Ye, born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, is an American rapper, singer, s… Read Full Bio ↴Ye, born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. He is one of the most prominent figures in hip hop, known for his diverse musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After dropping out of college to pursue a career in music, West began producing for regional artists in the Chicago area. As an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, he co-produced albums including Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001) before signing with the label as a recording artist. West's debut studio album, The College Dropout (2004), received critical acclaim and produced the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Slow Jamz." He topped the chart four other times with the singles "Gold Digger" (2005), "Stronger" (2007), "E.T." (2011, as a featured artist), and "Carnival" (2024).

West's second and third studio albums, Late Registration (2005) and Graduation (2007), both debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, with the latter becoming his most commercially successful to date. Three of his subsequent albums—808s & Heartbreak (2008), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), and The Life of Pablo (2016)—were certified triple platinum, while Yeezus (2013) was certified double platinum. Although not as well-received critically as his previous works, Ye (2018), Jesus Is King (2019), and Donda (2021) continued West's streak of consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200. West has also released collaborative albums including Watch the Throne (2011) with Jay-Z, Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Kid Cudi, and Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 (2024) with Ty Dolla Sign. In fashion design, he has collaborated with Nike, Inc., Louis Vuitton, and Gap Inc. on clothing and footwear, and led the Yeezy collaboration with Adidas.

One of the world's best-selling music artists with 160 million records sold, West has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint 11th-most of all time and the most awarded for any hip hop artist along with Jay-Z. His other accolades include a Billboard Artist Achievement Award, a joint-record three Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist, and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. West holds the joint record with Bob Dylan for most albums (four) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. West's first six solo albums were included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020, with the same publication naming him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

West's outspoken views have received significant media coverage. He has been a frequent source of controversy due to his conduct on social media, at award shows, and in public settings, as well as his comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, race, and slavery. His Christian faith, high-profile marriage to Kim Kardashian, and mental health have also been topics of media attention. In 2020, West launched an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that advocated for a consistent life ethic. In October 2022, he was widely condemned and lost many sponsors and partnerships, including his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga, after making a series of antisemitic statements, including denying the Holocaust.

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Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I brought you brothers here to start our own fraternity
Broke Phi Broke, we ain't got it
Broke Phi Broke (we ain't got it)
No, we have no money
We are sharin' jeans
If I go outside, I got the only clothing on
How many cars do we own? (None!)
How many cars do we own? (None, sir!)

Should we let our woman go and be with the cat in the car?
Yes, we will
Why? Because we can't afford gas. Say it with me
(We can't afford no gas!)
Say it!

(We can't afford no gas!)
So we ain't drivin'!

Overall Meaning

The first verse of the song speaks about how the singer brought his fellow brothers together to start their own fraternity, but they are all experiencing financial difficulties. They refer to themselves as "Broke Phi Broke" and state that they don't have any money. They go on to describe how they can't even afford basic necessities like separate pairs of jeans, and how if one of them goes out, they have to share clothing. They ask a rhetorical question about how many cars they own, to which the answer is none. They then ask if they should let their women go be with someone who can provide for them, and the answer is yes, because they can't afford gas. The repeated chant of "We can't afford no gas!" drives home the point of their financial struggles and inability to even operate a car.

The lyrics of "The One" are a commentary on the struggles faced by people living in poverty. Kanye West is known for incorporating social commentary and personal struggle into his music, and this song is no different. The lyrics highlight the challenges faced by people who are unable to provide for themselves and their families. The repeated refrain of "Broke Phi Broke" underscores the financial difficulties experienced by the singer and his fellow fraternity brothers.

Line by Line Meaning

I brought you brothers here to start our own fraternity
I gathered you all here to create a close-knit brotherhood

Broke Phi Broke, we ain't got it
Our investment in education did not yield any significant gains

Broke Phi Broke (we ain't got it)
We do not possess any significant wealth

No, we have no money
Our financial situation is dire

We are sharin' jeans
We share clothes due to our limited resources

If I go outside, I got the only clothing on
I wear the only available clothes when I go outside

How many cars do we own? (None!)
We do not possess any cars

How many cars do we own? (None, sir!)
Emphasizing our lack of cars

Should we let our woman go and be with the cat in the car?
We contemplate if it's rational to let our women go with someone who owns a car

Yes, we will
We choose to do so

Why? Because we can't afford gas. Say it with me
The reason being we can't afford to buy gasoline for the car