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.
Heartbreaker
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes I think about her
It's like 4 AM in the morning
Right now and I'm on i'm texting her
But you know she's not really there
And I can't
Is there something I could do just to get
You to return this from me because, uh
I know you can't take me
(Heartbreaker, bringing me down)
Can you believe it?
I can't even look myself
In the mirror sometimes when
I can't еven i'm scared of what I might find
I won't sit down to psychic or psychiatrist
I'd rather not see my futurе, motherfucker
I'd rather just go go blind
Until the man, rising to the sunset
He done did everything possible except
Buy his dying gun yet i got the
Tell me, are we having having fun yet?
Am I a laughing stock that I haven't got
Understand and I don't
My pride won't let me call up no more
My pride just let you fall to the floor
How could I break a young girl heart?
How could I just break
The young girl's heart?
You know what? How could I promise you that
And turn around and take
All those promises back
Yeah, that's wack, but, um
Matterfact, was it, yo
Got me into the position where
I didn't mean to break your heart
Didn't mean for you to find out
But I didn't mean to i can't just
I may be not good for myself so
How could I be good for you i if I was you
I would me too
I wouldn't want my heart broken
Wouldn't want
Now the store is closing
Can I just buy one more thing?
I just need real quick
A coffee with some sugar and cream
I can't go to sleep and I can't stay awake
I'm just like for the
For a minute
But don't go down that train
Don't go down that train
Please don't take that train
I know you can't room
So I'm texting her, right?
You know it's like
We ain't talked in a while
I don't know why she would talk to me
You know
After all I did I wouldn't talk to me either
You can call me in my hotel room
Cell service is kind of bad
It's, uh, it's nice room
View of the snowy like questions like, uh
How's the weather out there how was your day
Yeah, me too i found some, um, Nikes
I was really surprised
The lyrics of Kanye West's song "Heartbreaker" convey a sense of remorse and self-reflection as the singer contemplates his past actions and their consequences on a former love interest. The opening lines describe the nostalgia and longing the singer feels for a girl he used to know. It is evident that he is texting her in the early hours of the morning, hoping for her reply, but he acknowledges that she is not really there and he cannot change the situation.
The second paragraph delves into the internal struggles and insecurities that the singer faces. He admits to avoiding looking at himself in the mirror out of fear of what he might discover. He rejects the idea of seeking therapy or guidance, dismissing the notion of trying to predict or shape his future. Instead, he metaphorically expresses a desire to go blind to avoid confronting his own shortcomings.
The chorus of the song reflects the singer's guilt and regret for breaking the heart of a young girl. He questions how he could have done such a thing, acknowledging that it was a mistake. He ponders the promises he made and subsequently took back, acknowledging that his actions were unfair and "wack." He admits that he may not be good for himself, and therefore questions how he could be good for someone else.
The final paragraph captures the singer's state of restlessness and inability to find peace. He mentions wanting to buy something from a closing store, possibly as a distraction or comfort. He confesses to being unable to sleep or stay awake, indicating a state of turmoil and confusion. The singer advises against taking a particular train, possibly suggesting a path of self-destruction or emotional detachment. He expresses his understanding that the girl he hurt may not want to talk to him, highlighting his own recognition of his wrongdoings.
Overall, the lyrics of "Heartbreaker" reveal Kanye West's introspective and remorseful mindset as he grapples with the repercussions of his past actions on a former relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had a little girl
There was a time when I was in a relationship with a girl
Sometimes I think about her
She still crosses my mind from time to time
It's like 4 AM in the morning
It's late at night, around 4 AM
Right now and I'm on i'm texting her
I'm currently texting her, trying to reach out
But you know she's not really there
But deep down, I know she's not truly present or interested
And I can't
Yet, I can't help myself from reaching out
Is there something I could do just to get
Is there any action I can take to have her respond
You to return this from me because, uh
To make you reciprocate and respond to my messages
(Heartbreaker, can't take her) i know, baby
(Heartbreaker, can't take her) I understand, baby
I know you can't take me
I know you can't handle being with me
(Heartbreaker, bringing me down)
(Heartbreaker, making me feel low)
Can you believe it?
Can you believe the impact you've had on me?
I can't even look myself
I struggle to even face myself
In the mirror sometimes when
When looking in the mirror at times
I can't еven i'm scared of what I might find
I'm hesitant, afraid of the discoveries I might make
I won't sit down to psychic or psychiatrist
I refuse to consult a psychic or psychiatrist
I'd rather not see my futurе, motherfucker
I prefer to remain ignorant about my future, damn it
I'd rather just go go blind
I'd rather live in ignorance and avoid confronting the truth
Until the man, rising to the sunset
Until I reach a point where everything falls apart
He done did everything possible except
I have done everything I can except
Buy his dying gun yet i got the
Purchase a gun for self-destructive purposes, but I have the
Tell me, are we having having fun yet?
Do you think this is enjoyable in any way?
Am I a laughing stock that I haven't got
Am I a joke because I don't possess
Understand and I don't
Comprehension and I lack
My pride won't let me call up no more
My ego prevents me from reaching out anymore
My pride just let you fall to the floor
My ego allowed me to hurt you deeply
How could I break a young girl heart?
How could I be the one to shatter a young girl's heart?
How could I just break
How could I simply destroy
The young girl's heart?
The heart of an innocent young girl?
You know what? How could I promise you that
You know what? How could I make a promise to you
And turn around and take
Only to then go back on my word and take
All those promises back
Retrieve all the promises I made
Yeah, that's wack, but, um
Yes, that's messed up, but, um
Matterfact, was it, yo
Actually, was it, you know
Got me into the position where
Put me in a situation where
I didn't mean to break your heart
I didn't intend to break your heart
Didn't mean for you to find out
Didn't intend for you to discover
But I didn't mean to i can't just
But unintentionally, I can't just
I may be not good for myself so
Perhaps I am not even good for myself, therefore
How could I be good for you i if I was you
How could I possibly be good for you, considering if I were you
I would me too
Then I would feel the same way about me
I wouldn't want my heart broken
I wouldn't desire to have my heart broken
Wouldn't want
Would not wish for
Now the store is closing
The store is now closing
Can I just buy one more thing?
May I make one final purchase?
I just need real quick
I just require it quickly
A coffee with some sugar and cream
A cup of coffee with added sugar and cream
I can't go to sleep and I can't stay awake
I find myself unable to sleep or maintain wakefulness
I'm just like for the
I'm simply longing for
For a minute
Even if only momentarily
But don't go down that train
However, avoid going down that path
Don't go down that train
Don't go down that train
Please don't take that train
Please don't board that train
I know you can't room
I know you can't come over
So I'm texting her, right?
So I'm sending her text messages, isn't that right?
You know it's like
You know, it's similar to
We ain't talked in a while
We haven't spoken in a long time
I don't know why she would talk to me
I'm not sure why she would even consider talking to me
You know
You know
After all I did I wouldn't talk to me either
Considering everything I've done, I wouldn't talk to me either
You can call me in my hotel room
Feel free to call me in my hotel room
Cell service is kind of bad
The cellular reception is quite poor
It's, uh, it's nice room
It's, uh, a nice room
View of the snowy like questions like, uh
I have a view of snowy scenes, similar to pondering questions like, uh
How's the weather out there how was your day
What's the weather like there? How was your day?
Yeah, me too i found some, um, Nikes
Yeah, me too, I discovered some, um, Nike shoes
I was really surprised
I was genuinely taken aback
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nittaya
Lyrics
Once I had a little girl, sometimes I think about her
It's like 4 AM in the morning right now and I'm on
I'm texting her
But you know she's not really there
And I can't
Is there something I could do just to get you to return this from me because, uh
I know, baby (Heartbreaker, can't take her)
I know you can't take me
(Heartbreaker, bringing me down)
Can you believe it?
Verse]
I can't even look myself in the mirror sometimes
When ...
I can't еven ...
I'm scared of what I might find
I won't sit down to
I'd rather not see my futurе, motherfucker
I'd rather just go go blind
... rising to the sunset
He done did everything possible except buy his dying gun yet
I got
Are we having having fun yet?
Am I a laughing stock ...
My pride won't let me call up no more
My pride just let you fall to the floor
How could I break a young girl heart?
How could I just break the young girl's heart?
You know what?
How could I promise you that
And turn around and take all those promises back
Yeah, that's wack, but, um
Got me into the position where
I didn't mean to break your heart
Didn't mean for you to find out
But I didn't mean ...
I can't just
I may be not good for myself so how could I be good for you
... me too
I wouldn't want my heart broken
Wouldn't want
Now the store is closing
Can I just buy one more thing?
A coffee with some sugar and cream
I can't go to sleep
And I can't stay awake
I'm just like
For the
But don't go down that train
For a minute
I know you can't
So I'm texting her, right?
You know it's like
We ain't talked in a while
I know why you talked to me
After all I did I wouldn't talk to me
You can call me in my hotel room
It's, uh
View of the snowy
Tyclone
idrc about the controversy around kanye rn but u cant deny the fact that he is musical genius
W W W
He’s never hurt anybody but himself
C.H.S
@W W W exactly my thoughts on it, i understand being offended by it but he isn’t a super villain😭
TACK —
@W W W exactly people calling him a nazi because he was being edgy on Alex Jones show 😂
Constance Chatman
@TACK — literally 😂
Soby
The incompleteness of Kanye's words makes the art complete. This track, in its apparently unfinished form, is already a personal favourite of mine. The listener gets a glimpse into the process of being an artist - a beautiful and moving struggle to make new associations, new meanings. Everyone is always making associations with their environment, so the relatability of this song is undeniable. You too, whether you agree or not, are an artist. Beautiful.
Blake
This song is what it feels like to be clutching a liquor bottle at 4:00AM while coming down from a manic episode. And honestly? It feels like a farewell.
gamerman360
I disagree completely. He has SO many unfinished mumble tracks that could be masterpieces. He has entire throwaway albums and eps that would’ve been great if he had just finished it. It’s heartbreaking that he doesn’t care enough to finish the verse
Mitten Demon
@gamerman360 I think 30 hours is definitely a reference/unfinished track that he decided to put out
SpoodyR3
@Mitten Demon it’s a shoutout track tho so the vibe is different but I love hearing the mumbles and it adds a layer of rawness to these tracks