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.
Mama's Boyfriend
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never liked you n-ggas
Who knew one day I'd be just like you n-ggas
Uh uh uh alright you n-ggas
Uh uh uh alright you n-ggas
When I become my mama's boyfriends?
When I become my mama's boyfriends?
I was only five
Superman pajama's I was super duper fly
Sitting here like why, he at least supersize
You know I scrutinise like who this newer guy
I'm my mama boyfriend I'm her little husband
I was the man of the house when there wasn't
Trying to get to know homie just kill the charm
You ain't interested in me you just tryna f-ck my mum
We are the voices of our parents bad choices
The aftermath of divorces
The kids of bitter split ups
And baby sitters
Grand parents that don't know what to do with us
And the last thing I want to see is mama's new n-gga
You old Old Spice wearing
Short chain wearing
Dress shoes and jogging pants wearing
Church sock wearing
When you first stop caring about your appearance
When you get here anyway I already got parents
Don't try to put me inline I already got crayons
My mama said I could do it I already got clearance
Keep your hands of my mama how I need to got clearance
Yeah I know she look good but you need to stop staring
I drew a picture of her that would make her proud
But the door was locked and the TV up so loud
I scream out "I ain't going to sleep no time soon,
And when I do I'm sleeping in my mama room"
I don't like you n-gga
If I was old enough I would fight you n-gga
I wanna run over you in my bike you n-gga
Don't go to sleep at night you n-gga
And it seems like I wasted time
If thats what it's all about
Mama if thats moving up than I
When I become my mama's boyfriends
Twenty years later where has the time gone
Now you see I'm dating having problems of my own
Now that I'm grown the tables turned around
I never thought I'd ever raise another n-ggas child
He don't like his mama's boyfriend
Just like me don't wanna do the wrong thing
That's very un Spike Lee but he be like he go round his mama then
Cause when she here he be quiet
When she leave he be talking again
He be wylin again
Be calm I don't drink the drama
A sip of Dom Tyler-Perry-on
You gon marry my mom look
I don't read palms and I don't read psalms
And I did take little man to church
And took little man to school
Look littl eman kids don't make the rules
Even though I aint raised you
You your mama angel
Don't get it twisted baby boy I'll Ving Rhames you
[Chorus]
When I become my mama's boyfriends?
The song “Mama’s Boyfriend” by Kanye West revolves around the relationship between a mother’s new boyfriend and her son. Kanye describes how he felt when his mother started dating a new man when he was only five years old. He recalls scrutinizing the newcomer, trying to get to know him better, and feeling like the man of the house even though there was a new “sheriff in town.” Kanye expresses his dislike for his mom’s boyfriend, calling him out for his appearance, lack of interest in him, and intentions. He also mentions how the situation has affected him and his generation as a whole, noting that they are the voices of their parents' bad choices and the aftermath of divorces.
As the song progresses, Kanye brings up the idea of karma and how the tables have turned as he now finds himself in a similar situation to that of his mother’s boyfriend. He has grown up and is now dating, but his partner's child does not like him, just like he didn't like his mother's boyfriend. Despite this, Kanye tries to reach out to the child, suggesting they go to church and school together. He also reiterates how he never thought he would raise another person's child, but he is willing to embrace the challenge.
Overall, “Mama’s Boyfriend” speaks to the intricacies and complexities of inter-generational relationships and how the choices of parents can impact their children for years to come. Kanye’s raw and honest lyrics invite the listener to reflect on their own experiences and relationships within their families.
Line by Line Meaning
I never liked you n-ggas
I never liked people like you
Who knew one day I'd be just like you n-ggas
Who knew one day I'd behave like people I never liked
Uh uh uh alright you n-ggas
I acknowledge your existence but don't necessarily approve of it
Uh uh uh alright you n-ggas
I acknowledge your existence but don't necessarily approve of it
When I become my mama's boyfriends?
When did I start being like the men my mother dated?
He walked in our lives
A new man entered our family dynamic
I was only five
I was very young at the time
Superman pajama's I was super duper fly
I was wearing my Superman pajamas and feeling really cool
Sitting here like why, he at least supersize
Wondering why this man is here when he's not even bigger than me
You know I scrutinise like who this newer guy
I scrutinize this new guy, wondering who he is
I'm my mama boyfriend I'm her little husband
I feel like I'm the man of the house now that my mom has a new boyfriend
I was the man of the house when there wasn't
I took on the role of being the man of the house when there wasn't one
Trying to get to know homie just kill the charm
Trying to get to know him better, but it's not going well
You ain't interested in me you just tryna f-ck my mum
You don't care about me, you're just trying to have sex with my mom
We are the voices of our parents bad choices
We are the ones affected by our parents' bad choices
The aftermath of divorces
The consequences of divorce
The kids of bitter split ups
The children of broken homes
And baby sitters
And the people who have to take care of us when our parents are away
Grand parents that don't know what to do with us
And grandparents who are unsure how to handle us
And the last thing I want to see is mama's new n-gga
And the last thing I want to see is my mom's new boyfriend
You old Old Spice wearing
You wear Old Spice
Short chain wearing
You wear a short chain around your neck
Dress shoes and jogging pants wearing
You wear dress shoes with your jogging pants
Church sock wearing
You wear socks that are typically only worn to church
When you first stop caring about your appearance
When you first stop caring about how you look
When you get here anyway I already got parents
I already have parents, so I don't need another one
Don't try to put me inline I already got crayons
Don't try to control me, I already have my own things to do
My mama said I could do it I already got clearance
My mom gave me permission, so I can do it
Keep your hands of my mama how I need to got clearance
Don't touch my mom, I need permission for you to do that
Yeah I know she look good but you need to stop staring
I know my mom looks good, but you need to stop staring at her
I drew a picture of her that would make her proud
I drew a picture of my mom that I know she would love
But the door was locked and the TV up so loud
But I couldn't show her because the door was locked and the TV was too loud
I scream out "I ain't going to sleep no time soon,
I scream out that I'm not going to sleep anytime soon
And when I do I'm sleeping in my mama room"
And when I do eventually sleep, I'm sleeping in my mom's room
I don't like you n-gga
I don't like you
If I was old enough I would fight you n-gga
If I was older, I would fight you
I wanna run over you in my bike you n-gga
I want to run you over with my bike
Don't go to sleep at night you n-gga
You should be scared to sleep at night
And it seems like I wasted time
It seems like I wasted my time
If thats what it's all about
If that's all there is to life
Mama if thats moving up than I
If that's what 'moving up' means, then I'm not interested
Twenty years later where has the time gone
Twenty years have passed, where did the time go?
Now you see I'm dating having problems of my own
Now I'm dating and dealing with my own relationship issues
Now that I'm grown the tables turned around
Now that I'm older, the roles have reversed
I never thought I'd ever raise another n-ggas child
I never thought I'd be responsible for raising another person's child
He don't like his mama's boyfriend
He doesn't like his mom's boyfriend
Just like me don't wanna do the wrong thing
Just like me, he doesn't want to make the wrong choice
That's very un Spike Lee but he be like he go round his mama then
That's not the way Spike Lee would handle it, but he goes to his mom for advice
Cause when she here he be quiet
He's quiet when his mom is around
When she leave he be talking again
When she leaves, he talks again
He be wylin again
He starts acting wild again
Be calm I don't drink the drama
I don't want to be involved in any drama
A sip of Dom Tyler-Perry-on
I'll have a drink of Dom Pérignon
You gon marry my mom look
You're going to marry my mom, huh?
I don't read palms and I don't read psalms
I don't believe in palm reading or the Psalms
And I did take little man to church
But I did take the child to church
And took little man to school
And I also took him to school
Look littl eman kids don't make the rules
Listen, little man, kids don't make the rules
Even though I aint raised you
Even though I didn't raise you
You your mama angel
You're your mother's angel
Don't get it twisted baby boy I'll Ving Rhames you
Don't get it twisted, baby boy, I'll take care of you like Ving Rhames did in Pulp Fiction
[Chorus]
Refrain of the song
Contributed by Cole C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@flamingo
this goes insane
@flamey961
Hi albert
@flamey961
You like kanye?
@bigballerj1911
Stupid hard
@droptopsonata
holy shit albert is a ye stan
@bruhmomentofficial2355
Albert you’re like 2 years late but yes this is hard
@erppa20
How the fuck has he been able to make music like this? The way he samples the original versions, the lyrics, everything. It's a crime this song hasn't really seen the light of day.
@user-ij2gz3bn1h
@@chowell1451 nah Q tip made it
@robertvalenica8999
@@hunchovari he produced the song lmafo, he was in control the whole time
@KBhunterx262
@@robertvalenica8999 I know some other dude produced the song (at least the first part of it). He talked about it in an interview which is how I found about this.