Ye (born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia), profession… Read Full Bio ↴Ye (born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia), professionally known as Kanye West, is a Grammy award-winning American rapper, producer, singer, author, director, performance artist and fashion designer.

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.

Back Like That
Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come through the block in the brand new Benz
Knowing that me and that nigga ain't friends
(OK girl) Yeah what I did was wack
But you don't get a nigga back like that
Flossin' around when I'm up in these streets
Knowing that me and that nigga got beef
(OK girl) Yo, what I did was wack
But don't get a nigga back like that, no!

I'm high power put Eva Mendez to sleep
That bitch been on my mind all week
But back to you Mac gloss chick, you way thick
How you have everything in this world and waste it
Quince told don't worry it'll be okay, I'm so sick like Ne-Yo say
I'm laid back like Ne-Yo soul I holla back at this creo hoe
She from the N-O but she never told me N.O so
We hit the spot to chill where the food get grilled
She order the Kobe beef like Shaquille O'Neil
The second I walked in the whole room got still
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal
And she conceited, she gotta reason
She got her hair did, she got her weave in and I'ma sweat that out
By the evening you, I don't sweat that now I gotta new

Come through the block in the brand new Benz
Knowing that me and that nigga ain't friends
(OK girl) Yeah what I did was wack
But you don't get a nigga back like that
Flossin' around when I'm up in these streets
Knowing that me and that nigga got beef
(OK girl) Yo, what I did was wack
But don't get a nigga back like that, no!

Oh girl I cant believe you zoned out
Played me for this dude nice shoes and a bottle of co-style
I'm that Don Wilson, 1st 1 to put you up 6 weeks in the resident Hilton
Mink Coates, colorful stones and big stacks
Yeah I was fucking but you don't get me back like that, causing me grief
You know me and homie had beef
Now you got me losing my mind out up in these streets
You flamingo, showing your true colors
I heard u was ducking low when you see my brothers
But it's all good I move from ex ta next
I got the baddest little chick ta sign off for the checks
Fat bubble, her bodies like one of the best
But I don't need to say nothin' ask Kanye West
She eye candy, smoother than Godiva chocolate
And you mad cause you played yourself - it's your fault chick

Come through the block in the brand new Benz
Knowing that me and that nigga ain't friends
(OK girl) Yeah what I did was wack
But you don't get a nigga back like that
Flossin' around when I'm up in these streets
Knowing that me and that nigga got beef
(OK girl) Yo, what I did was wack
But don't get a nigga back like that, no!

Shot through the heart, the girl caught me
Shot through the block, with him shot gun
He lucky, I ain't stop, copped the shotgun
Killah type cat, you better be glad, I'm not one
Had a couple stars up in my sky
She was my moon and my sunshine
Dude ain't even fly, he just some guy
You blamed yourself, I'm done, peace, one

Come through the block in the brand new Benz
Knowing that me and that nigga ain't friends
(OK girl) Yeah what I did was wack
But you don't get a nigga back like that
Flossin' around when I'm up in these streets
Knowing that me and that nigga got beef

(OK girl) Yo, what I did was wack
But don't get a nigga back like that, no!

Overall Meaning

The song "Back Like That" by Kanye West Ft. Ne-Yo talks about a man who has made a mistake and lost the affection of his lover. He arrives in a brand new Benz and acknowledges that they are not friends with the other guy. He admits that what he did was wrong, but this doesn't justify her sleeping with someone else to get back at him. The singer mentions a woman named Eva Mendez, who's been on his mind all week but he shifts back to the situation at hand. He talks about the girl's materialistic nature, mentioning that she has everything in the world but wastes it. The girl seems conceited and has her hair done and weave in. The singer also talks about a Kobe beef meal that they had at a spot to chill. The girl is self-centered and flaunts her curves, and the singer is no longer sweating her.

The chorus implies that the singer is asking his lover not to retaliate by sleeping with another man. He knew that he did something wrong, but it doesn't warrant her doing the same in revenge. The song also touches on the main theme of the 2006 album "Fishscale" by Ghostface Killah. It seems to be in response to Ghostface Killah's "Back Like That" featuring Ne-Yo, which was released before West's version.

Line by Line Meaning

Come through the block in the brand new Benz
I pulled up in a brand new Benz

Knowing that me and that nigga ain't friends
I know that guy and I don't get along

(OK girl) Yeah what I did was wack
I made a mistake

But you don't get a nigga back like that
But it's not right to seek revenge like you did

Flossin' around when I'm up in these streets
I'm flaunting my wealth on the streets

Knowing that me and that nigga got beef
Despite the fact that me and that guy have problems

(OK girl) Yo, what I did was wack
I made a mistake

But don't get a nigga back like that, no!
But that doesn't justify your actions either

I'm high power put Eva Mendez to sleep
I'm a powerful man, even Eva Mendez can't resist me

That bitch been on my mind all week
I've been thinking about her a lot

But back to you Mac gloss chick, you way thick
But let's focus on you, you're very attractive

How you have everything in this world and waste it
You have everything in life, but you waste it

Quince told don't worry it'll be okay, I'm so sick like Ne-Yo say
Quince said, don't worry, things will get better, but I'm still struggling like Ne-Yo sings about

I'm laid back like Ne-Yo soul I holla back at this creo hoe
I'm relaxed like Ne-Yo, and I'm going to talk to this Hispanic girl

She from the N-O but she never told me N.O so
She's from New Orleans, but she never told me that before

We hit the spot to chill where the food get grilled
We went to a place to eat grilled food and relax

She order the Kobe beef like Shaquille O'Neil
She ordered expensive Kobe beef like Shaquille O'Neil would

The second I walked in the whole room got still
The moment I entered the room, everyone quieted down

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal
I don't want to brag, but I'm a very important person

And she conceited, she gotta reason
She's very self-centered and has her reasons

She got her hair did, she got her weave in and I'ma sweat that out
She styled her hair and put in a weave, but I don't really care

By the evening you, I don't sweat that now I gotta new
By the end of the night, I won't care about her, I have someone new

Oh girl I cant believe you zoned out
I can't believe you ignored me

Played me for this dude nice shoes and a bottle of co-style
You left me for a guy with nice shoes and a bottle of cologne

I'm that Don Wilson, 1st 1 to put you up 6 weeks in the resident Hilton
I'm like Don Wilson, the first one to give you a six week stay in a resident Hilton

Mink Coates, colorful stones and big stacks
I wear expensive clothing and jewelry and carry lots of cash

Yeah I was fucking but you don't get me back like that, causing me grief
Yes, I did cheat on you, but that doesn't give you the right to cause me problems

You know me and homie had beef
You know that other guy and I have problems

Now you got me losing my mind out up in these streets
You've made me go crazy in the streets

You flamingo, showing your true colors
You're like a flamingo, showing your true colors and revealing who you really are

I heard u was ducking low when you see my brothers
I heard you were avoiding my brothers when you saw them

But it's all good I move from ex ta next
But it's all good, I'm moving on from this relationship to the next one

I got the baddest little chick ta sign off for the checks
I have a very attractive girl who is willing to sign off on checks

Fat bubble, her bodies like one of the best
She has a great body, with a big butt

But I don't need to say nothin' ask Kanye West
But I don't need to say anything, ask Kanye West about her

She eye candy, smoother than Godiva chocolate
She's very attractive, with skin as smooth as Godiva chocolate

And you mad cause you played yourself - it's your fault chick
And you're angry because you caused this yourself - it's your fault, girl

Shot through the heart, the girl caught me
I fell in love with her

Shot through the block, with him shot gun
Someone shot at me while I was on the street with someone else who had a shotgun

He lucky, I ain't stop, copped the shotgun
He's lucky I didn't stop and grab my own shotgun

Killah type cat, you better be glad, I'm not one
I'm a dangerous guy, you should be glad I'm not violent

Had a couple stars up in my sky
I had some celebrities in my orbit

She was my moon and my sunshine
She was my everything

Dude ain't even fly, he just some guy
That guy isn't even cool, he's just a regular guy

You blamed yourself, I'm done, peace, one
You realized your mistakes and I'm done with this relationship, peace out

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: V. Brown, Vernon Brown, Shawn Carter, Shawn C Carter, Dennis Coles, Douglas Gibbs, Willie Hutch, R. Johnson, Shaffer Smith

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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