps
On the real homie, I don't get down like that
I'ma milk the game, 'til we all can eat
[Consequence]
Now the Chocolate Factory is what I bump in my jeep
So roll me up a L, but don't lace it with leak
'Cause that shit'll have me zonin for a couple of weeks
[Kanye West]
Now your momma told you let the Cleveland show
'Cause that's the best way to get a nigga with dough
They're fakin pregnancies and Cartier tournier
But she ain't know I'm cheaper than IKEA furniture
[Consequence]
Kanye, White, Malik, Little and D
Menace, Skates to Lou and 'em Puffs from L.B
They know the Consequence be wearin gold and ice
'Cause I got out the projects, where it's flooded with mice
Ey shorty let me tell you 'bout the rules of my Nikes
It seems they always keep on movin, I don't hear nuthin twice
[Chorus]
So relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Don't hear nuthin twice)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Don't hear nuthin twice)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Calm down)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Yeah!)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Yeah!)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (It's the R.O.C.!)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Uhh)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Yeah)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Uh-huh, yeah)
All day long man, we back in town
[Repeat 'til end]
Relax yaself or we'll whack ya down
In the song '03 Electric Relaxation, Kanye West and Consequence team up to warn listeners to relax or face consequences. The chorus emphasizes the importance of chilling out or else being whacked down. Through their verses, Consequence and Kanye both assert themselves as top players in the rap game. Consequence boasts of his ability to mesmerize women with his street poetry and takes pride in working his way up from the streets without fancy cars. Kanye West, on the other hand, makes reference to his success and his association with Roc-A-Fam. He also asserts himself as a rule abider who doesn't let drama get in the way of his success. Overall, the song seems to be a warning to those who get too caught up in the fast-paced, materialistic lifestyle of the modern rap scene to take a deep breath and relax if they want to avoid getting whacked down.
Line by Line Meaning
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Calm down or we'll have to take action
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Stay calm or face the consequences
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Keep your cool or there will be trouble
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Don't get agitated or face the repercussions
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Stay relaxed or we'll take action
All day long man, we back in town
We are back in town all day long
Homie check it out I got her mesmerized
Look at me, I have her under my spell
So won't you hook a chew scorns, she tellin you buy
Can you please buy her something?
Street poetry is how ya boy get paid
I make money by writing poetry
And I wear no Escalade, metallic, black or beige
I don't own an Escalade car
Yo when I walk up in the club you know I do not pay
I don't pay when I go to the club
Aiiyo my man Kanyeezy he got something to say
Listen up, my friend Kanye West has something to say
Aiiyo my name is Kanyeezy from the Roc-A fam
My name is Kanye West from 'Roc-A-Fella' Records
And where the glocks don't jam, so where we pop them scrams
We don't have any gun jams, so we shoot them fast
See I showed you on the champions how we get down
I showed you on the champions how we do things
So don't twist ya lips, I'm like Bobby Brown
Don't talk back to me, I'm like Bobby Brown
You got B2K on all your bedroom wall
You have posters of B2K in your bedroom
But if you be with Kan, gonna work ya walls
But if you are with me, I'll make your walls shake
Straight from the South side of dem Chi-town streets
I'm from the South side of Chicago
The top three in the game, with these here beats
We are the top three artists in the music industry
And if you talk about him, aiiyo I take you out
If you speak about him, I'll take care of you
Either with the nine or the tech's in his mouth
Either with a gun or a tool in his mouth
And let that dime gettin friendly than the orgie's at eight
Let the lady get close, and the party begins
But y'all niggaz don't shine so you couldn't relate
You can't relate because you're not shining like us
Quence without the game, now he's back to ball
Consequence is now back in the game
Drive you insane, drop a tat at the mall
I can make you crazy, and buy a tattoo at the mall
You starin at my Rolls' cold way to long
You've been staring at my Rolls-Royce for too long
But I ain't scared of robbers, why I wear tephlon
But I'm not scared of robbers, that's why I wear bulletproof vest
I took her on the ave and she expect me to trip
I took her to the avenue, and she thought I would get mad
But I made up with no style while I bought me some kicks
But I made up with no problem, while buying shoes
So if you want the drama holler at ya boy
If you want some drama, talk to me
Original rude boy like Pastor Troy
I'm an original rude boy, like Pastor Troy
The G-500 is my favorite toy
My favorite toy is the G-500
'Cause it don't look like a thug or a hood
Because it doesn't look like a thug or a gangster's car
But he keep dem gorilla's so we still be good
But it has enough power to keep us safe
By the way my name is K, don't forget the A
By the way, my name is K. Don't forget the A
And the N-Y-E, out N.Y.C
And the N-Y-E, from New York City
I'ma still rep the gold, no matter where I go
I'll always represent the gold, no matter where I am
Everybody say I'm hot, I'm sayin I'm cold
People say I'm hot, but I say I'm cold
Hate when niggaz leave the city and switch up they reps
I hate when people leave the city and change their style
On the real homie, I don't get down like that
Honestly, I don't do that
I'ma milk the game, 'til we all can eat
I'm going to profit off the game, so we can all benefit
Now the Chocolate Factory is what I bump in my jeep
Now I listen to the Chocolate Factory in my Jeep
So roll me up a L, but don't lace it with leak
Roll me a cigar, but don't add anything extra to it
'Cause that shit'll have me zonin for a couple of weeks
Because that will make me high for a few weeks
Now your momma told you let the Cleveland show
Your momma told you to befriend rich men from Cleveland
'Cause that's the best way to get a nigga with dough
Because that's the best way to find a rich man
They're fakin pregnancies and Cartier tournier
They're pretending to be pregnant and wearing expensive jewelry
But she ain't know I'm cheaper than IKEA furniture
But she doesn't know I'm not as rich as she thinks
Menace, Skates to Lou and 'em Puffs from L.B
Menace, Skates, Lou, and Puffs from L.B
They know the Consequence be wearin gold and ice
They know that Consequence wears gold and diamonds
'Cause I got out the projects, where it's flooded with mice
Because I got out of the projects, where there were many rats
Ey shorty let me tell you 'bout the rules of my Nikes
Hey, let me tell you about the importance of my Nike shoes
It seems they always keep on movin, I don't hear nuthin twice
It seems they always keep me moving, I never hear the same thing twice
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Don't hear nuthin twice)
Stay calm or there will be trouble (You won't hear it twice)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down (Don't hear nuthin twice)
Keep your cool or face the consequences (You won't hear it twice)
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Calm down or we'll have to take action
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Stay calm or face the consequences
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Keep your cool or there will be trouble
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Don't get agitated or face the repercussions
Relax yourself or we'll whack ya down
Stay relaxed or we'll take action
Contributed by Reagan W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jacobbucio5039
refreshing hearing a decade later
@Matt_and_stuff
Fortnite 😔
@soundwavedarnell
Won't lie, im uncultured lmao. I listened to this mixtape back in 2015, and it was actually my solid introduction to tribe. Prior to listening to this, I wasn't that into that golden age of early 90s hip-hop but this got me listen to the original version, which then got me to listen to midnight marauders, which is easily one of my top albums of all time. RIP PHIFE.
@ijones8667
Never young to learn and appreciate classic hip hop
@Milan-vi1bq
same but for me it was through the j cole version 😂😂
@goobert2469
I learnt abt tribe when he mentioned them in last call, good shit
@JuanCarlosFernandez
do fans want a feeling of a tribe called quest but all they got left is this guy called west?
@joshuasalazar1767
47th and Wood #kanyewestforpresident2028 #chitown #BOTY
@chrisblake5678
Better throw him on tracks with freeway and mos def
@cube5884
@Chris Blake Call him Kwali or Kweli, I put him on songs with Jay-Z