West's second and third studio albums, Late Registration (2005) and Graduation (2007), both debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, with the latter becoming his most commercially successful to date. Three of his subsequent albumsā808s & Heartbreak (2008), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), and The Life of Pablo (2016)āwere certified triple platinum, while Yeezus (2013) was certified double platinum. Although not as well-received critically as his previous works, Ye (2018), Jesus Is King (2019), and Donda (2021) continued West's streak of consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200. West has also released collaborative albums including Watch the Throne (2011) with Jay-Z, Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Kid Cudi, and Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 (2024) with Ty Dolla Sign. In fashion design, he has collaborated with Nike, Inc., Louis Vuitton, and Gap Inc. on clothing and footwear, and led the Yeezy collaboration with Adidas.
One of the world's best-selling music artists with 160 million records sold, West has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint 11th-most of all time and the most awarded for any hip hop artist along with Jay-Z. His other accolades include a Billboard Artist Achievement Award, a joint-record three Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist, and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. West holds the joint record with Bob Dylan for most albums (four) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. West's first six solo albums were included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020, with the same publication naming him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.
West's outspoken views have received significant media coverage. He has been a frequent source of controversy due to his conduct on social media, at award shows, and in public settings, as well as his comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, race, and slavery. His Christian faith, high-profile marriage to Kim Kardashian, and mental health have also been topics of media attention. In 2020, West launched an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that advocated for a consistent life ethic. In October 2022, he was widely condemned and lost many sponsors and partnerships, including his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga, after making a series of antisemitic statements, including denying the Holocaust.
Livin' In A Movie
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get ya popcorn, get ya condiments, you don't wanna miss nothin, ok listen
[Verse 1]
They call me Edward Scissorhands cuz i'm tryin to cut
She claim she got cramps, I'm gone get you to suck
And you not gon use ya teeth ya hear?
You gon find out What Lies Beneath right here
The kids been callin you the headless horseman
Like Sleepy Hollow see she swallow
Suck like ol girl got booed at Apollo
13 Ghost use my Hollow Mans for Friday 13th
You be Ghost, Backdraft from the toast
Niggaz who drop names is, oh so shameless
Get a chain thats stainless, they Almost Famous
My bling got 'em callin me, Lord Of The Rings
The Shining make it hard for her to Do The Right Thing
But I Don't Say Word, I'll never tell
Until you get a Kanye beat, you'll never sell
[Chorus]
I'm livin a movie, not livin by rules
It's just a movie, don't lose ya cool
1,2 Ye comin for you, 3,4 better lock your door
5,6, 7,8, 9,10 never sleep again
[Verse 2]
Shits deeper, than The Sleepers
Jeeper Creep-up on your block and cops Clock-us
Try to Baller Block-us, use Absolute Power
You gave him 9 1/2 Weeks, why you tryin to Rush Hours huh?
And in The Cell don't drop soap in the showers huh
They try to give me Life, I'm out in a hour huh
Back on the block wit more Juice than Pac
Makin Mo' Money cuz of The, The, The, The Roc
[Chorus]
I said some shit like, umm, you in my things like Suicide Kings
There's only Three Kings, Me, Myself and Irene, you know what I'm sayin
In āLivin' a Movie,ā Kanye West is describing his life as if it were a movie. He tells listeners to grab their popcorn and sit back and enjoy the show. The song contains a lot of film references in its lyrics, as if Kanye is trying to create a cinematic experience for his listeners. The songās chorus states that heās not living by the rules, and that his life is just a movie. In verse one, he compares himself to Edward Scissorhands, and talks about how heās going to make a woman suck him off without using her teeth. He then uses movie references like The Preacher's Wife and Sleepy Hollow to describe how he likes his women. Kanye continues to refer to movies in the song, and even talks about his own celebrity status, and how his heroes are Lord Of The Rings and The Shining.
In verse two Kanye talks about the deeper aspects of his life, using movies like The Sleeper and Jeeper Creepers as examples. He talks about how the cops are always watching him and that he's always being clocked. He then references Absolute Power and Rush Hour, and uses them to describe how his life is like a movie plot. In the end he tells his love interest that she's like the Suicide Kings, and he's the only true king. The song's chorus repeats many times and is likely to be stuck in your head long after the song is over.
Line by Line Meaning
They call me Edward Scissorhands cuz i'm tryin to cut
People refer to me as Edward Scissorhands because I aim to cut.
She claim she got cramps, I'm gone get you to suck
She alleges that she has menstrual cramps, but I will make her perform oral sex on me.
You gon find out What Lies Beneath right here
You will know what secrets lie beneath when you are with me.
The Preachers Wife don't give head? Get a divorce man
If a preacher's wife refuses to perform oral sex, then the husband should get a divorce.
Like Sleepy Hollow see she swallow
Like the movie Sleepy Hollow, she also swallows (referring to oral sex).
Suck like ol girl got booed at Apollo
She performs oral sex so poorly that it is like the woman who got booed off stage at the Apollo.
13 Ghost use my Hollow Mans for Friday 13th
I use hollow bullets from 13 Ghosts during Friday the 13th.
You be Ghost, Backdraft from the toast
You will be dead, and I will raise a toast in commemoration.
Niggaz who drop names is, oh so shameless
People who name-drop are very shameful.
Get a chain thats stainless, they Almost Famous
If you get a stainless steel chain, you'll only be almost famous.
My bling got 'em callin me, Lord Of The Rings
People refer to me as the Lord of the Rings because of my jewelry.
The Shining make it hard for her to Do The Right Thing
The shining (his fame and success) make it hard for her to do the right thing (be faithful).
But I Don't Say Word, I'll never tell
I will never reveal any secrets.
Until you get a Kanye beat, you'll never sell
Unless you get a beat from me, you will not be successful.
I'm livin a movie, not livin by rules
I am living my life like a movie and not following any rules.
It's just a movie, don't lose ya cool
It's just a movie, don't get too emotional.
1,2 Ye comin for you, 3,4 better lock your door
Kanye is coming for you, so you should lock your door.
5,6, 7,8, 9,10 never sleep again
You should never sleep again, as danger is always lurking around.
Shits deeper, than The Sleepers
The situation is more profound than the movie The Sleepers.
Jeeper Creep-up on your block and cops Clock-us
Someone, like the character Jeepers Creepers, is lurking on your block and the cops are watching us.
Try to Baller Block-us, use Absolute Power
People try to block our dreams using their absolute power.
You gave him 9 1/2 Weeks, why you tryin to Rush Hours huh?
You took nine and a half weeks to give him love, so why are you trying to limit my time with you (like the movie Rush Hour)?
And in The Cell don't drop soap in the showers huh
When in prison, avoid dropping the soap while taking a shower.
They try to give me Life, I'm out in a hour huh
They sought to imprison me for life, but I was out in just an hour.
Back on the block wit more Juice than Pac
I'm back in the game with more power than Tupac.
Makin Mo' Money cuz of The, The, The, The Roc
I am making more money because of The Roc (a reference to his collaboration with Roc-A-Fella Records).
I said some shit like, umm, you in my things like Suicide Kings
I have said something like 'you are in my head' like in the movie Suicide Kings.
There's only Three Kings, Me, Myself and Irene, you know what I'm sayin
There are only three kings: me, myself, and (a reference to the movie) Irene.
Contributed by Cameron I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rollingpeacefully1524
This guy misses the old Kanye before the old Kanye was a thing
@donjam33
lmaoo he callin kanye washed in 2007
@cuyxjrplays
@@donjam33 graduation was so different from late and college dropout so is understandable and also Kanye west old music aged like fucking wine used in the roman empire age imo.
@donjam33
@@cuyxjrplays i didnt think about it like that, good point
@aooide
haha
@messiahisaiah7521
If youāre here your music taste is next level š„¶
@calebfrazier2988
Thanks yours too
@cyroxo
I know.
@dennisgordon7767
i been here in 2004
@NenkengNenkeng
Thanks