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 Canโt Be Life, a track from Jay-Zโs The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West said he sped up the drum beat of Dr. Dreโs Xxplosive to use as a replacement for his drums on This Canโt 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 Olโ Dirty Bastard were some of his all-time favorites. Said Kanye West: โWu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this all the timeโฆ 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.โ
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 Beyoncรฉ 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 Beyoncรฉ 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. Kanyeโs 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 Kanyeโs 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 Gravโs 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, Camโron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and John Legend among others. He also โghost-producedโ for his once mentor Deric Angelettie according to his song Last Call and the credits of Nasโ 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 partnershipsโincluding his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciagaโafter making antisemitic statements.
Love Locked Down
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What I had to do, had to run from you
I'm in love with you but the vibe is wrong
And that haunted me, all the way home
So you never know, never never know,
Never know enough, 'til it's over love
'Til we lose control, system overload
Screamin' "No! No! No! N-No!"
See I wanna move, but can't escape from you
So I keep it low, keep a secret code
So everybody else don't have to know
So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose
I'm not lovin' you the way I wanted to
I can't keep my cool, so I keep it true
I got somethin to lose, so I gotta move
I can't keep myself, and still keep you too
So I keep in mind, when I'm on my own
Somewhere far from home, in the danger zone
How many times did I tell ya fo it finally got through
You lose, you lose
I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
See I had to go, see I had to move
No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life
We're just wastin' time, where's the finish line
So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose
I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
I bet no one knew, I got no one new
I know I said I'm through, but got love for you
But I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
Gotta keep it goin', keep the lovin' goin'
Keep it on a roll, only God knows
If I be with you, baby I'm confused
You choose, you choose
I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
Where I wanna go, I don't need you
I've been down this road, too many times before
I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose, you lose
You lose, you lose
You lose
The song "Love Locked Down" by Kanye West describes his struggle with being unable to love someone the way he wants to. The lyrics reveal a back-and-forth struggle between his feelings for someone he loves and the negative vibes he experiences when he is with them. He admits to running from this person and keeping his love for them locked down. The chorus repeats the phrase "keep your love locked down" representing the walls he's built around his heart to avoid getting hurt. He also mentions not being able to keep his cool and having to keep it true. The lines "So I keep in mind when I'm on my own/Somewhere far from home, in the danger zone" show that he's trying to stay safe from the negative impact this person has on him.
The lyrics highlight the difficulty of letting go of someone you love, but who isn't good for you. He has to keep his feelings hidden and maintain a secret code to keep everyone else from finding out about his love for this person. However, he realizes that he has to move on and can't keep wasting time on this love, as shown by the lines "No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life/We're just wastin' time, where's the finish line."
Overall, the song is a powerful representation of the struggles of relationships and the difficulties of letting go of someone you love despite knowing that it isn't the right thing to do.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not loving you, the way I wanted to
The singer no longer loves their partner the way they used to.
What I had to do, had to run from you
The singer had to leave their partner to avoid a toxic situation.
I'm in love with you but the vibe is wrong
And that haunted me, all the way home
The singer still has feelings for their partner, but the relationship is no longer working and they can't shake the memory of their struggles.
So you never know, never never know,
Never know enough, 'til it's over love
The artist realizes that people often don't appreciate what they have until it's gone.
'Til we lose control, system overload
Screamin' "No! No! No! N-No!"
The relationship reached a boiling point and became overwhelming and chaotic.
See I wanna move, but can't escape from you
The singer wants to move on from the relationship, but can't seem to shake their partner.
So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose
The singer is advising their partner to keep their love locked down to avoid heartbreak in the future, and warns that failing to do so will result in loss.
I can't keep my cool, so I keep it true
The artist is being honest about their feelings, despite struggling to remain composed.
I got somethin to lose, so I gotta move
I can't keep myself, and still keep you too
The artist feels that they have too much at stake to stay in the relationship.
Somewhere far from home, in the danger zone
The artist is taking a risk by leaving the relationship and venturing into unknown territory.
How many times did I tell ya fo it finally got through
You lose, you lose
The singer tried to warn their partner about the dangers of the relationship before finally realizing that they were destined to fail.
See I had to go, see I had to move
No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life
We're just wastin' time, where's the finish line
The artist realized that they needed to move on from the relationship and stop waiting for things to improve.
I bet no one knew, I got no one new
I know I said I'm through, but got love for you
But I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
The singer is admitting that they are struggling to move on from the relationship, even though they know it's over.
Gotta keep it goin', keep the lovin' goin'
Keep it on a roll, only God knows
If I be with you, baby I'm confused
You choose, you choose
The singer is conflicted about whether to try to salvage the relationship or move on, and leaves the decision up to their partner.
Where I wanna go, I don't need you
I've been down this road, too many times before
I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
The singer has realized that they don't need their partner to be happy, and has gone through too much heartache in the past to continue the toxic relationship.
You lose, you lose
You lose, you lose
You lose
The artist is warning their partner that if they don't keep their love locked down, they will inevitably lose the artist's love.
Contributed by Ethan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mamaziha79
This is what is most painful...When there is still love between two people, is that one of them, decide to reject you "again" and block you in all possible communications...Like in this beautiful masterpiece...
https://youtu.be/OydK91JjFOw
The worst is when the rejection is based on a stupid misunderstanding on the one hand, and a very bad understanding on the other hand, having triggered "The damned Kraken & his cohort of demons", destroying everything...
Anger is always a bad advisor... It makes you make many mistakes, like erasing yourself, refusing him from now on, all access to your conscience, your thoughts, as he did himself, and lock yourself in a cold mutism to heal, move forward and especially protect yourself from all new venomous and painful stings... Instinctively you must protect yourself and take refuge in your citadel...
Even if you have to live with a love lockdown and a cold case love too...
https://youtu.be/eMjEyWaoNKE
To love sincerely and deeply someone and to lose him in such a brutal and violent way...It's hurt like hell...
https://youtu.be/Uil0L-0F4no
https://youtu.be/IPPTTvxojvg
And I'm still wondering how to communicate with a very complex emotional "Rubik's Cube"...
https://youtu.be/MM62wjLrgmA
https://youtu.be/ifv7S__-vaI
Don't ask me why...
But I needed to "get it out there." ๐ง
@shaundixon3645
@@mamaziha79 mine was after 35 year marriage I was totally unforgivabley betrayed , not cheating but far worse for me but nothing to her ,
I was put in care at 5 , adopted at7 put back in care at 11 left care 16 joined army , met future wife at 19 still virgin, she pursued me relentlessly, I was more than hesitant .
We got together , I told her โ I will never cheat on you , never hit you , if you want me never to lie , donโt ask about my pastโ I kept my word , she did too.
After 30 years some thing was wrong , the dice was rolling , didnโt know what it was , said nothing , was extra vigilant , my defences were up . Then sept 2017 my wife and 2 daughters announced they had found my family , it took ยฃ 14000 and failed cos of actions I had taken to hide . I had 2 forged idโs then 1 they knew me as,it took dna test to find my family in USA . To them this was really good they were ecstatic , to me it was end of my world which was just them.
I never asked fo it,
After 35 years in total I was out of house in 20 mins .
Left everything but clothes on my back and 1 hold-all ,I know they didnโt understand ,
I lived homeless on spare ground behind garden center , 4 years later was seen by friend of friend , they told my wife , who arrived with 2 daughters and 1st grandchild I had never met. They full of apologies and vowing never to communicate with my family again ,.
It took 4 weeks to convince me to go back with them, it was not the same , seperate bedrooms , never touched my wife , I wouldnโt even go in bathroom when she was in it,
Met my younger daughters friend from unI many time she was studying psychology. One day she was stareing at me for longest time till I said โwhatโ , she replied โ you need some serious professional help, your head is all mashed upโ.
They all went on to list odd behaviour ,like asking to use toilet every time , asking if I could make cup of tea , only ever sitting on kitchen chair in kitchen and turning it to face door, disappearing for up to three days , having an object fear of grandchild, terrible nightmares all night every night that I had no memory, many more , too many to mention, all I could say was โ something ainโt right itโs not the same ,the vibe is wrong , Iโm not loving you the way I want to โ daughters friend said โ thatโs love lockdown by Kanye westโ
Never heard of it before so hear I am listening to it , and at last talking ,
This song could be my road back to not been crazy and scaring people
@peacehammertitan778
I remember the night when 808s dropped and the radio hosts were so confused. This auto tune and heavy 808s have become a staple of rap and hip hop 10 years later. This man was so ahead
@midlaroi244
Except T Pain did it years before this.
@dolphinerofachero3159
@@midlaroi244 it isnโt about whoโs the pioneer, is all about whoโs the loudest
@depopjordans
@@midlaroi244 T pain's autotune sound was literally inspired by a song on the college dropout so really it was Kanye all along
@albeanie7977
@@midlaroi244 love your name
@midlaroi244
@@albeanie7977 he grew up around me in Australia now hes #1 in Australia and America. Im envious
@EJ-lh9co
2010 : love lockdown
2020 : actual lockdown
@hellenbits
Truth ๐คฃ
@lennon9383
song came in in โ08
@AshleyLiss-sg8fb
This lockdown is going to cause a spike in births in about 9 months #actuallovelockdown