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.
Hold Me Down
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way down, way down
One day, they'd tried to bring me down
Always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
Way down, they'd try to bring me down
We gon' to mass today, we have to pray
Besides what the pastor say, I have to say
Since Pac passed away
Most you rappers don't even deserve a track from me
You see, if you ever wanted to ever be anything
There'd always be somebody that shoot down any dream
There'll always be haters, that's the way it is
Hater niggas marry hater bitches and have hater kids
But they gon' have to take my life 'fore they take my drive
'Cause when I was barely livin', that's what kept me alive
Just the thought that maybe it could be better than what we at at this time
Make it out of this grind, 'fore I'm out of my mind
And get some leeway on the he say, she say
Your girl don't like me, how long has she been gay?
Spanish girls say "Yo, no hablo inglés"
And everybody want to run to me for their single
It's funny how these wack niggas need my help
Wasn't around when I couldn't feed myself
Dawg, if I was you, I wouldn't feel myself
Dawg, if I was you, I'd kill myself
Made a mil' myself and I'm still myself
And I'mma look in the mirror if I need some help
Y'all don't from the heart, y'all all frontin'
Everybody feel a way about K but at least y'all feel something
Why you come here
I bet it only it was forget to get you
What kind of dream we found
See I'm often at your cross ways
Forgetting it was that Heaven let ya
They'd tried to bring me down
I always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
Way down, way down
Always knew that one day, they'd tried to bring me down
Way down, they'd try to bring me down
Always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
Way down, they'd try to bring me down, down down, down down, no no no
The lyrics in Kanye West's song, "Bring Me Down" speak to the concept of haters and the lengths they will go to bring successful individuals down. Kanye, who has achieved an incredible amount of success himself, understands that with success comes jealousy and envy from others who may do whatever it takes to tear someone else down. The repeated lines of "I always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down, way down" reinforce the idea that these attacks are inevitable, but Kanye refuses to let them take him off of his path towards success.
In the second verse, Kanye hints at the negative impact that being in the rap game has had on him. He acknowledges that while he has made a name for himself and many rappers look up to him, he is still vulnerable to criticism and opposition. However, instead of letting these negative feelings consume him, Kanye uses them as motivation to keep going and to keep striving for greatness. He recognizes that it is his drive and ambition that has allowed him to succeed, and he will never let anyone take that away from him.
Overall, "Bring Me Down" is a powerful reminder to never let others bring you down or discourage you from following your dreams. Kanye's message highlights the importance of perseverance and staying true to oneself, despite the obstacles that may arise on the path to success.
Line by Line Meaning
I always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
From the beginning, I was aware that people would try to hinder my success
Way down, way down
The level these people will stoop to bring me down is extremely low
We gon' to mass today, we have to pray
We're going to church today, we need to pray for strength and support
Besides what the pastor say, I have to say
I have my own personal issues to deal with that only I can address
Since Pac passed away
Since Tupac Shakur died
Most you rappers don't even deserve a track from me
The majority of rappers aren't skilled enough to collaborate with me
You see, if you ever wanted to ever be anything
If you aspire to succeed at anything
There'd always be somebody that shoot down any dream
There will always be people who will criticize and discourage your aspirations
There'll always be haters, that's the way it is
Haters are a part of life, and we have to learn how to deal with them
Hater niggas marry hater bitches and have hater kids
Haters often attract and marry other haters, passing on their negative traits to their children
But they gon' have to take my life 'fore they take my drive
My motivation and passion are so strong that even if people try to stop me, they will have to kill me to do so
'Cause when I was barely livin', that's what kept me alive
In difficult times, the thought of achieving success is what kept me motivated to keep living
Just the thought that maybe it could be better than what we at at this time
The idea that things could be better than they currently are drives me to work hard and improve
Make it out of this grind, 'fore I'm out of my mind
I need to succeed and escape from this difficult lifestyle before it drives me crazy
And get some leeway on the he say, she say
I need some space from rumors and gossip about me and others
Your girl don't like me, how long has she been gay?
I find it funny that people blame me for their relationship problems
Spanish girls say "Yo, no hablo inglés"
Spanish-speaking women often say "I don't speak English," when they want to avoid conversing with me
And everybody want to run to me for their single
Everyone wants me to help them create a hit song
It's funny how these wack niggas need my help
I find it amusing that mediocre rappers come to me for assistance
Wasn't around when I couldn't feed myself
The people who now want my help were nowhere to be found when I was struggling to survive
Dawg, if I was you, I wouldn't feel myself
If I were in your position, I wouldn't be as confident or arrogant as you are
Dawg, if I was you, I'd kill myself
If I were in your position, I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure you're under
Made a mil' myself and I'm still myself
Even after achieving financial success, I haven't changed who I am as a person
And I'mma look in the mirror if I need some help
If I need assistance, I will look to myself before seeking help from others
Y'all don't from the heart, y'all all frontin'
Most people don't speak from their heart, they just pretend
Everybody feel a way about K but at least y'all feel something
People may have negative or positive feelings towards me, but I'm happy that they care enough to have any feelings at all
Why you come here
Why did you show up here?
I bet it only it was forget to get you
I'm sure you only came here because you forgot something and needed to retrieve it
What kind of dream we found
What kind of dream have we discovered?
See I'm often at your cross ways
I often find myself conflicted when it comes to your actions
Forgetting it was that Heaven let ya
You forget that you have been blessed by God
They'd tried to bring me down
People have tried to stop my success, but they have failed
Way down, way down
They have tried to bring me down to a very low level
Always knew that one day, they'd tried to bring me down
I always knew that people would attempt to hinder my progress
Way down, they'd try to bring me down
They will try to bring me to a very low level
Always knew that one day, they'd try to bring me down
I was always aware that people would try to stop my success
Way down, they'd try to bring me down, down down, down down, no no no
They will try to bring me down to a very low level, but I refuse to let them succeed
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kanye West, Jon Brion, Antony Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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