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.
Only one ft Paul McCartney
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hear her speak to me
Hello 'Mari, how ya doin'?
I think the storm ran out of rain, the clouds are movin'
I know you're happy, 'cause I can see it
So tell the voice inside ya head to believe it
I talked to God about you, he said he sent you an angel
You asked for one and you got two
You know I never left you
'Cause every road that leads to heaven's right inside you
So I can say
Hello my only one, just like the mornin' sun
You'll keep on risin' 'til the sky knows your name
Hello my only one, remember who you are
No you're not perfect but you're not your mistakes
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Oh the good outweighs the bad even on your worst day
Remember how I'd say
Hey hey one day you'll be the man you always knew you could be
And if you knew how proud I was
You'd never shed a tear, have a fear, no you wouldn't do that
And though I didn't pick the day to turn the page
I know it's not the end every time I see her face, and I hear you say
Hello my only one, remember who you are
You got the world 'cause you got love in your hands
And you're still my chosen one
So can you understand? One day you'll understand
So hear me out, hear me out
I won't go, I won't go
No goodbyes, no goodbyes
Just hello, just hello
And when you cry, I will cry
And when you smile, I will smile
And next time when I look in your eyes
We'll have wings and we'll fly
Hello my only one, just like the mornin' sun
You'll keep on risin' 'til the sky knows your name
And you're still my chosen one, remember who you are
No you're not perfect but you're not your mistakes
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Tell Nori about me, tell Nori ab-
I just want you to do me a favor
Tell Nori about me, tell Nori about me
The lyrics to Kanye West's song Only One featuring Paul McCartney are an intimate and sentimental message coming from Kanye's mother, Donda West, who passed away in 2007. The song is a message from her to Kanye, telling him to remember who he is and to believe in himself. The opening lines, "As I lay me down to sleep, I hear her speak to me" is a reference to Donda speaking to Kanye through his dreams.
Donda begins the song by telling Kanye that the storm has passed and the clouds are moving. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the dark times in his life being over and that he should recognize the positive changes happening. She then tells Kanye that God has sent him an angel, which is probably a reference to his daughter North West, who was born a year before the song was released.
In the chorus, Donda tells Kanye that he is her "only one" and that he should remember who he is. She acknowledges that he's not perfect but that his mistakes don't define him. She also tells him that the good in his life outweighs the bad, even on his worst day, and that he will continue to rise until everyone knows his name.
Throughout the song, Donda encourages Kanye to keep going and to believe in himself, knowing that he has a bright future ahead of him. The final lines of the song, "Tell Nori about me", are a request for Kanye to tell his daughter about her grandmother and to keep her memory alive.
Overall, the song is a touching tribute to Kanye's mother and a reminder for him to stay focused and positive in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
As I lay me down to sleep
I hear her speak to me
As I prepare myself to rest for the night, I hear my deceased loved one speak to me.
Hello 'Mari, how ya doin'?
I think the storm ran out of rain, the clouds are movin'
The deceased loved one greets the listener by their nickname and states that the storm has passed and things are starting to improve.
I know you're happy, 'cause I can see it
So tell the voice inside ya head to believe it
The deceased loved one believes that the listener is happy and urges them to believe in their own happiness.
I talked to God about you, he said he sent you an angel
And look at all that he gave you
You asked for one and you got two
You know I never left you
The deceased loved one conversed with God about the listener and believes that God sent them an angel. They acknowledge the listener's blessings and assure them that they have never left their side.
'Cause every road that leads to heaven's right inside you
So I can say
The deceased loved one believes that the path to heaven is within the listener and reassures them by saying:
Hello my only one, just like the mornin' sun
You'll keep on risin' 'til the sky knows your name
Hello my only one, remember who you are
No you're not perfect but you're not your mistakes
The deceased loved one greets the listener again, comparing them to the morning sun since they will keep rising and make a name for themselves. They remind the listener of their true value and self-worth, while also acknowledging their imperfections and reassuring them that their mistakes do not define them.
Oh the good outweighs the bad even on your worst day
Remember how I'd say
Hey hey one day you'll be the man you always knew you could be
The deceased loved one believes that the listener's good outweighs their bad, even on their worst day. They remind the listener of their own encouraging words from the past and encourage them to be the best version of themselves.
And if you knew how proud I was
You'd never shed a tear, have a fear, no you wouldn't do that
The deceased loved one expresses how proud they are of the listener and reassures them that if they knew, they would not have any reason to cry or be afraid.
And though I didn't pick the day to turn the page
I know it's not the end every time I see her face, and I hear you say
The deceased loved one did not choose the day to pass, but they still have a presence in the listener's life every time they remember them and hear their voice.
Hello my only one, remember who you are
You got the world 'cause you got love in your hands
And you're still my chosen one
So can you understand? One day you'll understand
The deceased loved one reminds the listener once again of their worth and the love that they hold, which will bring them success. They also remind the listener that they are chosen and loved, and that they will understand why in due time.
So hear me out, hear me out
I won't go, I won't go
No goodbyes, no goodbyes
Just hello, just hello
The deceased loved one urges the listener to listen to them and reassures them that they won't leave them forever. They also avoid goodbyes and instead greet them with love.
And when you cry, I will cry
And when you smile, I will smile
And next time when I look in your eyes
We'll have wings and we'll fly
The deceased loved one shares their emotions with the listener, and promises to empathize with them when they are sad and feel joy with them when they are happy. They also describe their reunion in heaven.
Tell Nori about me, tell Nori ab-
I just want you to do me a favor
Tell Nori about me, tell Nori about me
The deceased loved one requests the listener to pass on a message to someone named Nori, asking them to remember them and to talk about them in good light
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NOAH D. GOLDSTEIN, MICHAEL DEAN, KIRBY LAUREN DOCKERY, PAUL JAMES MCCARTNEY, KANYE WEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alicesmithy6391
I never realised before but this is about his mother and north. if you read it from his mother point of view its really sweet
As I lay me down to sleep
I hear her speak to me
Hello 'Mari, how ya doin'?
I think the storm ran out of rain, the clouds are movin'
I know you're happy, cause I can see it
So tell the voice inside ya' head to believe it
(then this part is talking about how god sent him 2 angels, kim and north)
I talked to God about you, he said he sent you an angel
And look at all that he gave you
You asked for one and you got two
You know I never left you
Cause every road that leads to heaven's right inside you
So I can say
(and apparently only one was what Kanye's mom would call him because I believe that's kinna what his name means)
Hello my only one
Just like the morning sun
You keep on rising till the sky knows your name
Hello my only one
Remember who you are
No you’re not perfect but you’re not your mistakes
(and then the rest of the song is the same her being encouraging to Kanye and probably what she would say to him to keep being great. and the at the end she asks him to tell north about her "nori" = north
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Tell Nori about me, tell Nori about
I just want you to do me a favor
Tell Nori about me
damn Kanye actually made me cry :(
@yejimkim5048
SteelersRule1011 Kanye West shouldn't be a musician? He redefined the rap genre (watch any rap critic or credible rapper's interview and hear what they have to say about him) multiple times within the span of his own career. Not only that he's made the careers of many artists: he reinvigorated jay-z's career with "izzo" and the watch the throne album, he gave john legend a career (signed under ye), he reinvigorated common's career, he signed and produced for big sean, kid cudi, etc. I can't even list how many things this guy has done and people still knock him because they don't know shit. You can't possibly imagine how hard it is to be a crossover star, making a genre of music that the mainstream doesn't appreciate but still making it big. Although it has yet to be seen if he will reach the heights of these artists, his career is comparable to those of michael jackson, louis armstrong, hank williams, etc. making an otherwise subculture genre into a fullblown mainstream one.
The people who hate him are unfamiliar with his work, work ethic and frame of mind. You call him racist, but you don't provide anything to back it up. He's interrupted/called out black artists at awards shows WAY before he did it to Beck and even Taylor Swift, but no one cares, because they were black. I don't understand why people are offended by the incident even when BECK HIMSELF said that he thought Beyonce she should've gotten the award (and no he is not being modest).
Also, Kanye never said Beyonce was more artistic than beck. He said beck should "respect artistry" which could mean a many deal of things. What I think he meant is that Beyonce's album was better than Beck's and that doesn't mean SHE is a better musician than beck, just that the collaboration effort of all of the producer's (who are artists in their own right) and her made a better product. I get the fact that Beck plays a lot of instruments, but is it that meaningful to be able to play all those instruments when you're only playing one at a time? It's only useful for the recording process but he can't perform them all at a time. And who do you think writes Kanye West's melodic arrangements, and who does the drums? He composes most of his music and although he doesn't actually play all the instruments in his music, he writes the partition so it is artistic in its own right.
Finally, the fact that you can say that Beyonce's voice who has a much larger pitch range and dynamic range is inferior to beck's shows how biased you are, which is okay. However, you should have phrased it as "I prefer beck's voice", because objectively you cannot say that Beck's voice is better than Beyonce's.
Sorry this was a very long winded response, but you addressed a lot of points and I didn't want to leave any behind. Hopefully, you read this.
@TheThirdPew
Glad to see Kanye putting so much faith in a newcomer like this Paul guy. I'm always a fan of pushing undiscovered talent.
@AnoushkaRamkumar
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha I love your videos
@jamayrian
Are you trolling?
@NTJordan
jamayrian no he's def serious
@JudyGarlandRulez152
Paul has been in the business since 1957. You GOT to be trolling!
@supermanhatesme
Anyone that doesn't see that this is a troll is an idiot
@adaorawrld
he's singing a lullaby to north from the perspective of his dead mother.... and im crying
@McZukas
dorå and grandmother
@chenggonglee4992
dorå 😭😭😭
@samblackside
This one made me even more emotional because Kanye made a birthday video for Kim, and it was mostly about the bond she and her dad and it was the same Track. And like, FUCK that’s emotional.