The song's music video premiered at a Tidal exclusive event at The Forum in Inglewood, California on June 24, 2016. The video begins with a camera passing slowly over the nude, sleeping bodies of George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Ray J., Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner, and Bill Cosby. At the end of the video, the camera pans out to show all of the sleeping bodies at the same time as West wakes up from his slumber. All of the celebrities are synthetic bodies.
Two days prior to the video's release, West showed the video to Dirk Standen of Vanity Fair over Skype while the video was still in its final editing stages. The video was filmed over a period of three months and went through four different versions prior to the finalized version. West did not reveal which of the celebrities' bodies in the video were real and which ones were prosthetic; however he stated that the video was "not in support or [against] any of [the people in the video]" and was merely "a comment on fame". He also stated that he received his wife Kardashian's permission. Days after its release, E! Online editor Corinne Heller commented "Swift is the main reason the "Famous" video was so anticipated," however, it received "almost no reactions."
Vincent Desiderio’s painting Sleep is the visual inspiration for the video.
The video of the song was uploaded to YouTube on July 1, 2016. "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1" is also featured in the video.
FAMOUS
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kinda hard to love a girl like me
I don't blame you much for wanting to be free
I just wanted you to know
Swizz told me let the beat rock
For all my Southside niggas that know me best
I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex
I made that bitch famous
For all the girls that got dick from Kanye West
If you see 'em in the streets give 'em Kanye's best
Why? They mad they ain't famous (God damn)
They mad they're still nameless (talk that talk, man)
Her man in the store tryna try his best
But he just can't seem to get Kanye fresh
But we still hood famous (God damn)
Yeah we still hood famous
I just wanted you to know
I loved you better than your own kin did
From the very start
I don't blame you much for wanting to be free
Wake up, Mr West! Oh, he's up!
I just wanted you to know
I be Puerto Rican day parade floatin'
That Benz Marina Del Rey coastin'
She in school to be a real estate agent
Last month I helped her with the car payment
Young and we alive, woo
We never gonna die, woo
I just copped a jet to fly over personal debt
Put one up in the sky
The sun is in my eyes, woo
Woke up and felt the vibe, woo
No matter how hard they try, woo
We never gonna die
I just wanted you to know
Bam bam, bam bam
Bam bam dilla, bam bam
'Ey what a bam bam
How you feeling right now? Let me see your lighters in the air
Bam bam dilla, bam bam
Bam bam eh
Bam bam, bam bam
Let me see your middle finger in the air
Bam bam, bam bam
Bam bam dilla, bam bam
Let me see you act up in this motherfucker
'Ey what a bam bam
Bam bam dilla, bam bam
How you feelin', how you feelin, how you feelin' in this mother-? God damn
Bam bam
One thing you can't do is stop us now
Bam bam, bam bam
Bam bam dilla, bam bam
You can't stop the thing now
'Ey what a bam bam
Man it's way too late, it's way too late, it's way too late you can't fuck with us
Bam bam dilla, bam bam
Bam bam, bam bam
Bam bam, bam bam
To the left, to the right
Bam bam dilla, bam bam
I wanna see everybody hands in the air like this
'Ey what a bam bam
Bam bam, bam bam
Bam bam dilla, bam bam
I just wanted you to know
I loved you better than your own kin did
From the very start
I don't blame you much for wanting to be free
I just wanted you to know
The song "Famous" by Kanye West is a controversial track that appears on his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo. The song is known for its controversial lyrics, for which Taylor Swift was a target. The opening lines of the song say, "Man, I can understand how it might be Kinda hard to love a girl like me." The lines suggest that Kanye is aware that it must have been difficult for Taylor to deal with his public insults and comments. The song then moves onto the chorus, where Kanye says he made Taylor famous.
The chorus, however, is not only about Taylor Swift but about a larger group of women who are mad that they are not famous. Kanye suggests that they are upset because they did not get to sleep with him, and therefore, they are not famous. The verse also mentions Kanye's love for his current wife, Kim Kardashian, and his experience at the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
The overall message of the song appears to be that Kanye West is a famous person, and so everyone wants to be associated with him. He suggests that he made Taylor Swift famous and that any other woman who has slept with him is also famous because of it. The lyrics are problematic and controversial, but Kanye appears unapologetic about it.
Line by Line Meaning
Man I can understand how it might be
I recognize that it could be difficult to love someone like me
Kinda hard to love a girl like me
I am aware that it can be challenging to love a woman like me
I don't blame you much for wanting to be free
I don't hold it against you for seeking freedom
I just wanted you to know
I only wanted you to be aware
Swizz told me let the beat rock
Swizz Beatz instructed me to keep the beat going
For all my Southside niggas that know me best
This is for all my close associates from the Southside who know me well
I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex
I think there is a possibility that Taylor Swift and I may engage in sexual activity
Why? I made that bitch famous (God damn)
The reason being is that I am the one responsible for making her famous
I made that bitch famous
I am the person who elevated her to fame
For all the girls that got dick from Kanye West
This is for all the women who have had sex with me
If you see 'em in the streets give 'em Kanye's best
If you come across them in public, give them my regards
They mad they ain't famous (God damn)
They are angry that they have not achieved fame
They mad they're still nameless (talk that talk, man)
They are angry that they are still not recognized, but I am encouraging them to speak up
Her man in the store tryna try his best
Her boyfriend is doing his best in the store
But he just can't seem to get Kanye fresh
However, he is unable to replicate my fresh style
But we still hood famous (God damn)
Regardless, we still have street credibility
Yeah we still hood famous
We are still recognized in our hometown
Wake up, Mr West! Oh, he's up!
Wake up, Kanye! Oh, he's already awake!
I be Puerto Rican day parade floatin'
I enjoy participating in the Puerto Rican Day Parade
That Benz Marina Del Rey coastin'
I am cruising in my Benz along the coasts of Marina Del Rey
She in school to be a real estate agent
She is currently studying to become a real estate agent
Last month I helped her with the car payment
I assisted her with her car payment last month
Young and we alive, woo
We are young and full of life
We never gonna die, woo
We believe we will live forever
I just copped a jet to fly over personal debt
I recently bought a jet to travel despite my personal debts
Put one up in the sky
Let's raise one up to the sky
The sun is in my eyes, woo
The sun is shining brightly in my eyes
Woke up and felt the vibe, woo
I woke up and immediately felt the positive energy
No matter how hard they try, woo
No matter how hard others may try
We never gonna die
We believe we will live forever
Bam bam, bam bam
Repeating sound effects
Bam bam dilla, bam bam
Repeating sound effects with variation
'Ey what a bam bam
Exclamation of excitement
How you feeling right now? Let me see your lighters in the air
Asking for a show of support from the crowd
Let me see your middle finger in the air
Encouraging the audience to express defiance by raising their middle fingers
Let me see you act up in this motherfucker
Encouraging the audience to become more rowdy
How you feelin', how you feelin, how you feelin' in this mother-? God damn
Asking for the crowd's level of excitement and expressing surprise
One thing you can't do is stop us now
We cannot be stopped
You can't stop the thing now
You cannot prevent our success
Man it's way too late, it's way too late, it's way too late you can't fuck with us
It is too late to try and interfere with our success
To the left, to the right
Instructions for a dance move
I wanna see everybody hands in the air like this
Requesting the audience to join in on a particular motion
I just wanted you to know
I only wanted you to be aware
I loved you better than your own kin did
I loved you more than even your own family did
From the very start
Ever since the beginning
I don't blame you much for wanting to be free
I don't hold it against you for seeking freedom
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, I WROTE THIS MYSELF, Iricom US Ltd
Written by: Andrew Dawson, Chancelor Bennett, Cydel Charles Young, Enzo Vita, Ernest Brown, Giampiero Scalamogna, Jimmy L. Webb, Kanye Omari West, Kasseem Dean, Kejuan Waliek Muchita, Luis Enrique Bacalov, Michael G. Dean, Noah D. Goldstein, Patrick Reynolds, Ross Ma
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SwiftyYinEdits
THANK YOU KANYE, YOU GAVE US A FABULOUS SONG!
It was so nice throwing big parties
Jump into the pool from the balcony
Everyone swimming in a champagne sea
And there are no rules when you show up here
Bass beat rattling the chandelier
Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year
So why'd you have to rain on my parade?
I'm shaking my head, I'm locking the gates
This is why we can't have nice things, darling
Because you break them, I had to take them away
This is why we can't have nice things, honey (oh)
Did you think I wouldn't hear all the things you said about me?
This is why we can't have nice things
It was so nice being friends again
There I was giving you a second chance
But you stabbed me in the back while shaking my hand
And therein lies the issue, friends don't try to trick you
Get you on the phone and mind-twist you
And so I took an axe to a mended fence
But I'm not the only friend you've lost lately (mmm-mmm)
If only you weren't so shady
This is why we can't have nice things, darling
Because you break them, I had to take them away
This is why we can't have nice (nice things) things (baby), honey (oh)
Did you think I wouldn't hear all the things you said about me?
This is why we can't have-
Here's a toast to my real friends
They don't care about the he said, she said
And here's to my baby
He ain't reading what they call me lately
And here's to my mama
Had to listen to all this drama
And here's to you
'Cause forgiveness is a nice thing to do
Hahaha, I can't even say it with a straight face!
This is why we can't have nice things, darling (darling)
Because you break them, I had to take them away
This is why we can't have nice (uh-uh) things (oh no), honey (baby, oh)
Did you think I wouldn't hear all the things you said about me?
This is why we can't have nice things, darling (oh)
And here's to my real friends
(Oh) because you break them, I had to take them
And here's to my baby
(Oh) nice things, honey
They didn't care about the he said, she said
Did you think I wouldn't hear all the things you said about me?
This is why we can't have nice things
@kunsmaster
You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like I'm nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I'm wounded
You, picking on the weaker man
Well, you can take me down
With just one single blow
But you don't know what you don't know
Someday, I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
You, with your switching sides
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation
You have pointed out my flaws again
As if I don't already see them
I walk with my head down
Trying to block you out, 'cause I'll never impress you
I just wanna feel okay again
I bet you got pushed around
Somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now
'Cause you can't lead me down that road
And you don't know what you don't know
Someday, I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
And I can see you years from now in a bar
Talking over a football game
With that same big loud opinion
But nobody's listening
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing
But all you are is mean
All you are is mean
And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean
But someday, I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah
Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
Someday, I'll be living in a big old city
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
@HHPYE42
And I always find, yeah, I always find somethin' wrong
You been puttin' up wit' my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at findin' what I don't like the most
So I think it's time (so I think it's time)
For us to have a toast
Let's have a toast for the douche bags
Let's have a toast for the assholes
Let's have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know
Let's have a toast for the jerk offs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Run away fast as you can
She find pictures in my email
I sent this bitch a picture of my dick
I don't know what it is with females
But I'm not too good at that shit
See, I could have me a good girl
And still be addicted to them hood rats
And I just blame everything on you
At least you know that's what I'm good at
And I always find
Yeah, I always find
Yeah, I always find somethin' wrong
You been puttin' up wit' my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at findin' what I don't like the most
So I think it's time (so I think it's time)
For us to have a toast
Let's have a toast for the douche bags
Let's have a toast for the assholes
Let's have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know
Let's have a toast for the jerk offs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Run away fast as you can
Run away from me, baby
Run away
Run away from me, baby
Run away
When it starts to get crazy, then run away
Babe, I got a plan, run away as fast as you can
Run away from me, baby
Run away
Run away from me, baby
Run away
When it starts to get crazy
Why can't she just run away?
Baby, I got a plan
Run away as fast as you can
Twenty-four seven, three sixty-five
Pussy stays on my mind
I-I-I-I did it
Alright, alright, I admit it
Now pick your next move
You can leave or live wit' it
Ichabod Crane with that mothafuckin' top off
Split and go where?
Back to wearin' knockoffs? Haha
Knock it off, Neiman's, shop it off
Let's talk over mai tais, waitress, top it off
Hoes like vultures, wanna fly in your Freddy loafers
You can't blame 'em, they ain't never seen Versace sofas
Every bag, every blouse, every bracelet
Comes with a price tag, baby, face it
You should leave if you can't accept the basics
Plenty hoes in the baller-nigga matrix
Invisibly set, the Rolex is faceless
I'm just young, rich, and tasteless
P
Never was much of a romantic
I could never take the intimacy
And I know it did damage
'Cause the look in your eyes is killin' me
I guess then you at an advantage
'Cause you could blame me for everything
And I don't know how I'ma manage
If one day you just up and leave
And I always find, yeah, I always find somethin' wrong
You been puttin' up wit' my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at findin' what I don't like the most
So I think it's time (so I think it's time)
For us to have a toast
Let's have a toast for the douche bags
Let's have a toast for the assholes
Let's have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know
Let's have a toast for the jerk offs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Run away fast as you can
@tessas5465
Lyrics
I guess you really did it this time
Left yourself in your warpath
Lost your balance on a tightrope
Lost your mind tryin' to get it back
Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?
Always a bigger bed to crawl into
Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything
And everybody believed in you?
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you've been
You're still an innocent
You're still an innocent
Did some things you can't speak of
But at night you live it all again
You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now
If only you had seen what you know now then
Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catchin' days?
And everything out of reach
Someone bigger brought down to you
Wasn't it beautiful runnin' wild 'til you fell asleep
Before the monsters caught up to you?
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you've been
You're still an innocent
It's okay, life is a tough crowd
32 and still growin' up now
Who you are is not what you did
You're still an innocent
Time turns flames to embers
You'll have new Septembers
Everyone of us has messed up too, ooh, ooh
Minds change like the weather
I hope you remember
Today is never too late to be brand new
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you've been
You're still an innocent
It's okay, life is a tough crowd
32 and still growin' up now
Who you are is not what you did
You're still an innocent
You're still an innocent
Lost your balance on a tightrope, oh
It's never too late to get it back
@nickcooliodude
the music video is influenced by the painting 'sleep' by vincent desiderio. His painting was EXTREMELY controversial, just like how kanye himself, this video, and everyone in the bed is controversial. And because theyre so controversial, they are famous. The more controversy something has, the more famous it gets.
Thats 1 way to look at this video
another way is fame is to reality as sleep is to death. Fame forces people to be in one same circle in the same sleep. Also it can be a dream but it can remove the atmosphere of life
another way
is it is like theyre all in the same boat, are famous and have done things extremely controversial.
@lillyrose5645
[Verse 1]
My castle crumbled overnight
I brought a knife to a gunfight
They took the crown, but it's alright
All the liars are calling me one
Nobody's heard from me for months
I'm doin' better than I ever was
'Cause
[Verse 2]
All my flowers grew back as thorns
—
“All the drama queens taking swings
All the jokers dressing up as kings”
Just some lyrics
@Idk-df1gd
Lyrics for anyone wanting them:
I don't like your little games
Don't like your tilted stage
The role you made me play of the fool
No, I don't like you
I don't like your perfect crime
How you laugh when you lie
You said the gun was mine
Isn't cool, no, I don't like you (oh!)
But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time
Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time
I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined
I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me...
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me do
I (I) don't (don't) like your kingdom keys (keys)
They (they) once belonged to me (me)
You (you) asked me for a place to sleep
Locked me out and threw a feast (what?)
The world moves on, another day another drama, drama
But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma
And then the world moves on, but one thing's for sure
Maybe I got mine, but you'll all get yours
But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time (nick of time)
Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time (I do it all the time)
I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined
I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me...
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me do
I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me
I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams
I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me
I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams
I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me
I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams
I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me
I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams
I'm sorry
But the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now
Why? Oh, 'cause she's dead (oh)
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me...
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me do
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me...
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me do
@chanwoooh2067
Insane that Kanye managed to keep this video up on youtube for 5 years.
@soilgrasswaterair
It has close to 53 million views which means it’s generating Youtube a TON of money, that’s why it’s still up! This plattform is a business, and the only reason they sometimes regulate what’s up is to not go against brand deal money coming in from big business companies. It’s capitalism, and not Kanye power. This is the same reason why minor channels will get shut down if they say things that doesn’t align with what fits what brand accepts (the reason why they are making people bleep if they curse, and lgbt+ topics are highly censored etc). Same reason why people within sports tend to come out AFTER their career is over and not during, because sponsors will drop them (because they will lose money because many are homophobic and the majority of people are within the heteronormative). It’s simply money and nothing else (even though the outcome makes things a struggle for many unfortunatly). Think about it a person who has 100-200k subscribers can quit their day job and live off of their Youtube/sponsor money, imagine a channel with millions of subscribers like Kanye’s with videos like this on the channel with close to 53 million views (translate that to financial income for him AND Youtube). It puts things in perspective doesn’t it?! That’s why it’s still up even if it’s very ecplicit content due to nudity.
Edit: grammar error😌
@nikoandroman
I mean the nudity isn’t real so who cares
@fartemisfartmallow8647
@Niko and Roman it looks so stinking real. When I first saw the vid I thought it was the actual people. I was like wtffffff is going on
@nikoandroman
@Fartemis Fartmallow Yeah same, I didn’t like the vid back then cause I was younger but now that I see this vid it’s so weird but at the same time so good
@juanshaftpatel7488
he's illuminatti
@scarlett8031
Almost 7 years later and this is still one of the creepiest things ever to me. This video just gives me a weird feeling 😬
@EnSabahNur-ir5mw
who are u? are you from west? It's very common in the west to sleep N....d with your own family members
@charlenefaye
I kinda always new about this but this was my first time actually looking at it. Ha has like 3 min of just creep shots in this thing! Like wtf kinda drugs was he on!?
@Jay.s_Dad.s_Fake_Tits
@@EnSabahNur-ir5mw some are not family members. AND WHO TF SLEEPPS NAKED WITH THEIR FAMILY