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.

Drive Slow (Feat. Paul Wall
Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Boom, b-boom, b-boom-boom

Drive slow homie, drive slow homie
You never know homie, might meet some hoes homie
You need to pump your brakes and drive slow homie

My homie Mali used to stay, 79th and May
One of my best friends from back in the day

Down the street from Calumet, a school full of stones
He nicknamed me K-Rock so they'd leave me alone
Bulls jacket with his hat broke way off
And walked around the mall with his radio face off
Plus he had the spinner from his Daytons in his hand
Keys in his hand, reason again to let you know he's the man
Back when we rocked Ellesses, he had dreams of Caprices
Drove by the teachers, even more by polices
How'd he get the cash? The day his father passed away
Left him with a lil' somethin', sixteen he was stuntin'
Al B. Sure nigga with the hair all wavy
Hit Lake Shore, girls go all crazy
Hit the freeway, go at least 'bout eighty
Boned so much that summer, even had him a baby
See back-back then-then if you had a car
You was the Chi-Town version of Baby
And I was just a virgin, a baby
One of the reasons I looked up to him crazy
I used to love to play my demo tape when the system yanked
Felt like I was almost signed when the shit got cranked
We'll take a Saturday and just circle the mall
They had they Lincolns and Auroras, we was hurtin' 'em all
With the girls a lotta flirtin' involved, but dawg
Fuck all that flirtin', I'm tryna get in some drawers, so
Put me on with these hoes, homie
He told me, "don't rush to get grown, drive slow, homie"

Drive slow homie (drive slow)
You never know, homie, about these hoes homie
You need to pump your brakes and drive slow, homie

What it do? I'm posted up in the parkin' lot, my trunk wavin'
The candy gloss is immaculate, it's simply amazin'
Them elbows pokin' wide on that candy 'Lac
Trunk open, screens on, neon's lit with fifth, relaxed
I'm on a mission for dime pieces and sexy ladies
Allow me to introduce you to my CL Mercedes
It's a star-studded event when I valet park
Open up my mouth and sunlight illuminates the dark
You see them fours crawlin', you see them screens fallin'
The disco ball in my mouth insinuates I'm ballin'
I'm leanin' on the switch, sittin' crooked in my slab
But I could still catch boppers if I drove a cab
A young Houston hard-hitter all about the scrilla
Ridin' somethin' candy coated, crawlin' like a caterpillar
I'm tippin' on them fours, I'm jammin' on that Screw
I'm lookin' for them hoes, baby, what it do? Drive slow homie

Turn your hazard lights on when you see them hoes (drive slow, homie)
If you ridin' around the city with nowhere to go (drive slow, homie)
Live today 'cause tomorrow, man, you never know
You never know, homie, might meet some hoes, homie
You need to pump your brakes and drive slow, homie

My car's like the movie, my car's like the crib
I got more TV's in here than where I live

And that don't make no sense, but, baby, I'm the shit
And everything I flip, you know it's somethin' serious
I got the custom grill, I got the Brabus rims
I got the baller genetics, baby, this evidence
You see a player flickin', and how you ain't convinced
That you should go on and kiss it, just a lil' bit (just a lil' bit)
I wear my custom kicks, I got my Jesus chain
My canaries is gleamin', through my angel wings
They see me, hoes actin like they seen a king
With that mean lean, smokin' on that finest Cali green
My woodgrain oak, I'm ridin' on Vogues
My cylinder quiet, like tip-toes
I sold O's, and this I know
When you see them hoes, lil' homie drive slow (drive slow)

Yeah
Boom, b-boom, b-boom-boom
Drive slow homie
Drive slow homie
You never know, homie, might meet some hoes, homie

You need to pump your brakes and drive slow, homie
Drive slow homie

Overall Meaning

“Drive Slow” is a song by Kanye West, featuring Paul Wall and GLC. The song is from Kanye West’s second album, Late Registration, which was released in 2005. The lyrics focus on the rap lifestyle and the dangers of speeding through life. The song also mentions the importance of not rushing to grow up and taking time to enjoy life.

The first verse of the song is narrated by Kanye West and tells the story of his friend Mali, who he looked up to and admired when he was younger. Mali drove a fancy car and had money, which he inherited when his father passed away. The verse highlights the duality of their friendship, with Kanye learning from Mali and also feeling the pressure to keep up with him.

The second verse is rapped by Paul Wall, who talks about his own fancy car and the attention he receives from women because of it. He emphasizes the importance of taking it slow and enjoying life, rather than rushing through it.

Overall, “Drive Slow” is a song that encourages listeners to take their time and appreciate life, rather than rushing through it and missing out on the important things.

Line by Line Meaning

Boom, b-boom, b-boom-boom
The sound of a heavy bass in the background of the song.

Drive slow homie, drive slow homie
Kanye is telling the listener to take it easy and drive slowly.

You never know homie, might meet some hoes homie
While driving slowly, you might come across some attractive people.

You need to pump your brakes and drive slow homie
The listener needs to slow down and be cautious while driving.

My homie Mali used to stay, 79th and May
Kanye is reminiscing about his friend Mali who used to live in a certain area.

One of my best friends from back in the day
Mali was one of Kanye's closest friends from his past.

Down the street from Calumet, a school full of stones
Mali lived near a school that was known for its strict discipline and strict teachers.

He nicknamed me K-Rock so they'd leave me alone
Mali gave Kanye a nickname so that he wouldn't get bullied by the other kids at school.

Bulls jacket with his hat broke way off
Mali wore a Chicago Bulls jacket with his hat set back on his head.

And walked around the mall with his radio face off
Mali would walk through the mall without music playing on his radio.

Plus he had the spinner from his Daytons in his hand
Mali had a spinner on his car wheel.

Keys in his hand, reason again to let you know he's the man
Mali always had his keys in his hand, showing off his car and letting people know he was in control.

Back when we rocked Ellesses, he had dreams of Caprices
Kanye and Mali used to wear a clothing brand called Ellesse and Mali dreamed of owning a Chevrolet Caprice car.

Drove by the teachers, even more by polices
Mali would drive past his school's teachers and even police officers just to show off his car.

How'd he get the cash? The day his father passed away
Mali received money from his father's will after he passed away.

Left him with a lil' somethin', sixteen he was stuntin'
Mali received a small inheritance at the age of sixteen and used it to show off his wealth.

Al B. Sure nigga with the hair all wavy
Kanye is comparing Mali to a musician named Al B. Sure who had wavy hair.

Hit Lake Shore, girls go all crazy
When driving on Lake Shore Drive, women would go crazy over Mali's car.

Hit the freeway, go at least 'bout eighty
Mali would drive at high speeds on the freeway.

Boned so much that summer, even had him a baby
Mali had many sexual encounters that summer and even fathered a child.

See back-back then-then if you had a car
Kanye is talking about a time in the past when owning a car was a big deal.

You was the Chi-Town version of Baby
If you owned a car in Chicago, you were like the rapper Baby from New Orleans who was known for his cars.

And I was just a virgin, a baby
At that time, Kanye was still a virgin and inexperienced.

One of the reasons I looked up to him crazy
Kanye admired Mali's confidence and status in their community.

I used to love to play my demo tape when the system yanked
Kanye enjoyed playing his music loudly in Mali's car's sound system.

Felt like I was almost signed when the shit got cranked
The music sounded so good in Mali's car, Kanye felt like a record label would want to sign him.

We'll take a Saturday and just circle the mall
Kanye and Mali would spend their Saturdays driving around the mall parking lot.

They had they Lincolns and Auroras, we was hurtin' 'em all
Other people at the mall had expensive cars like Lincolns and Oldsmobile Auroras, but Kanye and Mali's car was still impressive.

With the girls a lotta flirtin' involved, but dawg
Kanye and Mali would frequently flirt with girls at the mall.

Fuck all that flirtin', I'm tryna get in some drawers, so
Kanye is no longer interested in just flirting and wants to have sex.

Put me on with these hoes, homie
Kanye is asking Mali to help him find some women to have sex with.

He told me, "don't rush to get grown, drive slow, homie"
Mali advised Kanye to not rush into adulthood and to take his time on the journey.

Turn your hazard lights on when you see them hoes (drive slow, homie)
Kanye advises others to slow down and be cautious when approaching attractive people.

If you ridin' around the city with nowhere to go (drive slow, homie)
Kanye advises people to not drive around aimlessly and to take their time when on the road.

Live today 'cause tomorrow, man, you never know
Kanye reminds us that life is unpredictable and we should enjoy what we have while we have it.

My car's like the movie, my car's like the crib
Kanye's car is like a mobile home or a movie theater.

I got more TV's in here than where I live
Kanye's car has more TVs than his actual home does.

And that don't make no sense, but, baby, I'm the shit
Kanye is acknowledging that his car's TV setup is excessive, but he doesn't care because he feels like a boss.

And everything I flip, you know it's somethin' serious
Everything Kanye owns is of high quality and shows his wealth.

I got the custom grill, I got the Brabus rims
Kanye's car has a unique grill and expensive rims made by Brabus.

I got the baller genetics, baby, this evidence
Kanye has natural talent and skills that make him stand out from the crowd.

You see a player flickin', and how you ain't convinced
When you see Kanye's car and wealth, you should be convinced that he is a successful player.

That you should go on and kiss it, just a lil' bit (just a lil' bit)
Kanye is telling women to kiss him and his wealth, even if just a little bit.

I wear my custom kicks, I got my Jesus chain
Kanye wears customized shoes and a chain with a Jesus pendant.

My canaries is gleamin', through my angel wings
Kanye's diamonds are shiny, and the pendant on his chain has wings.

They see me, hoes actin like they seen a king
Women react to Kanye as if he is royalty because of his wealth and success.

With that mean lean, smokin' on that finest Cali green
Kanye drives with a cool confidence and smokes high-quality marijuana from California.

My woodgrain oak, I'm ridin' on Vogues
The interior of Kanye's car has a woodgrain design, and he drives on Vogue brand tires.

My cylinder quiet, like tip-toes
The engine in Kanye's car is quiet like someone walking on tiptoes.

I sold O's, and this I know
Kanye sold drugs in the past.

When you see them hoes, lil' homie drive slow (drive slow)
Kanye is advising younger people to be cautious when approaching attractive women on the road.

Yeah
Just a vocal expression of agreement or acknowledgement at the end of the song.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edwards Doug, Harris Leonard, Kanye West, Richardson Thomas, Slayton Paul, Trotter Warren

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS