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.
Buy You A Drank
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah ho yea
Snap ya fingaz do ya step you can do it by yaself
Play pal what up
Excuse me but this
Verse has not been russel simmons approved
Na-ah, you wont see it on run's house
My new york nigga say he heard it as sun's house
Talking about how this hoe is pro as my low is
Baby it's my low-eds maby I'm just bogus
'cause she don't want you to buy her a drink
Swiss said she aint got no money in the bank
And she be standing there
'cause its camerous trying show your legs off
You aint amerie
If I fall in love the girls gone live on the day-o
Into the day-o, she take the mono rail
And I don't want no girl that will answer to ayo
Making more hard, and make me put some work in
You get the flirting, playa just perfect
Fuck a drink, imma buy the bar if you work it
Baby girl whats your name?
Lemme talk to ya, lemme buy you a drink
Im t-pain you know me convict music nappy boy oh wee
I know the club close at 3
Whats the chances of you roll'n with me
Back to the crib show you how I live
Lets get drunk 'n forget what we did
I'ma buy you a drink ooho wee
Ooh I'ma take you home with me
I got money in the bank
Shawty what you think 'bout that
Ill be in the grey cadillac
We in the bed like ooh ooh
We in the bed like ooh ooh
Talk to me, I talk back
Lets talk money, I talk that
Crunk juice bombs, oakley shades
Shawty got class, oh behave
Lets get gone, walk it out (now walk it out)
Just like that that's what im talkin' 'bout
We gon' have fun you gon' see
On that patrone you should get like me
I'ma buy you a drink ooh wee
Ooh I'ma take you home with me
I got money in the bank
Shawty what you think 'bout that
Ill be in the grey cadillac
We in the bed like ooh ooh
We in the bed like ooh ooh
Let's get gone
Let's get gone
Walk it out (now walk it think about it, aw snap)
Now rock rock rock rock
You can do it all by yourself
Let's get gone
Let's get gone
Walk it out (now walk it think about it, aw snap)
Now rock rock rock rock
You can do it all by yourself
I'ma buy you a drink ooh wee
Ooh I'ma take you home with me
I got money in the bank
Shawty what you think 'bout that
Ill be in the grey cadillac
We in the bed like ooh ooh
We in the bed like ooh ooh
The song "Buy You A Drank" by Kanye West/T-Pain/UGK is a track full of braggadocio, suave pick-up lines, and smooth autotuned grooves. The intro starts with T-Pain encouraging the women in the club ("shawty snap, ah ho yea, snap ya fingaz do ya step, you can do it by yaself"), setting the tone for the rest of the track. The first verse, delivered by Pimp C from UGK, brags about his lavish lifestyle and the women who want to be with him. Pimp C boasts about his money, his cars, and his reputation with the ladies. After Pimp C finishes his verse, T-Pain takes over the second verse and offers to buy a girl a drink and take her home with him. Through clever wordplay and autotune-filled melodies, T-Pain uses his smooth talking and celebrity status to woo the woman and take her home for a night of fun.
The songβs lyrics are a series of pick-up lines aimed at wooing women in a club setting. T-Pain, a master of crooning over trap beats, offers to "buy you a drank" if you'll join him for a night of fun. He uses his trademark autotune to create a smooth, almost robotic sound that makes his pick-up lines even more seductive. Pimp C brags about his money, his cars, and his reputation with women. He wants to take the woman home with him and show her a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
Shawty snap
Shorty, snap your fingers to the beat of this song
Ah ho yea
This is a vocalization that means something like βyesβ
Snap ya fingaz do ya step you can do it by yaself
Snap your fingers and then do a dance move by yourself because you don't need a partner to dance
Play pal what up
A casual greeting to a friend or acquaintance
Excuse me but this
I apologize, but please note that this verse has not been approved by Russell Simmons
Verse has not been russel simmons approved
This verse of the song has not been approved by Russell Simmons
Na-ah, you wont see it on run's house
You won't see this song played on the television show Run's House
Na-ah, you wont see it on nuns house
You won't hear this song played in a convent
My new york nigga say he heard it as sun's house
My friend from New York heard this song and thought it said 'sun's house'
Talking about how this hoe is pro as my low is
The song is about a woman who is as professional as I am
Baby it's my low-eds maby I'm just bogus
Maybe I'm lying about my level of professionalism
'cause she don't want you to buy her a drink
The woman does not want me to buy her a drink
Swiss said she aint got no money in the bank
According to Swiss, the woman I am interested in does not have any money in the bank
And she be standing there
The woman is standing here, looking attractive
'cause its camerous trying show your legs off
She is standing there to show off her legs for the camera
You aint amerie
You are not the musician Amerie
If I fall in love the girls gone live on the day-o
If I fall in love, I will live with the woman and every day will be like the song βDay-Oβ
Into the day-o, she take the mono rail
We will take the monorail to get to our destination
And I don't want no girl that will answer to ayo
I don't want a woman who will respond to being called 'ayo'
Making more hard, and make me put some work in
She is making things more difficult for me, and I have to make an effort to impress her
You get the flirting, playa just perfect
You are great at flirting, you are a real player
Fuck a drink, imma buy the bar if you work it
I don't need to buy her a drink, I will buy the entire bar if she impresses me
Baby girl whats your name?
Excuse me, miss, may I ask what your name is?
Lemme talk to ya, lemme buy you a drink
Let me chat with you, and let me buy you a drink
Im t-pain you know me convict music nappy boy oh wee
I am T-Pain, you may know me from my music on the Convict record label, and my alias is 'Nappy Boy'
I know the club close at 3
I am aware that the club will close at 3 in the morning
Whats the chances of you roll'n with me
What are the odds that you would accompany me?
Back to the crib show you how I live
I will take you back to my place and show you how I live
Lets get drunk 'n forget what we did
Let's imbibe alcohol and then have a good time while forgetting what we did
I'ma buy you a drink ooho wee
I will buy you a drink; oh wow
Ooh I'ma take you home with me
I'm going to bring you home with me
I got money in the bank
I have a significant amount of money saved in my bank account
Shawty what you think 'bout that
What do you think of that, girl?
Ill be in the grey cadillac
I will be driving my grey Cadillac
We in the bed like ooh ooh
We are getting intimate in the bed
Talk to me, I talk back
Speak to me, and I will reply in kind
Lets talk money, I talk that
Let's discuss money, as that is a topic of interest to me
Crunk juice bombs, oakley shades
I am enjoying drinking crunk juice and wearing Oakley sunglasses
Shawty got class, oh behave
The girl I'm interested in has a lot of class, so I need to be on my best behavior
Lets get gone, walk it out (now walk it out)
Let's leave now and walk outside (now walk it out)
Just like that that's what im talkin' 'bout
Exactly, that's what I'm saying
We gon' have fun you gon' see
We are going to have a great time, trust me
On that patrone you should get like me
We should drink some Patron together, you will like it
Let's get gone
Let's leave this place and go somewhere else
Walk it out (now walk it think about it, aw snap)
Let's walk outside (and think about it, aw snap)
Now rock rock rock rock
Let's dance to the music
You can do it all by yourself
You don't need a partner to dance, you can do it alone
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alphonso J. Bailey, Darryl R. Richardson, Earl T. Stevens, Faheem Najm, Isaac Hayes III, Jarvis Tremain Griffin, Jasiel Almon T. Robinson, Jonathan H. Smith, Miguel Deangleo Willis, Reginald Michael Jones, Richard Wayne Jr. Sims, Sean Paul Joseph
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AmonsRealm
I miss kanye west and t pain collabs they used to go crazy
@woodybelfort6322
it's been 10 years!!! damm great beat!!
@1bandzzz
Now 3 yrs after
@robertochavez2509
From 0:40 - 0:55 pure gold, the rhyme, the beat, the perfection
@RD-NTN
0:17 - 0:30 for me, the flow of the first sentences is crazy bouncy.
@tylercouture216
the 2000s were the best
@twisted1294
I was 14 when this came out⦠still remember listening to the radio before bed.
@breonkas
Whoever produced this deserves a grammy. I love how the beat changes at 3:44 π€―
@Stackz96
Ye was spitting π₯π₯
@acts562
The beat at the end tho