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.
POWER )
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doing something mean to it
Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero need his theme music
No one man should have all that power
The clock's ticking', I just count the hours
(21st century schizoid man)
The system broken, the schools closed, the prisons open
We ain't got nothing' to lose, ma' fucka', we rolling
Huh? Ma'fucka', we rolling'
With some light-skinned girls and some Kelly Rowlands
In this white man's world, we the ones chosen
So goodnight, cruel world, I see you in the mornin'
Huh? I see you in the mornin'
This is way too much, I need a moment
No one man should have all that power
The clock's tickin', I just count the hours
Stop trippin' I'm trippin' off the power
'Til then, fuck that, the world's ours
And then they say (hey) and then they say
And then they say (hey) and then they say
And then they say (hey) and then they say (21st century schizoid man)
Fuck S-N-L and the whole cast
Tell 'em Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass
More specifically, they can kiss my ass-hole
I'm an asshole? You niggas got jokes
You short-minded niggas thoughts is Napoleon
My furs is Mongolian, my ice brought the goldies in
Now I embody every characteristic of the egotistic
He knows, he so, fuckin' gifted
I just needed time alone, with my own thoughts
Got treasures in my mind but couldn't open up my own vault
My childlike creativity, purity and honesty
Is honestly being crowded by these grown thoughts
Reality is catchin' up with me
Takin' my inner child, I'm fighting for its custody
With these responsibilities that they entrusted me
As I look down at my dia-mond-encrusted piece
Thinkin', no one man should have all that power
The clock's tickin', I just count the hours
Stop trippin', I'm trippin' off the powder
'Til then, fuck that, the world's ours
And then they say (hey) and then they say
And then they say (hey) and then they say
And then they say (hey) and then they say (21st century schizoid man)
Holy, powers, Austin, Powers
Lost in translation with a whole fuckin' nation
They say "How was the abomination of Obama's nation?"
Well that's a pretty bad way to start the conversation
At the end of day, goddammit I'm killin' this shit
I know damn well y'all feelin' this shit
I don't need your pussy, bitch I'm on my own dick
I ain't gotta power trip, who you goin' home with?
How 'Ye doin? I'm survivin'
I was drinkin' earlier, now I'm drivin'
Where the bad bitches, huh? Where ya hidin'
I got the power, make yo' life so exciting (so exciting)
Now this would be a beautiful death
Jumping out the window
Letting everything go
Letting everything go
Now this would be a beautiful death
Jumping out the window
Letting everything go
Letting everything go
Now this would be a beautiful death
Jumping out the window
Letting everything go
Letting everything go
You got the power to let power go?
(21st century schizoid man)
The song "POWER" by Kanye West is a rap power anthem that speaks to the concept of power and its effects on individuals. The first verse speaks about the feeling of living in the 21st century and doing something mean with the power that one possesses. Kanye emphasizes that he does it better than anyone else, and the screams from the haters give him an added advantage.
The next verse talks about the broken system, closed schools, and open prisons with nothing to lose. Kanye mentions that in this white man's world, they are the chosen ones, and with light-skinned girls and Kelly Rowland, they are rolling. The chorus emphasizes that no one man should have all that power, especially when the clock is ticking, and Kanye is counting the hours. He is tripping off the power as the world is theirs, and they need not care about what the world says.
In the following verse, Kanye West takes shots at S-N-L while emphasizing that although many people say he is an asshole and a megalomaniac, he is still fucking gifted. He then talks about his childlike creativity and purity is being overshadowed by his grown thoughts, and reality catches up with him. However, Kanye West also mentions that he has treasures in his mind that he cannot open up in the vault. In the final chorus, Kanye West mentions that jumping out the window would be a beautiful death as it lets everything go, emphasizing that one has the power to let power go.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm living' in that 21st century
I exist in the modern world
Doing something mean to it
Achieving greatness and dominance over it with my actions
Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it
Performing at a level beyond what anyone has done before
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
Receiving negative feedback from opponents and enjoying the sound of their frustration
I guess every superhero need his theme music
Every great figure requires a song to accompany their achievements
No one man should have all that power
One person controlling too much is not ideal
The clock's ticking', I just count the hours
I am aware that time is running out
Stop tripping', I'm tripping' off the power
I am aware that the amount of control I possess is overwhelming
(21st century schizoid man)
I am aware of the strain and stress that comes with possessing too much power
The system broken, the schools closed, the prisons open
The current loom is dysfunctional, school is no longer in session, and the jails are operating
We ain't got nothing' to lose, ma' fucka', we rolling
We have nothing to lose, and we are moving forward aggressively
Huh? Ma'fucka', we rolling'
We are making progress and not stopping regardless of whether others agree or disagree
With some light-skinned girls and some Kelly Rowlands
I am surrounded by beautiful light-skinned women, including some like Kelly Rowland
In this white man's world, we the ones chosen
In the society dominated by white men, we are the ones who will triumph
So goodnight, cruel world, I see you in the mornin'
Letting go of current struggles and hoping for a brighter tomorrow
Huh? I see you in the mornin'
I will face any difficulties in the night, and will wake rejuvenated for a better day
This is way too much, I need a moment
I'm overwhelmed and need time to digest what has happened
No one man should have all that power
One person controlling too much is not ideal
The clock's tickin', I just count the hours
I am aware that time is running out
Stop trippin' I'm trippin' off the power
I am aware that the amount of control I possess is overwhelming
'Til then, fuck that, the world's ours
Until further notice, we will control the world
Fuck S-N-L and the whole cast
I don't care about Saturday Night Live or its staff
Tell 'em Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass
I disrespectfully dismiss and repudiate them on behalf of myself and my fans
More specifically, they can kiss my ass-hole
I have particular disdain for them and want them to show me no respect
I'm an asshole? You niggas got jokes
I am aware of people's opinion of me, and it does not bother me
You short-minded niggas thoughts is Napoleon
Your thoughts are narrow and not useful for success
My furs is Mongolian, my ice brought the goldies in
I wear luxurious clothing made with rare materials, and I also have expensive jewelry
Now I embody every characteristic of the egotistic
I now display the characteristics of a person with an inflated ego
He knows, he so, fuckin' gifted
I am aware of my great abilities
I just needed time alone, with my own thoughts
I required some private moments to evaluate my thoughts
Got treasures in my mind but couldn't open up my own vault
I hold significant ideas but have difficulty expressing them
My childlike creativity, purity and honesty
I am innocent at heart and possess childlike creativity and honesty
Is honestly being crowded by these grown thoughts
My childlike qualities are being overshadowed by adult-like misconduct
Reality is catchin' up with me
I am beginning to understand the real world
Takin' my inner child, I'm fighting for its custody
I am trying to retain my innocence, though people are pushing me towards adulthood
With these responsibilities that they entrusted me
People have assigned me with specific obligations that I must carry out
As I look down at my dia-mond-encrusted piece
I admire the glittering, diamond-encrusted item in my possession
Thinkin', no one man should have all that power
Realizing that one person holding too much power is not ideal
The clock's tickin', I just count the hours
I am aware that time is running out
Stop trippin', I'm trippin' off the powder
I am aware that the amount of control I possess is overwhelming
'Til then, fuck that, the world's ours
Until further notice, we will control the world
Holy, powers, Austin, Powers
A play on words referencing the Austin Powers character and holiness attempting to assert dominance
Lost in translation with a whole fuckin' nation
Misunderstood by an entire nation
They say "How was the abomination of Obama's nation?"
A derogatory phrase questioning Obama's status as a leader
Well that's a pretty bad way to start the conversation
This is not an effective way to begin a conversation
At the end of day, goddammit I'm killin' this shit
Regardless of the adversity he is facing, he is still doing well
I know damn well y'all feelin' this shit
Everyone is aware of my success and feelin' it
I don't need your pussy, bitch I'm on my own dick
The artist is not seeking sexual satisfaction but is self-focused and successful
I ain't gotta power trip, who you goin' home with?
I am not abusing my power, but rather others desire to align with me
How 'Ye doin? I'm survivin'
Asking how Ye, Kanye, is doing and saying he is surviving
I was drinkin' earlier, now I'm drivin'
I was enjoying myself earlier, now I have responsibilities to carry out
Where the bad bitches, huh? Where ya hidin'
Where are the attractive women located?
I got the power, make yo' life so exciting (so exciting)
I possess the power to create excitement with people I come across
Now this would be a beautiful death
Jumping out the window would be a beautiful way to die
Jumping out the window
A reckless way of committing suicide
Letting everything go
Releasing one's struggles and worries
You got the power to let power go?
Do you have the ability to let go of your dominance?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEFF BHASKER, KANYE WEST, ROBERT FRIPP, IAN MCDONALD, GREG LAKE, NATHAN PEREZ, MICHAEL GILES, PETER SINFIELD, MALIK YUSEF JONES, LARRY GRIFFIN, FRANCOIS BERNHEIM, GERARD BERGMAN, MIKE DEAN, JEAN PIERRE LANG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@representation.
I'm living in that 21st century
Doing something mean to it
Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero need his theme music
No one man should have all that power
The clock's ticking, I just count the hours
Stop tripping, I'm tripping off the power
(21st-century schizoid man)
The system broken, and the school's closed, the prisons open
We ain't got nothin' to lose, ma'fucka, we rollin'
Huh? Ma'fucka, we rollin'
With some light-skinned girls and some Kelly Rowlands
In this white man's world, we the ones chosen
So goodnight, cruel world, I'll see you in the mornin'
Huh? I'll see you in the mornin'
This is way too much, I need a moment
@representation.
I'm living in that 21st century
Doing something mean to it
Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero need his theme music
No one man should have all that power
The clock's ticking, I just count the hours
Stop tripping, I'm tripping off the power
(21st-century schizoid man)
The system broken, and the school's closed, the prisons open
We ain't got nothin' to lose, ma'fucka, we rollin'
Huh? Ma'fucka, we rollin'
With some light-skinned girls and some Kelly Rowlands
In this white man's world, we the ones chosen
So goodnight, cruel world, I'll see you in the mornin'
Huh? I'll see you in the mornin'
This is way too much, I need a moment
@kabuki.2842
Nobody:
Men’s fragrance commercials:
@st4rmonii
Literally where I came from
@theLisRe4L
Invictus
@candaceanderson6251
😀
@candaceanderson6251
👊🏾
@Black_angel092
With David Beckham loool
@Ocato92
"The system broken, the school is closed, the prisons open."
Now that line aged well!
@rosaria6363
Ocato92 yeah. Fits perfectly now
@Eminenceofeternity
@Ben Orsak The plan was being made 11 years ago?
@jamesvick6070
Ocato92 wow