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.
Introduction
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wilson, Wilson
Wilson
Once upon a time there was a mountain
That rose out of a vast green forest
And in the forest there were birds
And lakes and rocks and trees and rivers
The forest was also inhabited
By a small group of people called the lizards
The lizards were a simple people
And they had lived in the forest undisturbed
For thousands of years in utter peace and tranquility
Once a year when spring came
And the first blossoms began to show
The lizards would gather at the base of the mountain
To give thanks for all that they had
They thanked the birds
And they thanked the lakes and they thanked the rocks
And the trees and the rivers
But most importantly, they thanked Icculus
Icculus lived at the top of the mountain
Or at least everyone thought so
For no one had actually ever seen him
But they knew he existed
Because they had the Helping Friendly Book
Icculus had given the Helping Friendly Book
To the Lizards thousands of years earlier as a gift
It contained all of the knowledge
Inherent in the universe
And had enabled the Lizards
To exist in harmony with nature for years
And so they lived
Until one day a traveler arrived in Gamehendge
His name was Wilson
And he quickly became intrigued
By the Lizards way of life
He asked if he could stay on
And live in the forest
And the Lizards, who had never seen an outsider
Were happy to oblige
Wilson lived with the Lizards for a few years
Studying the ways of the Helping Friendly Book
And all was well
Until one morning when they awoke and the book was gone
Wilson explained that he had hidden the book
Knowing that the Lizards had become
Dependent on it for survival
He declared himself king
And enslaved the innocent people of Gamehendge
He cut down the trees and built a city
Which he called Prussia
And in the center of the city
He built a castle
And locked in the highest tower of the castle
were the Lizards
Who had once lived in harmony with nature
But were now forced to serve Wilson and his kingdom
The lyrics of Kanye West's song Introduction depict a story of a group of people called the Lizards who had been living in harmony with nature for thousands of years in a forest at the base of a mountain. The Lizards had been following the teachings of Icculus, who had given them the Helping Friendly Book to contain all of the knowledge in the universe. The Lizards would gather at the mountain every spring to thank Icculus for their life's harmony.
However, their peace was disturbed when a traveler named Wilson arrived in Gamehendge and asked to live with them. Wilson eventually stole the Helping Friendly Book and declared himself king of Gamehendge by enslaving the Lizards and building a city called Prussia. The lyrics tell the story of how Wilson cut down trees, built a castle, and locked the Lizards in the highest tower of the castle. The song's story serves as a cautionary tale about outsiders who come in and disturb a peaceful society.
Line by Line Meaning
Wilson, Wilson
Repetition of Wilson's name, introducing the story of the song.
Once upon a time there was a mountain
A tale is told about a mountain that rose from a forest.
That rose out of a vast green forest
A description of the environment the mountain rose from.
And in the forest there were birds
Mentioning of the different things in the forest; birds being one of them.
And lakes and rocks and trees and rivers
Further mentioning of things in the forest.
The forest was also inhabited
The forest has people living in it.
By a small group of people called the lizards
Describing who the inhabitants of the forest are.
The lizards were a simple people
Describing the nature of the lizards living in the forest.
And they had lived in the forest undisturbed
Telling how the lizards lived in isolation for a long time.
For thousands of years in utter peace and tranquility
Emphasizing how long they lived peacefully.
Once a year when spring came
Explaining the timing of the yearly event.
And the first blossoms began to show
A sign of the season change.
The lizards would gather at the base of the mountain
Explaining where the lizards gathered for their yearly ritual.
To give thanks for all that they had
What the lizards were doing at their yearly gathering.
They thanked the birds
The lizards were thankful for the birds.
And they thanked the lakes and they thanked the rocks
Further items the lizards were thankful for.
And the trees and the rivers
Additional things the lizards were grateful for.
But most importantly, they thanked Icculus
The lizards were most thankful for Icculus.
Icculus lived at the top of the mountain
Describing where Icculus lived.
Or at least everyone thought so
Adding uncertainty about Icculus' existence.
For no one had actually ever seen him
Nobody had ever seen Icculus despite his presumed presence.
But they knew he existed
Despite not seeing Icculus, the lizards believe he is real.
Because they had the Helping Friendly Book
The lizards had a book that Icculus gave them which validates his existence.
Icculus had given the Helping Friendly Book
Describing how the lizards came to possess the book.
To the Lizards thousands of years earlier as a gift
When the book was gifted to the lizards.
It contained all of the knowledge
Describing what was inside the book.
Inherent in the universe
What the knowledge in the book described.
And had enabled the Lizards
The effect the book had on the lizards.
To exist in harmony with nature for years
What the book allowed the lizards to do.
And so they lived
Continuing the story of how the lizards lived in harmony with nature.
Until one day a traveler arrived in Gamehendge
Introducing a new character - the traveler.
His name was Wilson
Identifying who the traveler is.
And he quickly became intrigued
Wilson was curious upon arrival.
By the Lizards way of life
Wilson found something of interest in the lizards' life.
He asked if he could stay on
Wilson wants to stay with the lizards.
And live in the forest
Describing where Wilson wants to stay.
And the Lizards, who had never seen an outsider
The lizards had never encountered anyone from outside their forest.
Were happy to oblige
The lizards were willing to let Wilson stay.
Wilson lived with the Lizards for a few years
Wilson stayed with the lizards and their forest life for a few years.
Studying the ways of the Helping Friendly Book
What Wilson was doing in the lizard's forest.
And all was well
Things were going well in the lizard's forest.
Until one morning when they awoke and the book was gone
The book went missing and was no longer in the lizard's possession.
Wilson explained that he had hidden the book
Wilson had taken the book and hid it from the lizards.
Knowing that the Lizards had become
Wilson understood the lizard's dependency on the book.
Dependent on it for survival
How dire the lizard's situation was without the book.
He declared himself king
Wilson declared himself ruler over the lizard's forest.
And enslaved the innocent people of Gamehendge
Wilson made slaves out of the lizards, taking away their freedom.
He cut down the trees and built a city
Describing how Wilson went about building his city.
Which he called Prussia
The name of Wilson's city.
And in the center of the city
Describing a key area of Wilson's city.
He built a castle
What Wilson built in his city.
And locked in the highest tower of the castle
Where Wilson put the book.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Willie Dixon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LovelyLori193
Such a career defining moment honestly. "I guess we'll never know" was just so incredibly amazing.
@Jordan-hu4pz
trust
@ontop2324
Why no replies
@nance1681
It’s so iconic
@LovelyLori193
@@ontop2324 it's cause I already said it all
@billycringe.mp3
1:57
@porametprajapart5788
“Everybody wanna know, what would I do if I dropped Yandhi. I guess we’ll never know.”
@lelimaseru652
😂😂😂😭😭😭
@Untitled-ee6ks
HAHAHAHHAHA YES!!!!!
@dchill784
Such a legendary line