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 Canβt Be Life, a track from Jay-Zβs The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West said he sped up the drum beat of Dr. Dreβs Xxplosive to use as a replacement for his drums on This Canβt 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 Olβ Dirty Bastard were some of his all-time favorites. Said Kanye West: βWu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this all the timeβ¦ 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.β
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 BeyoncΓ© 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 BeyoncΓ© 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. Kanyeβs 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 Kanyeβs 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 Gravβs 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, Camβron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and John Legend among others. He also βghost-producedβ for his once mentor Deric Angelettie according to his song Last Call and the credits of Nasβ 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 partnershipsβincluding his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciagaβafter making antisemitic statements.
All Day feat. Travis $cott
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How long you niggas ball? All day, nigga
How much time you spent at the mall? All day, nigga
How many runners do you got on call? All day, nigga
Swish, swish, how long they keep you in court? All day, nigga
Take you to get this fly? All day, nigga
Tell your P.O. How-how long you been high? All day, nigga
South, south, south side! All day, nigga
This Ye, nigga
Shoppin' for the winter, and it's just May, nigga
Ball so hard, man, this shit cray, nigga
And you ain't gettin' money 'less you got eight figures
For that Jesus piece, man, I've been saved, nigga
Just talked to Farrakhan, that's sensei, nigga
Told him I've been on ten since the 10th grade, nigga
Got a middle finger longer than Dikembe, my nigga, uh
I don't let 'em play with me
I don't let 'em talk to me no kind of way
Uh, they better watch what they say to me
People still gettin' popped on the day to day
Though I still got the 100 with the small face, nigga
Might spend 50 racks on my off day, nigga
You a fake Denzel like the Allstate nigga
If you run into me, better have Allstate with you, uh
You a Rico Suave, nigga
Ride around listening to Sade, nigga
If you ain't with us, you in our way, nigga
You an actor, you should be on Broadway, nigga
Cause you do shit the broad way, nigga
Your bitch got an ass, but my broad way thicker
Late for the class, in the hallway, nigga
Yeah, the dropout at it as always, nigga, as always
All day, nigga
I took a deep sweet breath, and I reached into my head
Gave him what I had left
At that moment I dispersed
All day, nigga
How-h-how long you ball? All day, nigga
How much time you spent at the mall? All day, nigga
How long it take you to get this fly? All day, nigga
Tell your P.O. How-how long you been high? All day, nigga
Pour some Hen out for my niggas that died, all day, nigga
And I keep a bad bitch on the passenger side, all day, nigga
You already know that I'm straight from the Chi, all day, nigga
South, south, south side! All day, nigga
I could do this all day, boy, I'm finna turn this bitch out
They need that Ye in the streets, boy, there's been a motherfucking drought
Don't really matter what I make, boy, you know I still go wild
Like a light skinned slave, boy, we in the mothafuckin' house
Right now, lookin' real sus right now
I swear I've been on this flight like a month right now
Stupid niggas gettin' money, Forrest Gump right now
Shout-out to Jackie Chan, I need to stunt right now
They've been lookin' at the Gram, I've been lookin' at the Grammys
Like, woo, that's us right now
24/7, 365 days, everybody gettin' paid
Niggas lookin' at me like I'm worth both MJs
People saying, "Ye, Ye, take it easy"
20 Gs for the Yeezy's off of eBay
Niggas do the most and they ain't done shit
Only way I can sum it up, son of a bitch
(Hands up, hands up)
Some want you dead, ay
All day nigga
I took a deep sweet breath, and I reached into my head
Gave him what I had left
At that moment I dispersed
Get low, alright
Get low, alright
What up? Alright, alright
Stay low, alright
Stay low, alright
South, south, south side, all day nigga
Well, well, well
Let me run
Let me run to see who came undone
You've been right in my face
Let me run 'til you're off my case
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
The lyrics to Kanye West's song "All Day" are fast-paced and full of braggadocio, with West boasting about his wealth, status, and supremacy in the music industry. The main refrain "All day, nigga" is a direct challenge to anyone who would dare question him, or his position as a hip-hop superstar. The song opens with a series of questions, all of which are answered with the same response: "All day, nigga." These questions target various aspects of a rapper's lifestyle, such as how much money they have, how many runners they have on call, and how fashionable they are. Later in the song, West makes references to his own life, describing his conversation with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, and his middle finger which is famously longer than Dikembe Mutombo's.
In the second verse, West takes lyrical aim at those who would dare to challenge him, warning that he won't tolerate any disrespect or negativity. He specifically calls out those who are "fake Denzels" and those who "do shit the broad way." The former is a reference to actor Denzel Washington, while the latter likely refers to those who follow the conventional path to success rather than forging their own way. West also mentions his own tendency to be disruptive and unconventional, describing himself as a "dropout." He closes the song with the lines "Let me run/til you're off my case," suggesting that he will continue to push boundaries and challenge his critics.
Line by Line Meaning
All day, nigga
I can do this all day, every day.
How long you niggas ball? All day, nigga
How long have you and your crew been living the high life?
How much time you spent at the mall? All day, nigga
How much time have you spent shopping and flexing your wealth?
How many runners do you got on call? All day, nigga
How many employees do you have on standby, waiting to serve you?
Swish, swish, how long they keep you in court? All day, nigga
How long have you had to deal with the legal consequences of your actions?
Take you to get this fly? All day, nigga
How much time and money did it take to get dressed up in your flashy outfit?
Tell your P.O. How-how long you been high? All day, nigga
Tell your probation officer how long you've been getting high and breaking the law.
You already know I'm straight from the Chi, all day, nigga
You already know I'm from Chicago, and I represent it everyday.
South, south, south side! All day, nigga
I'm from the South Side of Chicago, and I'm proud of where I come from.
This Ye, nigga
This is me, Kanye West.
Shoppin' for the winter, and it's just May, nigga
I shop for clothes out of season because I can afford to.
Ball so hard, man, this shit cray, nigga
I'm living such an extravagant lifestyle that it's crazy.
And you ain't gettin' money 'less you got eight figures
You're not truly wealthy unless you have at least $10 million.
For that Jesus piece, man, I've been saved, nigga
I wear a necklace with a Jesus symbol to show that I have faith in God.
Just talked to Farrakhan, that's sensei, nigga
I recently talked to Louis Farrakhan, who I consider to be my teacher and mentor.
Told him I've been on ten since the 10th grade, nigga
I told him that I've been ambitious and hardworking since I was in 10th grade.
Got a middle finger longer than Dikembe, my nigga, uh
I'm not afraid to give people the middle finger when they disrespect me.
I don't let 'em play with me
I don't let people treat me like a fool or take advantage of me.
I don't let 'em talk to me no kind of way
I don't let people speak to me with disrespect or rude behavior.
Uh, they better watch what they say to me
People should be careful with what they say when they're around me.
People still gettin' popped on the day to day
People are still getting killed or arrested every single day in the places where I come from.
Though I still got the 100 with the small face, nigga
I still carry a $100 bill with a small image of Benjamin Franklin on it.
Might spend 50 racks on my off day, nigga
I might spend $50,000 on my day off, just to show that I can.
You a fake Denzel like the Allstate nigga
You're trying to be like the actor Denzel Washington, but you're as fake as the Allstate Insurance spokesperson.
If you run into me, better have Allstate with you, uh
If you ever meet me, you better have some form of protection or backup.
You a Rico Suave, nigga
You're trying to act smooth and charming like the character Rico Suave from the 1990s.
Ride around listening to Sade, nigga
You drive around in your car listening to the music of the singer Sade.
If you ain't with us, you in our way, nigga
If you're not on our team or helping us, you're slowing us down or obstructing our progress.
You an actor, you should be on Broadway, nigga
You're such a good actor that you should be performing on the stages of Broadway in New York City.
Cause you do shit the broad way, nigga
You do things in such an extravagant and over-the-top way that it's like a Broadway production.
Your bitch got an ass, but my broad way thicker
Your girlfriend has a nice butt, but my female companions are even more attractive and curvy.
Late for the class, in the hallway, nigga
I don't always show up on time for classes or appointments, and I tend to wander in the hallways instead.
Yeah, the dropout at it as always, nigga, as always
Yes, I am a college dropout, but I've still managed to be successful and stay productive.
I took a deep sweet breath, and I reached into my head
Gave him what I had left
At that moment I dispersed
I took a moment to reflect and focus on my thoughts, gave it my all, and at that moment, I felt relieved and released my emotions.
Get low, alright
Get low, alright
What up? Alright, alright
Stay low, alright
Stay low, alright
South, south, south side, all day nigga
Let's keep a low profile, stay in control, and represent the South Side of Chicago together.
Let me run
Let me run to see who came undone
You've been right in my face
Let me run 'til you're off my case
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Let me run away and escape my troubles and conflicts, so I can come back and deal with them later.
Lyrics Β© A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: VICTOR MENSAH, MARIO WINANS, SEAN COMBS, KANYE WEST, ERNEST BROWN III, CHE POPE, PATRICK REYNOLDS, ALLEN RITTER, CYDEL YOUNG, KENDRICK LAMAR, KARIM KHARBOUCH, NOAH GOLDSTEIN, RENNARD EAST, PAUL MCCARTNEY, MIKE DEAN, CHARLES NJAPA, TYLER BRYANT, ALLAN KYAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@abellambessa1216
Man this duo is too π₯. Wish they did a tour together. Travisβs energy and ad libs mesh with Ye well. Heβs the perfect hype man.
@omen9431
If weβre talking about music Travis is like Kanyeβs son. Thereβs some moments on Rodeo where his voice sounds exactly like Kanye. They used to have the same subject matter but now they changed but nonetheless Travis is the most similar to Kanye when it comes to music.
@sufyaanriaz4767
@@omen9431 perfectly saidππ½
@Eric-rl2zm
If we are talking about business hes his son too travis killed this year
@renevazquez8621
This crowd is amazing. You can Feel the energy.
@ogkush6490
Two of the greatest live performers on the same stage??? GOAT SHIT ππ₯
@chi-townconcerts3485
Travis is the new Kanye with live performances
@jay9245
fr
@MyBihLuhCoco
Imagine being a white person in the crowd lol
@MarchOfMonarchs
imagine posting this comment.