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.

Two Words
Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We in the streets, playa, get your mail
It's only two places you end up, either dead or in jail
Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)
Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)
Now throw your hands up
Hustlers, busters, boosters, hoes
Everybody, fuck that
Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)

Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)

(Listen)
Two words, United States, no love, no breaks
Low brow, high stakes, crack smoke, Black folks
Big Macs, fat folks, ecstasy capsules
Presidential scandals, everybody move
Two words, Mos Def, K West, hot shit
Calm down, get back, ghetto people got this
Game 'pon lock shit, gun 'pon cock shit
We won't stop shit, everybody move
Two words, BK, NY, Bed-Stuy
Two harsh, too hungry, too many, that's why
These streets know game, can't ball, don't play
Heavy traffic, one lane, everybody move
Two words, Mos Def, Black Jack, hot shit
Calm down, get back, ghetto people got this
Game 'pon lock shit, gun 'pon cock shit
We won't stop, everybody move

Now throw your hands up (throw your hands up high)
Hustlers, busters, boosters, hoes
Everybody, fuck that
Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)
Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)

And keep your hands up ('til they reach the sky)
Hustlers, busters, boosters, hoes
Everybody, fuck that
Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)
Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)

Ayo, two words, Chi-Town, Southside, worldwide
'Cause I rep that 'til I fuckin' die
One neck, two chains, one waist, two gats
One wall, twenty plaques, dues paid, gimme that
I am limelight, Blueprint, five Mics
Go-Getters rhyme like, should've been signed twice
Most imitated, GRAMMY nominated
Hotel accommodated, cheerleader, prom-dated
Barbershop player-hated, mom and pop bootlegged it
Felt like it rained 'til the roof caved in
Two words, Chi-Town, raised me, crazy
So I live by two words, "Fuck you, pay me"
Screaming, "Jesus, save me"
You know how the game be, I can't let 'em change me
'Cause on Judgment Day, you gon' blame me
Look, God, it's the same me
And I basically know now, we get racially profiled (throw your hands up high)
Cuffed up and hosed down, pimped up and ho'd down
Plus, I got a whole city to hold down
From the bottom, so the top's the only place to go now

Now throw your hands up (throw your hands up high)
Hustlers, busters, boosters, hoes
Everybody, fuck that
Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)
Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)

Two words, Freeway, two letters, A-R
Turn y'all rap niggas into two words, fast runners
Like Jackie Joyner, you better sleep with your burner
The heat skeet, blow a reef through your car, my God
Two words, no guns, break arms
Break necks, break backs, Steven Seagal
Free, young boss, freshman of the Roc
With the beef in the pot, Jay sent for his dogs to brawl
Forget your squad, better fend for yourself
Have you screamin' out four words, "Send for the law," uh
Two words, Freeway, slightly retarded
Fuck around, throw a clip in your artist, leave with his broad

Red, white blue, black (throw your hands up)
Calm down, move back (throw your hands up)
Motherfuckers askin', "Who is that?" (Throw your hands up)
You know it's the almighty Black Jack (throw your hands up)
Mos Def, K West (throw your hands up)
Ghetto people, get this shit off your chest (throw your hands up)
North to the south, to the east, to the west (throw your hands up)

Black Jack Johnson, it's no contest (throw your hands up)
And show it to 'em like

Overall Meaning

In the song Two Words by Kanye West, the lyrics describe the harsh realities of living in the street and the dangers that come with it. The opening lines, "We in the streets, playa, get your mail, It's only two places you end up, either dead or in jail," paint a bleak picture of life in the street, with no escape. Throughout the song, the lyrics are raw, gritty and unapologetic, with Kanye and Mos Def delivering powerful verses that speak about how their upbringing in the streets of Brooklyn and Chicago have shaped who they are.

The title of the song, Two Words, refers to the two words that define their lives - "fuck you" and "pay me." This is evident in Kanye's lyrics, "So I live by two words, 'Fuck you, pay me,' Screaming, 'Jesus, save me,' You know how the game be, I can't let 'em change me," where he speaks about how he refuses to be changed by the industry and its expectations.

The song also speaks about racial profiling and the difficulties faced by people of colour. This is summed up in the lyrics, "I basically know now, we get racially profiled (throw your hands up high), Cuffed up and hosed down, pimped up and ho'd down, Plus, I got a whole city to hold down, From the bottom, so the top's the only place to go now."

Overall, the song is a powerful and unflinching depiction of the harsh realities of life in the street and the struggles faced by people of colour.

Line by Line Meaning

We in the streets, playa, get your mail
We are in the streets, man, you better get your money

It's only two places you end up, either dead or in jail
There are only two possible outcomes in the streets - death or imprisonment

Still nowhere to go (nowhere to go)
We still have no direction, no escape from the streets

Now throw your hands up
Raise your hands and show that you are with me

Hustlers, busters, boosters, hoes
All kinds of people are in the streets trying to make a living

Everybody, fuck that
I don't care about anyone else's opinions

Two words, United States, no love, no breaks
In this country, there is no love or mercy for those struggling in the streets

Low brow, high stakes, crack smoke, Black folks
We are low class, but the risks we take are high, and drugs are all we have

Big Macs, fat folks, ecstasy capsules
We indulge in fast food and drugs to escape our lives

Presidential scandals, everybody move
Even the people in power have scandals, so we need to keep moving forward

Two words, Mos Def, K West, hot shit
Me and Mos Def are killing it with our music

Calm down, get back, ghetto people got this
Even though we come from the ghetto, we can still make it and handle our business

Game 'pon lock shit, gun 'pon cock shit
We've got the game on lock and are ready to take on any challenge

We won't stop shit, everybody move
We won't give up, we'll keep pushing and moving forward

Two words, BK, NY, Bed-Stuy
Brooklyn, New York, represent Bed-Stuy

Two harsh, too hungry, too many, that's why
The streets are rough and full of people struggling, which is why it's hard to survive

These streets know game, can't ball, don't play
The streets know what's up, if you can't handle it, don't even try

Heavy traffic, one lane, everybody move
We're all trying to get ahead, but it's tough with so many obstacles in our way

Two words, Mos Def, Black Jack, hot shit
Me and Mos Def are making great music and tearing it up

Ayo, two words, Chi-Town, Southside, worldwide
From Chicago's South Side to the world - that's where I belong

'Cause I rep that 'til I fuckin' die
I will always represent where I come from, no matter what happens

One neck, two chains, one waist, two gats
I'm heavily armed and protected, with two chains around my neck

One wall, twenty plaques, dues paid, gimme that
I've achieved great success and recognition, and I deserve it

I am limelight, Blueprint, five Mics
I am in the spotlight now, with a classic album and top ratings

Go-Getters rhyme like, should've been signed twice
My crew Go-Getters can really spit, we should have been signed twice

Most imitated, GRAMMY nominated
People try to copy my style, and I've even been nominated for a Grammy

Hotel accommodated, cheerleader, prom-dated
I'm living the good life, staying in hotels and dating cheerleaders

Barbershop player-hated, mom and pop bootlegged it
I may have haters, but even your mom and pop are buying my music

Felt like it rained 'til the roof caved in
I've been through some tough times, but I won't give up

Two words, Chi-Town, raised me, crazy
Chicago raised me, and it was a crazy upbringing

So I live by two words, 'Fuck you, pay me'
I have to look out for myself and demand payment for my work

Screaming, 'Jesus, save me'
Sometimes life gets really tough, and all I can do is call for help

You know how the game be, I can't let 'em change me
I can't let the game change who I am as a person

'Cause on Judgment Day, you gon' blame me
I'll be held accountable for my actions, so I need to stay true to myself

Look, God, it's the same me
I haven't changed who I am, even with all my success

And I basically know now, we get racially profiled (throw your hands up high)
I've come to realize that no matter what I do, people still see me as a Black man and racially profile me

Cuffed up and hosed down, pimped up and ho'd down
The police can arrest me and treat me like a criminal, and women can be treated like objects

Plus, I got a whole city to hold down
I have a responsibility to my city and the people in it

From the bottom, so the top's the only place to go now
I started from the bottom, so the only place to go from here is up

Two words, Freeway, two letters, A-R
Shoutout to my buddies Freeway and AR

Turn y'all rap niggas into two words, fast runners
My rap skills are so good, I can make other rappers look inferior

Like Jackie Joyner, you better sleep with your burner
Just like Jackie Joyner, you need to have protection on you at all times

The heat skeet, blow a reef through your car, my God
I've got a deadly aim and can shoot through anything

Two words, no guns, break arms
I don't need a gun to take someone down, I can just use my bare hands

Break necks, break backs, Steven Seagal
I'm so powerful, I can take down people like Steven Seagal does in action movies

Free, young boss, freshman of the Roc
I'm a young, successful boss, and I'm part of Roc Nation

With the beef in the pot, Jay sent for his dogs to brawl
When there's trouble, Jay-Z has my back and will send his team to help

Forget your squad, better fend for yourself
Don't rely on others to protect you, you need to take care of yourself

Have you screamin' out four words, 'Send for the law,' uh
If things get really bad, you might have to call for the police to intervene

Two words, Freeway, slightly retarded
Freeway is a bit slow, but he's still my friend and a great rapper

Fuck around, throw a clip in your artist, leave with his broad
If you mess around with me, I'll take your artist and your girl

Red, white blue, black (throw your hands up)
This song represents America and the struggles of Black people

Calm down, move back (throw your hands up)
Everyone needs to calm down and move back to let this song and its message take over

Motherfuckers askin', 'Who is that?' (Throw your hands up)
People who don't know who I am need to ask around and find out

You know it's the almighty Black Jack (throw your hands up)
Everyone should know about me and my music

Mos Def, K West (throw your hands up)
Me and Mos Def are a force to be reckoned with

Ghetto people, get this shit off your chest (throw your hands up)
People in the ghetto need to speak up and make their voices heard

North to the south, to the east, to the west (throw your hands up)
No matter where you are, you should be raising your hands and listening to this music

Black Jack Johnson, it's no contest (throw your hands up)
I'm the best out there, hands down

And show it to 'em like (throw your hands up)
Let's show them what we're made of, together

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Leslie Pridgen, Dante Smith, Kanye West, Louis B. Wilson, Ricardo Wilson, Carlos Delano Wilson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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