Ye (born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia), profession… Read Full Bio ↴Ye (born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia), professionally known as Kanye West, is a Grammy award-winning American rapper, producer, singer, author, director, performance artist and fashion designer.
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.
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.
Souls
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life change when you famous
I remember, back before the chains, we was nameless
Went through stages just to hop on new stages
Open up your eyes, man, they only entertainers
And I cannot sell my soul (soul)
And I cannot sell my soul (soul)
And I cannot sell my soul (yeah, soul)
And I cannot sell my soul (Jesus saved my soul)
And I cannot sell my soul
I've been at the top shinin' like a light pole
And I'm just a product of whatever I was raised in
This money sanctified, so I gotta say it again
They said I was mad at the Grammys
But I'm lookin' at my Grammy right now
Pulled up on Ye, and I said, "They don't understand me"
I just want my dawg to pipe down
'Cause when you really came from the trenches
You was raised (mm) in the trenches
You feel like you trailblazed for the trenches (mm)
I hope God can forgive me for the days that I was sinnin' (mhm)
The truth is only what you get away with, huh?
(Yeah, all these lyin' n-)
I said, the truth is only what you get away with, huh?
Ayy, that's why a lot of these n- be fakin', huh
Made it through the trials and tribulations, huh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
But, uh, umh, well, well, here goes
Well, here goes, but here goes
I was one of them weirdos of the pure soul
That would go to the flea market to buy fake clothes
Every color Girbaud's, every Cutlass is cold
Every cousin that stole, every summer was cold
Out of all of the Moes, out of all of the Folks
After all of the jokes, I'm the one that was chose
All of my friends love to gang bang
How we in my car, and you say we ain't in the same lane?
When we both had Pelles on
And we was scammin' for the prom before Chief Keef was "Bang, Bang"
Always had mob ties, stood on my six points, how could I not rise?
Love, truth, peace, freedom, justice, but I'm not five
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
And for all the guys that went to the White House and said, "Free the old man"
Every day I put my life on the line to feed the whole clan
Personal worth is not what a person is worth
I can give a dollar to every person on Earth
Man, it's gotta be God's plan
Man, I swear these boys keep playin'
We gon' have to square up then
We gon' have to send it up then
We gon' have to send it up then
We gon' have to send it up then, uh
We gon' have to send it up then
We gon' have to send it up then
My favorite place to send it
It ain't how it used to be
This the new me, so get used to me
It ain't how it used to be
This the new me, so get used to me
Lookin' in the mirror, it's the truth of me
Lookin' at my kids, it's the proof of me
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
Father, Holy Spirit, let loose on me
Father, I'm Yours exclusively
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
Father, Holy Spirit, let loose on me
Father, I'm Yours exclusively
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
The truth is only what you get away with, huh?
I said, the truth is only what you get away with, huh?
Ayy, that's why a lot of these n- be fakin', huh
(Ye that beat is so hard)
Made it through the trials and tribulations, huh
Whoa, oh, yeah-yeah
The truth the only thing you get away with (can't get away)
Oh, oh, no
The truth the only thing you get away with (oh-whoa)
The truth (I did it), the truth
The truth the only thing you get away with
Oh, oh (hard to get the trust again)
The truth the only thing you get away with
Hard to trust again, I can only trust in him, whoa
The truth (oh yeah)
The truth the only thing you get away with (can't get away)
Oh, oh
The truth the only thing you get away with
The truth (the truth), the truth (whoa)
He know every side of, every side of you (oh)
Don't shine through (whoa)
They could never hide from you (the truth)
He can see it, birds-eye view
The truth the only thing you get away with
Can't get away
Oh, oh
They can never hide from you
They can never hide, hide from you (no)
No (no, no, no, no), no
The truth
The truth the only thing you get away with
Get away, get away (oh, oh), oh-woah
The truth the only thing you get away with
(Bend down and then, and then trust again) the truth, the truth
The truth the only thing you get away with
I remember, back before the chains, we was nameless
Went through stages just to hop on new stages
Open up your eyes, man, they only entertainers
And I cannot sell my soul (soul)
And I cannot sell my soul (soul)
And I cannot sell my soul (yeah, soul)
And I cannot sell my soul (Jesus saved my soul)
I've been at the top shinin' like a light pole
And I'm just a product of whatever I was raised in
This money sanctified, so I gotta say it again
They said I was mad at the Grammys
But I'm lookin' at my Grammy right now
Pulled up on Ye, and I said, "They don't understand me"
I just want my dawg to pipe down
'Cause when you really came from the trenches
You was raised (mm) in the trenches
You feel like you trailblazed for the trenches (mm)
I hope God can forgive me for the days that I was sinnin' (mhm)
The truth is only what you get away with, huh?
(Yeah, all these lyin' n-)
I said, the truth is only what you get away with, huh?
Ayy, that's why a lot of these n- be fakin', huh
Made it through the trials and tribulations, huh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
But, uh, umh, well, well, here goes
Well, here goes, but here goes
I was one of them weirdos of the pure soul
That would go to the flea market to buy fake clothes
Every color Girbaud's, every Cutlass is cold
Every cousin that stole, every summer was cold
Out of all of the Moes, out of all of the Folks
After all of the jokes, I'm the one that was chose
All of my friends love to gang bang
How we in my car, and you say we ain't in the same lane?
When we both had Pelles on
And we was scammin' for the prom before Chief Keef was "Bang, Bang"
Always had mob ties, stood on my six points, how could I not rise?
Love, truth, peace, freedom, justice, but I'm not five
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
And for all the guys that went to the White House and said, "Free the old man"
Every day I put my life on the line to feed the whole clan
Personal worth is not what a person is worth
I can give a dollar to every person on Earth
Man, it's gotta be God's plan
Man, I swear these boys keep playin'
We gon' have to square up then
We gon' have to send it up then
We gon' have to send it up then
We gon' have to send it up then, uh
We gon' have to send it up then
We gon' have to send it up then
My favorite place to send it
It ain't how it used to be
This the new me, so get used to me
It ain't how it used to be
This the new me, so get used to me
Lookin' in the mirror, it's the truth of me
Lookin' at my kids, it's the proof of me
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
Father, Holy Spirit, let loose on me
Father, I'm Yours exclusively
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
Father, Holy Spirit, let loose on me
Father, I'm Yours exclusively
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
The truth is only what you get away with, huh?
I said, the truth is only what you get away with, huh?
Ayy, that's why a lot of these n- be fakin', huh
(Ye that beat is so hard)
Made it through the trials and tribulations, huh
Whoa, oh, yeah-yeah
The truth the only thing you get away with (can't get away)
Oh, oh, no
The truth the only thing you get away with (oh-whoa)
The truth (I did it), the truth
The truth the only thing you get away with
Oh, oh (hard to get the trust again)
The truth the only thing you get away with
Hard to trust again, I can only trust in him, whoa
The truth (oh yeah)
The truth the only thing you get away with (can't get away)
Oh, oh
The truth the only thing you get away with
The truth (the truth), the truth (whoa)
He know every side of, every side of you (oh)
Don't shine through (whoa)
They could never hide from you (the truth)
He can see it, birds-eye view
The truth the only thing you get away with
Can't get away
Oh, oh
They can never hide from you
They can never hide, hide from you (no)
No (no, no, no, no), no
The truth
The truth the only thing you get away with
Get away, get away (oh, oh), oh-woah
The truth the only thing you get away with
(Bend down and then, and then trust again) the truth, the truth
The truth the only thing you get away with
In "Pure Souls," Kanye West and Roddy Ricch reflect on their experiences and how their lives have changed since becoming famous. Kanye reminisces about his humble beginnings, when he and his friends were nameless and had to work hard just to get onto certain stages. He emphasizes that he's not willing to compromise his integrity by selling his soul, and that Jesus has saved him. He talks about his Grammy win and the rumors that he was angry about it, which he refutes by acknowledging that he now has a Grammy trophy for his work. Meanwhile, Roddy Ricch reflects on the struggles he faced growing up in the trenches, and how he had to make tough decisions that he's not proud of. He acknowledges how difficult it is to regain trust once it's been lost, but he also recognizes that the truth will always come out in the end.
The lyrics of "Pure Souls" speak to the challenges of fame and success, and the importance of staying true to one's values and beliefs. Kanye and Roddy both offer insights into their personal experiences and perspectives, providing a candid glimpse into their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Life change when you famous
Achieving fame or notoriety greatly alters one's life circumstances.
I remember, back before the chains, we was nameless
Before being successful, we were anonymous people without the luxury of wealth.
Went through stages just to hop on new stages
The artists have progressed through different phases of life and careers to reach their current level of success.
Open up your eyes, man, they only entertainers
People in the entertainment industry shouldn't be taken too seriously and viewed as only entertainers.
And I cannot sell my soul (soul)
The artist values his morals and doesn't want to sell his soul for money or fame.
And I've been at the top shinin' like a light pole
The artist has achieved great success and is shining as bright as a light pole to showcase it.
And I'm just a product of whatever I was raised in
The artist attributes his current success and personality traits to the environment he was brought up in.
This money sanctified, so I gotta say it again
The artist believes that the money he earns has been sanctified, so he repeats it for emphasis.
They said I was mad at the Grammys
The artist was accused of being angry with the Grammys.
But I'm lookin' at my Grammy right now
The artist is currently looking at his Grammy trophy as proof that he is not angry with the Grammys.
Out of all of the Moes, out of all of the Folks
Out of all the people in his group, the artist was chosen to be the successful one.
Every day I put my life on the line to feed the whole clan
The artist constantly risks his life to provide for his family and extended relatives.
Personal worth is not what a person is worth
A person's value should not be based solely on their personal success, achievements, or wealth.
The truth the only thing you get away with
In life, you can only get away with telling the truth and being honest.
Hard to trust again, I can only trust in him, whoa
After experiencing trust damage, the artist has found it challenging to trust again, and thus, he trusts only in God.
He can see it, birds-eye view
God can have a top-down perspective of everything that happens in life.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bastian Volkel, Chinsea Lee, Christoph Bauss, Cydel Young, Dexter Mills, Donny Flores, Jahmal Gwin, Kanye West, Leonard Harris, Malik Yusef, Mark Williams, Mike Dean, Orlando Wilder, Raphael Saddiq, Raul Cubina, Roderick Moore Jr., Simon David Plummer, Ti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@jeancamille1885
It ain’t how it used to be
This the new me so get used to me
Devil get behind me, I’m loose I’m free
Father, Holy Spirit let loose on me
Father, I’m Yours EXCLUSIVELY
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼❤️❤️❤️❤️
🙏🏼
@wing265
[Intro: Roddy Ricch & Kanye West]
Life change when you famous
I remember, back before the chains, we was nameless
Went through stages just to hop on new stages
Open up your eyes, man, they only entertainers
And I cannot sell my soul (Soul)
And I cannot sell my soul (Soul)
And I cannot sell my soul (Yeah, soul)
And I cannot sell my soul (Jesus saved my soul)
And I cannot sell my soul
[Verse 1: Roddy Ricch, Kanye West & both]
I've been at the top shinin' like a light pole
And I'm just a product of whatever I was raised in
This money sanctified, so I gotta say it again
They said I was mad at the Grammys
But I'm lookin' at my Grammy right now
Pulled up on Ye, and I said, "They don't understand me"
I just want my dawg to pipe down
'Cause when you really came from the trenches
You was raised in the trenches (Mm)
You feel like you trailblazed for the trenches (Mm)
I hope God can forgive me for the days that I was sinnin' (Mhm)
[Chorus: Roddy Ricch & Kanye West]
The truth is only what you get away with, huh?
(Man, all these lyin' ****)
I said the truth is only what you get away with, huh?
Ayy, that's why a lot of these ** be fakin', huh
Made it through the trials and tribulations, huh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Verse 2: Kanye West]
Uh, uh, well, well, here goes
Well, here goes, but here goes
I was one of them weirdos of the pure soul
That would go to the flea market to buy fake clothes
Every color Girbauds, every Cutlass is cold
Every cousin that stole, every summer was cold
Out of all of the Moes, out of all of the Folks
After all of the jokes, I'm the one that was chose
All of my friends love to gangbang
How we in my car and you say we ain't in the same lane?
When we both had Pelles on
And we was scammin' for the prom before Chief Keef was "Bang, Bang"
Always had mob ties
Stood on my six points, how could I not rise?
Love, truth, peace, freedom, justice, but I'm not five
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
This Southside, and we outside
And for all the guys that went to the White House and said, "Free the old man"
Every day I put my life on the line to feed the whole clan
Personal worth is not what a person is worth
I can give a dollar to every person on Earth
Man, it's gotta be God's plan
Man, I swear these boys keep playin'
We gon' have to square up then
We gon' have to send it up then
We gon' have to send it up then
We gon' have to send it up then, uh
We gon' have to send it up then
We gon' have to send it up then
My favorite place to send it
[Bridge: Kanye West]
It ain't how it used to be
This the new me, so get used to me
It ain't how it used to be
This the new me, so get used to me
Lookin' in the mirror, it's the truth of me
Lookin' at my kids, it's the proof of me
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
Father, Holy Spirit, let loose on me
Father, I'm Yours exclusively
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
Father, Holy Spirit, let loose on me
Father, I'm Yours exclusively
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
Devil get behind me, I'm loose, I'm free
[Chorus: Roddy Ricch]
The truth is only what you get away with, huh
I said the truth is only what you get away with, huh?
Ayy, that's why a lot of these ** be fakin', huh
Made it through the trials and tribulations, huh
[Outro: Shenseea]
Woah, oh, yeah-yeah
The truth the only thing you get away with (Can't get away)
Oh, no (No)
The truth the only thing you get away with (Woah-woah, oh)
The truth (I did it), the truth
The truth the only thing you get away with
Oh-oh (Altogether, trust again)
The truth the only thing you get away with
(I can trust again, I can only trust in Him, woah)
The truth (Oh, yeah)
The truth the only thing you get away with (Can't get away)
Oh, oh
The truth the only thing you get away with
The truth (The truth), the truth (Woah)
He know every side of, every side of you (Oh)
Don't shine through
They could never hide from you (The truth)
He can see it, birdseye view
The truth the only thing you get away with
Won't get away
Oh, oh
They can never hide from you
They can never hide, hide from you (No, no)
The truth
The truth the only thing you get away with
Get away, get away, oh-woah
The truth the only thing you get away with
The truth, the truth
The truth the only thing you get away with
@rummanadib4941
The fact that every song's comment section on this album has 'this is the best song' comment pretty much sums up the quality of this album
@lamarmontgomery1000
What’s ur favorite
@JJ-iy7rk
Yah Kanye can literally drop a 💩 💩 and you guys will love ❤️ it all
@giannisantetakumpo3170
Exactly
@seandavis6262
glad someone said it, it’s so good man
@thelachstar4294
@@JJ-iy7rk I’m guessing you’re a certified boy lover…
@zdubdub5707
something about Roddy’s voice makes you smile
@MarMar-uy8xt
dude same
@camboi1da754
He sound like Akon with melody
@themoviecritic1092
Facts