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.
Erase Me
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She said she don't know me, anymore
I think she hates me deep down, I know she does
She wants to erase me, hm
A couple days no talking, I seen my baby
And this what she tells me
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
And nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
It's like I'm her new nightmare, she ain't escapin'
It makes me feel a bit complete, yeah
Knowing someone you love don't feel the same way about ya
Memories they soon delete, hm
A couple weeks no talking, I seen my baby
I've missed you so damn much, hey
I wish we could start over, I told my baby
This what this bitch tells me, she said
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
And nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
'Cause I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you are you might hear me
I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you go you might see me
Uh, I'm Yeezy
She said "Hi, I'm Aria"
No, you an angel, you wave hi to Aaliyah
I got a show in Korea
They built a new arena
Why don't you come watch a nigga tear the whole scene up?
I know I've seen you before
But don't know where I've seen ya
Oh, I remember now
It's something I that I dreamed of
Don C said she cool
But don't let her fuck ya cream up
Monica Lewinsky on ya dress, take ya to the cleaners
Sure enough a week later I'm in extra love
And everybody know she mine so she extra plug
Every bouncer every club show her extra love
We just praying the new fame don't get the best of us
But all good things gotta come to an end-a
She let it go to her head, no, not my Aria
The height of her shopping was writers blocking me
I couldn't get my shit out anyway, I hope you die, Aria
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking you
Nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
The song "Erase Me" by Kanye West talks about a tumultuous relationship that is on the verge of ending. The first verse sets up the situation, with Kanye reflecting on his partner's disconnection from him. He insists that she wants to erase him, implying the desire to permanently remove him from her memories. In the second verse, Kanye alienates his partner further by confessing that he feels a little more complete now that he knows how little she cares about him. He equates the loss of memory to erasing a person's existence when they are no longer a part of a person's life.
The chorus is sung by Kid Cudi, and it emphasizes the main theme of the song: the difficulty of escaping from someone you loved. The repeated phrases "I keep on running" and "I can't get away from you" capture the struggle to forget and move on. The bridge breaks the fourth wall, with Kanye acknowledging his celebrity status and his omnipresence in the media, but acknowledges that he wishes he could be there for his partner in a more tangible way.
Overall, "Erase Me" is a song about the inability to move on from a relationship, even if it has become toxic. Kanye's lyrics express his frustration and sadness, while Kid Cudi's choruses highlight the difficulty of escaping a person's memories.
Line by Line Meaning
She said I don't spend time like I really should
She is saying that I am not giving her enough attention
She said she don't know me, anymore
She is feeling like she does not understand me
I think she hates me deep down, I know she does
I believe she conceals her hatred towards me
She wants to erase me, hm
She wishes to forget about me and move on from me
I keep on running, keep on running
Trying to escape from our past relationship
And nothing works
Her efforts have yet to prove successful
I can't get away from you, no
She is unable to forget about me entirely
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
I'm trying to avoid any reminders of her
And nothing helps
No matter what she does, she can't overcome her feelings for me
I can't stop missing you, yeah
Thinking about me causes her pain and leaves her with a sense of longing
It's like I'm her new nightmare, she ain't escapin'
My presence feels like a burden and haunts her
It makes me feel a bit complete, yeah
Knowing that I still affect her gives me a sense of satisfaction
Knowing someone you love don't feel the same way about ya
It's painful to realize that our feelings for each other are unbalanced
Memories they soon delete, hm
She tries to forget about me and our relationship by erasing our memories
I've missed you so damn much, hey
I have been longing for her since we last spoke
I wish we could start over, I told my baby
I want to try again and renew our relationship
This what this bitch tells me, she said
She responds with a negative comment or rejection
I'm in the magazines, on the T-V
My fame has put me in the public eye
No matter where you are you might hear me
My music is played everywhere and heard by many
It's something I that I dreamed of
Being famous and recognizable is something I longed for
But don't let her fuck ya cream up
Don't let her ruin your success or your life
We just praying the new fame don't get the best of us
We hope that our newfound fame does not negatively affect our lives
But all good things gotta come to an end-a
Eventually, our relationship came to an end
I hope you die, Aria
I am angry and bitter towards her for leaving me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Romano, James Gregory Scheffer, Kanye Omari West, Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alberto8132
Lyrics
She said I don't spend time like I really should
She said she don't know me, anymore
I think she hates me deep down, I know she does
She wants to erase me, hm
A couple days no talking, I seen my baby
And this what she tells me
She said
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
And nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
It's like I'm her new nightmare, she ain't escapin'
It makes me feel a bit complete, yeah
Knowing someone you love don't feel the same way about ya
Memories they soon delete, hm
A couple weeks no talking, I seen my baby
I've missed you so damn much, hey
I wish we could start over, I told my baby
This what this bitch tells me, she said
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
And nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
Cause I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you are you might hear me
I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you go you might see me
Uh, I'm Yeezy
She said Hi I'm Aria,
No! You an angel you wave hi to Aaliyah
I got a show in Korea
They built a new arena
Why don't you come watch nigga tear the whole scene up
I know I've seen you before
But don't know where I've seen ya
Oh I remember now,
It's something I that I dreamed of
Don C said she cool
But don't let her f-ck ya cream up
Monica Lewinsky on ya dress take ya to the cleaners
Sure enough a week later I'm in extra love
And everybody know she mine so she extra plug
Every bouncer every club show her extra love
We just praying the new fame don't get the best of us
But all good things gotta come to an end-a
She let it go to her head, no not my Aria
The height of her shopping was writers blocking me
I couldn't get my shit out any way, I hope you die Aria
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking you
Nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
@cafesportivo9004
You might not have realized, but in this song, Kanye employs the greatest wordplay of all time with the line:
“I couldn’t get my shit out anyway, I hope you die, Aria”
Explanation:
First, we must go over some history:
Like we learned at the beginning of his verse, the girl that Kanye is addressing a girl whose name is “Aria”.
An Aria (Italian for “air”) is a word that refers to a formal musical composition, in other words, a song.
Now for the full analysis:
The first part of the line is “I couldn’t get my shit out anyway”, and when Kanye raps the word “shit”, he is referencing music, as many people affectionately refer to their possessions or products of their work as their “shit”.
The second part of the line is:
“I hope you die, Aria”
His anger at Aria is due to him not being able to get his “shit” out. Because we have established that Aria is a type of song and prevents Kanye from getting his “shit” out, we can safely say that Aria as a character in the song is a metaphor for the music industry, as it is known that music labels can make it very difficult for artists to release music.
If this was the only meaning of the line, this would easily be top 10 lines of all time, but that’s not all…
Now, you’re going to have to stay with me here, because this gets very complicated.
The last 2 words of Kanye’s verse, “die Aria” sound like the single word “diarrhea”.
Seems random? Well, this is the kicker…
Kanye rapping about not being able to get his “shit out” before is actually a reference to constipation: bowel dysfunction wherein feces cannot exit the rectum easily, leading to large, hard excrement.
Diarrhea can be considered the opposite of constipation, as bowel movements categorized as diarrhea often come out at a rapid rate and are mostly comprised of liquid.
Now, for ultimate conclusion:
By Kanye saying “I hope you die Aria”… he is actually hoping that he is relieved of his constipation, which is a metaphor for his label not letting him put out music.
Any self-respecting hip-hop fan can agree that this is an incredible double entendre and clearly the greatest wordplay of all time.
In my opinion, Kanye should be praised for this more often.
The line not only solidifies Erase Me as the greatest song of all time, but also Kanye as the greatest writer, rapper, artist, and human being of all time.
Thank you.
@lydiakaa5451
Couldn't find anywhere the Lyrics so here you are:
She said I don't spend time like I really should
She said she don't know me, anymore
I think she hates me deep down, I know she does
She wants to erase me, hm
A couple days no talking, I seen my baby
And this what she tells me
She said
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
And nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
It's like I'm her new nightmare, she ain't escapin'
It makes me feel a bit complete, yeah
Knowing someone you love don't feel the same way about ya
Memories they soon delete, hm
A couple weeks no talking, I seen my baby
I've missed you so damn much, hey
I wish we could start over, I told my baby
This what this bitch tells me, she said
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
And nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
'Cause I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you are you might hear me
I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you go you might see me
Uh, I'm Yeezy
She said Hi I'm Aria,
No! You an angel you wave hi to Aaliyah
I got a show in Korea
They built a new arena
Why don't you come watch nigga tear the whole scene up
I know I've seen you before
But don't know where I've seen ya
Oh I remember now,
It's something I that I dreamed of
Don C said she cool
But don't let her f-ck ya cream up
Monica Lewinsky on ya dress take ya to the cleaners
Sure enough a week later I'm in extra love
And everybody know she mine so she extra plug
Every bouncer every club show her extra love
We just praying the new fame don't get the best of us
But all good things gotta come to an end-a
She let it go to her head, no not my Aria
The height of her shopping was writers blocking me
I couldn't get my shit out any way, I hope you die Aria
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking you
Nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
@shawn4white
Remember when kid cudi was more popular than drake lol
@rustyd3817
Kid cudi is more genuinely loved than aubrey
@TrueRattlehead
@@rustyd3817 all that fake love adds up eventually tho
@vishruthvasagam6382
He still is
.
.
.
.
.
At least for us.
@user-qd6im2hp2e
Drake was ascending in 2010
@Joe-yc3kn
Yung Nasty Thug I bet you feel smart for using drakes real name😎😎
@Riddimsofcreation
it sucks when you care for someone and they don't think about you at all
@XXkAoTIcDo0mXX
not really, billions of people in the world... on to the next.
@crazykawafool
If they treat you like they don't care believe them and move on my friend. I feel your pain.
@Riddimsofcreation
+XXkAoTIcDo0mXX easy said then done when you love that person