Ye, born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, is an American rapper, singer, s… Read Full Bio ↴Ye, born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. He is one of the most prominent figures in hip hop, known for his diverse musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After dropping out of college to pursue a career in music, West began producing for regional artists in the Chicago area. As an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, he co-produced albums including Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001) before signing with the label as a recording artist. West's debut studio album, The College Dropout (2004), received critical acclaim and produced the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Slow Jamz." He topped the chart four other times with the singles "Gold Digger" (2005), "Stronger" (2007), "E.T." (2011, as a featured artist), and "Carnival" (2024).

West's second and third studio albums, Late Registration (2005) and Graduation (2007), both debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, with the latter becoming his most commercially successful to date. Three of his subsequent albums—808s & Heartbreak (2008), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), and The Life of Pablo (2016)—were certified triple platinum, while Yeezus (2013) was certified double platinum. Although not as well-received critically as his previous works, Ye (2018), Jesus Is King (2019), and Donda (2021) continued West's streak of consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200. West has also released collaborative albums including Watch the Throne (2011) with Jay-Z, Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Kid Cudi, and Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 (2024) with Ty Dolla Sign. In fashion design, he has collaborated with Nike, Inc., Louis Vuitton, and Gap Inc. on clothing and footwear, and led the Yeezy collaboration with Adidas.

One of the world's best-selling music artists with 160 million records sold, West has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint 11th-most of all time and the most awarded for any hip hop artist along with Jay-Z. His other accolades include a Billboard Artist Achievement Award, a joint-record three Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist, and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. West holds the joint record with Bob Dylan for most albums (four) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. West's first six solo albums were included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020, with the same publication naming him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

West's outspoken views have received significant media coverage. He has been a frequent source of controversy due to his conduct on social media, at award shows, and in public settings, as well as his comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, race, and slavery. His Christian faith, high-profile marriage to Kim Kardashian, and mental health have also been topics of media attention. In 2020, West launched an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that advocated for a consistent life ethic. In October 2022, he was widely condemned and lost many sponsors and partnerships, including his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga, after making a series of antisemitic statements, including denying the Holocaust.

Bring Me Down
Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
Way down, way down
One day, they'd tried to bring me down
Always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
Way down, they'd try to bring me down

We gon' to mass today, we have to pray
Besides what the pastor say, I have to say

Since Pac passed away
Most you rappers don't even deserve a track from me
You see, if you ever wanted to ever be anything
There'd always be somebody that shoot down any dream
There'll always be haters, that's the way it is
Hater niggas marry hater bitches and have hater kids
But they gon' have to take my life 'fore they take my drive
'Cause when I was barely livin', that's what kept me alive
Just the thought that maybe it could be better than what we at at this time
Make it out of this grind, 'fore I'm out of my mind
And get some leeway on the he say, she say
Your girl don't like me, how long has she been gay?
Spanish girls say "Yo, no hablo inglés"
And everybody want to run to me for their single
It's funny how these wack niggas need my help
Wasn't around when I couldn't feed myself
Dawg, if I was you, I wouldn't feel myself
Dawg, if I was you, I'd kill myself
Made a mil' myself and I'm still myself
And I'mma look in the mirror if I need some help
Y'all don't from the heart, y'all all frontin'
Everybody feel a way about K but at least y'all feel something

Why you come here
I bet it only it was forget to get you
What kind of dream we found

See I'm often at your cross ways
Forgetting it was that Heaven let ya
They'd tried to bring me down

I always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
Way down, way down
Always knew that one day, they'd tried to bring me down
Way down, they'd try to bring me down
Always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
Way down, they'd try to bring me down, down down, down down, no no no

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Kanye West's song, "Bring Me Down" speak to the concept of haters and the lengths they will go to bring successful individuals down. Kanye, who has achieved an incredible amount of success himself, understands that with success comes jealousy and envy from others who may do whatever it takes to tear someone else down. The repeated lines of "I always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down, way down" reinforce the idea that these attacks are inevitable, but Kanye refuses to let them take him off of his path towards success.

In the second verse, Kanye hints at the negative impact that being in the rap game has had on him. He acknowledges that while he has made a name for himself and many rappers look up to him, he is still vulnerable to criticism and opposition. However, instead of letting these negative feelings consume him, Kanye uses them as motivation to keep going and to keep striving for greatness. He recognizes that it is his drive and ambition that has allowed him to succeed, and he will never let anyone take that away from him.

Overall, "Bring Me Down" is a powerful reminder to never let others bring you down or discourage you from following your dreams. Kanye's message highlights the importance of perseverance and staying true to oneself, despite the obstacles that may arise on the path to success.

Line by Line Meaning

I always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
From the beginning, I was aware that people would try to hinder my success

Way down, way down
The level these people will stoop to bring me down is extremely low

We gon' to mass today, we have to pray
We're going to church today, we need to pray for strength and support

Besides what the pastor say, I have to say
I have my own personal issues to deal with that only I can address

Since Pac passed away
Since Tupac Shakur died

Most you rappers don't even deserve a track from me
The majority of rappers aren't skilled enough to collaborate with me

You see, if you ever wanted to ever be anything
If you aspire to succeed at anything

There'd always be somebody that shoot down any dream
There will always be people who will criticize and discourage your aspirations

There'll always be haters, that's the way it is
Haters are a part of life, and we have to learn how to deal with them

Hater niggas marry hater bitches and have hater kids
Haters often attract and marry other haters, passing on their negative traits to their children

But they gon' have to take my life 'fore they take my drive
My motivation and passion are so strong that even if people try to stop me, they will have to kill me to do so

'Cause when I was barely livin', that's what kept me alive
In difficult times, the thought of achieving success is what kept me motivated to keep living

Just the thought that maybe it could be better than what we at at this time
The idea that things could be better than they currently are drives me to work hard and improve

Make it out of this grind, 'fore I'm out of my mind
I need to succeed and escape from this difficult lifestyle before it drives me crazy

And get some leeway on the he say, she say
I need some space from rumors and gossip about me and others

Your girl don't like me, how long has she been gay?
I find it funny that people blame me for their relationship problems

Spanish girls say "Yo, no hablo inglés"
Spanish-speaking women often say "I don't speak English," when they want to avoid conversing with me

And everybody want to run to me for their single
Everyone wants me to help them create a hit song

It's funny how these wack niggas need my help
I find it amusing that mediocre rappers come to me for assistance

Wasn't around when I couldn't feed myself
The people who now want my help were nowhere to be found when I was struggling to survive

Dawg, if I was you, I wouldn't feel myself
If I were in your position, I wouldn't be as confident or arrogant as you are

Dawg, if I was you, I'd kill myself
If I were in your position, I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure you're under

Made a mil' myself and I'm still myself
Even after achieving financial success, I haven't changed who I am as a person

And I'mma look in the mirror if I need some help
If I need assistance, I will look to myself before seeking help from others

Y'all don't from the heart, y'all all frontin'
Most people don't speak from their heart, they just pretend

Everybody feel a way about K but at least y'all feel something
People may have negative or positive feelings towards me, but I'm happy that they care enough to have any feelings at all

Why you come here
Why did you show up here?

I bet it only it was forget to get you
I'm sure you only came here because you forgot something and needed to retrieve it

What kind of dream we found
What kind of dream have we discovered?

See I'm often at your cross ways
I often find myself conflicted when it comes to your actions

Forgetting it was that Heaven let ya
You forget that you have been blessed by God

They'd tried to bring me down
People have tried to stop my success, but they have failed

Way down, way down
They have tried to bring me down to a very low level

Always knew that one day, they'd tried to bring me down
I always knew that people would attempt to hinder my progress

Way down, they'd try to bring me down
They will try to bring me to a very low level

Always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
I was always aware that people would try to stop my success

Way down, they'd try to bring me down, down down, down down, no no no
They will try to bring me down to a very low level, but I refuse to let them succeed

Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kanye West, Jon Brion, Antony Williams

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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