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.
Us Placers
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, Just a lil bit (just a lil bit) And it goes
Lifestyles of the rich and famous
Bought a big house and a whole lot of rangers
A fresh new couch and a whole lot of trainers
A closet full of clothes and some brand new dangers
And
Some Mexican floral arrangers
Some colorful commissions for some high paid painters
Someone to take the wrap so that I stay stainless
And
A new relationship with a banker
Two pinky rings for my manicured fingers
A trained German Shepard that bark when it's angered
To watch my possessions and look out for strangers
And
A 50 foot yacht with an anchor
Young supermodel that shall remain nameless
Ups and the downs, the sames and the changes
All the money in the world don't make it painless (no)
(Chorus)
(But they love it and they love it)
The more you try to erase me
(And they love it and they love it)
The more that I appear, oh
(and they love it and they love it)
The more, the more you try the eraser
The more that you appear
(Kanye West)
(Plain Pat what up?)
Lifestyles of the broke and famous
Let you know how crazy this game is
Look at all the new beautiful faces
At home supermodel, myspaces
Long for their shot on the TV screens
American Idol never seen these dreams
Just last week they want to see ID
Now they got you in VIP, huh?
How many people almost famous
You almost remember what they name is
Like ?Hey, didn?t you play in..? No it couldn?t be, quit playin?
I try to keep that balance
After MTV that?s a Real World Challenge
Back on that train
Never to be heard from again?
(Chorus)
(But they love it and they love it)
The more you try to erase me
(And they love it and they love it)
The more that I appear, oh
(and they love it and they love it)
The more, the more you try the eraser
The more that you appear
(Pharrell)
G.R.I.P P.I.M.P
I, any spelling ***** come on that?s me
I bring a burning sensation to the urban eye
Like an eye-drop of Turpentine
You can listen to the serpent, fine
But the earth got gas once it burps its fine
Someone around me they talk about the grease
Not G.H.G, how to cook a quarter ki
Talking all nasal, he ain't over that cold
No glove scrub, Manny just over that stove
Perfect paradigm
Wrong place wrong time
Should have been Phizer, GlaxoSmithKline
Number one chemist
Look at him no blemish
Egg shell off white like a DuPont finish
Young, dumb, high strung, who could handle us
I wonder how Gods gon? paint today?s canvasses
Cause who knew that day that man would just
Go to VA with a Tec and spray campuses
What a way to see the cover of Time
I know that ***** wish he was standing in line
To see it?.As if he didn?t do it.
(Chorus)
(But they love it and they love it)
The more you try to erase me
(And they love it and they love it)
The more that I appear, oh
(and they love it and they love it)
The more, the more you try the eraser
The more that you appear
The song "Us Placers" by Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and Pharrell Williams, starts with Lupe Fiasco describing the lavish lifestyle of the rich and famous. He lists all the materialistic things he has acquired such as a big house, expensive clothes, trainers, and even Mexican floral arrangers. He also mentions having a trained German Shepard to protect his possessions and a new relationship with a banker. However, he concludes that all the money in the world does not make life painless.
Kanye West's verse provides a contrast to the first verse. He talks about the "lifestyles of the broke and famous" and how the entertainment industry plays with the dreams of hopeful young individuals who desire fame. He mentions American Idol and how people long for their shot on TV screens. Kanye reveals the fickle nature of the industry and how people can easily be forgotten.
Pharrell Williams' verse has a more abstract approach, where he talks about his superior capabilities and the burning sensation he brings to the urban eye. He talks about the gas that erupts from the earth when burping and compares himself to that process. Pharrell then talks about someone around him who talks about cooking, and he compares cooking to chemistry. He then mentions how he wonders how God will paint today's canvases, referring to the people's actions as art, and how the man who committed a tragedy wishes he could be on the cover of Time, as if he didn't commit the act.
Overall, the song highlights the materialistic nature of society, the fickleness of the entertainment industry, the superiority/ego of people, and the tragedy of human actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, Just a lil bit (just a lil bit) And it goes
Starting off, let me tell you just a little bit about the type of lifestyle we're going to talk about
Lifestyles of the rich and famous
We're talking about the lifestyles of the rich and famous, where money isn't an issue
Bought a big house and a whole lot of rangers
They've got huge houses and a lot of cars, including Range Rovers
A fresh new couch and a whole lot of trainers
They have brand new couches and lots of expensive shoes, or trainers
A closet full of clothes and some brand new dangers
Their closets are full of designer clothes, but these people also have new enemies they didn't have before
And some Mexican floral arrangers
They even have floral arrangers from Mexico to decorate their homes
A great big TV that'll entertain us
Their TVs are huge and entertaining
Some colorful commissions for some high paid painters
They have beautiful paintings commissioned by high paid painters
Someone to take the wrap so that I stay stainless
They have someone take the blame for any wrongdoing so that they stay in the clear
And a new relationship with a banker
They have a new business relationship with a banker
Two pinky rings for my manicured fingers
They wear two pinky rings on their manicured fingers
A trained German Shepard that bark when it's angered
They have a German Shepard that's been trained to bark if there are any intruders on their property
To watch my possessions and look out for strangers
The dog is there to protect their possessions and look out for strangers
And a 50 foot yacht with an anchor
They have a huge 50-foot yacht complete with an anchor
Young supermodel that shall remain nameless
They're dating a young supermodel they don't want to name
Ups and the downs, the sames and the changes
They still have their fair share of ups and downs, but they're also constantly changing
All the money in the world don't make it painless (no)
Despite all of this, they still have their fair share of problems, and money doesn't make it all disappear
(Chorus)
(But they love it and they love it)
The more you try to erase me
(And they love it and they love it)
The more that I appear, oh
(and they love it and they love it)
The more, the more you try the eraser
The more that you appear
The chorus talks about how the more people try to erase them from the world, the more they shine and gain recognition
(Kanye West)
(Plain Pat what up?)
This is Kanye West's verse, and he's talking to his friend Plain Pat
Lifestyles of the broke and famous
Kanye is talking about the lives of people who may not have much money, but they're still famous
Let you know how crazy this game is
He's saying that it's still a crazy world to be in, no matter how much money you have
Look at all the new beautiful faces
There are always new people coming into the industry
At home supermodel, myspaces
Some of these new people are supermodels or people with a lot of social media presence
Long for their shot on the TV screens
These people want to be on TV for their shot at fame
American Idol never seen these dreams
They might have tried out for American Idol, but that's not where they first dreamed of being famous
Just last week they want to see ID
These people were just wanting to get into a club or event and had to show their ID to be verified
Now they got you in VIP, huh?
Now they've made it to the VIP section, a sign of their newfound fame
How many people almost famous
There are lots of people out there who just missed their shot at fame
You almost remember what they name is
You recognize them, but you can't quite remember their name
Like ?Hey, didn?t you play in..? No it couldn?t be, quit playin?
People are trying to remember who these people are and what they've played in or done, but it's not quite coming to them
I try to keep that balance
Kanye talks about trying to keep a balance between his fame and his normal life
After MTV that?s a Real World Challenge
After appearing on MTV, it's a real challenge to try and keep things normal and balanced
Back on that train
Kanye talks about getting back on the train after finishing his MTV show, The College Dropout
Never to be heard from again?
He's wondering if he'll ever be able to make it big again like he did with that album
(Pharrell)
G.R.I.P P.I.M.P
I, any spelling ***** come on that?s me
Pharrell's verse starts off with him saying that he's the one and only Pharrell, and that's not up for debate
I bring a burning sensation to the urban eye
He brings something new and exciting to the urban music scene
Like an eye-drop of Turpentine
His music brings an intense and sharp feeling to listeners
You can listen to the serpent, fine
People can listen to the lies of others, but it doesn't matter to Pharrell
But the earth got gas once it burps its fine
Pharrell is saying that people can talk all they want, but it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things
Someone around me they talk about the grease
There are people around Pharrell talking about money and how to cook drugs
Not G.H.G, how to cook a quarter ki
They're not talking about some sort of organization, but rather how to cook a quarter of a kilogram of drugs
Talking all nasal, he ain't over that cold
The person talking about cooking drugs is congested and sick
No glove scrub, Manny just over that stove
Manny, who's talking about cooking drugs, isn't very careful about his hygiene
Perfect paradigm
Pharrell sees himself as a perfect example or a model for others to follow
Wrong place wrong time
Sometimes you just end up in the wrong place at the wrong time
Should have been Phizer, GlaxoSmithKline
Pharrell's saying that he should have gone into the pharmaceutical or medical industry instead of music
Number one chemist
He's saying that he'd be a great chemist
Look at him no blemish
He's saying that he's someone who doesn't make mistakes
Egg shell off white like a DuPont finish
He's light-skinned and compares his complexion to an off-white eggshell color
Young, dumb, high strung, who could handle us
Pharrell and Kanye are young and energetic, and people may not be able to handle them
I wonder how Gods gon? paint today?s canvasses
Pharrell wonders what great things God will do or create today
Cause who knew that day that man would just
He's talking about how nobody could have predicted that someone would come shoot up Virginia Tech that day
Go to VA with a Tec and spray campuses
The shooter went to Virginia Tech with a Tec-9 gun and started shooting
What a way to see the cover of Time
It's a tragic and terrible thing to be featured on the cover of Time in relation to a mass shooting
I know that ***** wish he was standing in line
Pharrell is saying that people would do anything to be featured on the cover of Time, even if it's for a terrible reason
To see it?.As if he didn?t do it.
Pharrell is being sarcastic and implying that the shooter knew exactly what he was doing and planned it out
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@therealestduh145
this song takes me back to the days when I would try to sneak a song in between classes. Run my headphones through the little hole in my backpack and let the music take me away
@mi.n.u.co.
fax
@RahRah-mn7sl
Bro 😢 good fuckin memories 🙏🏽 you just brought me back with the cord thru the backpack 💯🔥
@anthonyblair5051
Word
@mrjayarr24
I feel you 🥲🥹
@andrewwoods86
2023 and Lupe’s verse still gives me chills
@CaraDePapaaa
Damn. This era of hip hop is so gone. No where to be found. Miss it like hell. Still bumping in 2022 and beyond.
@LimboTheory
I wish that they would have made an album together
@rave_reviews_
Child Rebel Soldier Where u @
@thaddeusvaliantlilbodhi1223
EXACTLY. LABELS WAS SO SCARED TO LET THEM BLOSSOM BACK THEN.