Kanye West

Released: May 28, 2010

Songwriter: S1 Peter Sinfield Ian McDonald Greg Lake Michael Giles Robert Fripp Boris Bergman Jean-Pierre Lang Francois Bernheim Ken Lewis Jeff Bhasker MIKE DEAN Kanye West Dwele

Producer: MIKE DEAN Jeff Bhasker Andrew Dawson Happy Perez S1 Kanye West

[Produced by Andrew Dawson, Jeff Bhasker, Kanye West, Mike Dean & S1]

[Intro: Kanye West]
I'm living in that 21st century, doing something mean to it
Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it
Screams from the haters got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero need his theme music

[Chorus: Kanye West]
No one man should have all that power
The clock’s ticking, I just count the hours
Stop tripping, I'm tripping off the power
(21st-century schizoid man)

[Verse 1: Kanye West]
The system broken, the school's closed, the prison's open
We ain't got nothing to lose, motherfucker, we rolling
Huh? Motherfucker, we rolling
With some light-skinned girls and some Kelly Rowlands
In this white man world, we the ones chosen
So goodnight, cruel world, I'll see you in the morning
Huh? I'll see you in the morning
This is way too much, I need a moment

[Chorus: Kanye West]
No one man should have all that power
The clock's ticking, I just count the hours
Stop tripping, I'm tripping off the power
'Til then, fuck that, the world's ours
And they say, and they say
And they say, and they say
And they say, and they say
(21st-century schizoid man)

[Verse 2: Kanye West]
Fuck SNL and the whole cast
Tell them Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass
More specifically, they can kiss my asshole
I'm an asshole? You niggas got jokes
You short-minded niggas' thoughts is Napoleon
My furs is Mongolian, my ice brought the goalies in
I embody every characteristic of the egotistic
He knows he's so fuckin' gifted
I just needed time alone with my own thoughts
Got treasures in my mind, but couldn't open up my own vault
My childlike creativity, purity, and honesty
Is honestly being crowded by these grown thoughts
Reality is catching up with me
Taking my inner child, I'm fighting for custody
With these responsibilities that they entrusted me
As I look down at my diamond-encrusted piece

[Chorus: Kanye West]
Thinking no one man should have all that power
The clock's ticking, I just count the hours
Stop tripping, I'm tripping off the powder
'Til then, fuck that, the world’s ours
And they say, and they say
And they say, and they say
And they say, and they say
(21st-century schizoid man)

[Verse 3: Kanye West]
Colin Powells, Austin Powers
Lost in translation with a whole fuckin' nation
They say I was the abomination of Obama's nation
Well, that's a pretty bad way to start the conversation
At the end of the day, goddamnit, I'm killing this shit
I know damn well y'all feeling this shit
I don't need your pussy, bitch, I'm on my own dick
I ain't gotta power trip, who you goin' home with?
How Ye doing? I'm survivin'
I was drinkin' earlier, now I'm drivin'
Where the bad bitches, huh? Where you hidin'?
I got the power make your life so excitin'

[Outro: Kanye West & Dwele]
Now this will be a beautiful death
I'm jumping out the window, I'm letting everything go
I'm letting everything go
Mmm, now this will be a beautiful death
I'm jumping out the window, I'm letting everything go
I'm letting everything go
Now this will be a beautiful death
Jumping out the window, letting everything go
Letting everything go
You got the power to let power go?
(21st-century schizoid man)

The ubiquitous Kanye West—from his famous quip, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” to “I'ma let you finish,” to marrying Kim Kardashian, to announcing that he’s running for President, and admitting his love for President Trump—you can see that he’s a staple of the tabloids and the entertainment world, industry-wide.

That certainly doesn’t take anything away from his music; as a matter of fact, it only seems to add to his fortuitous career. For instance, his 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, was universally praised by fans and critics alike; it was recorded during the backlash he received from the Swift interruption and during his break-up with then-girlfriend Amber Rose.

He has scored other well-known hits, as well, from each of his previous studio albums—such as “Stronger,” “Heartless,” and “Gold Digger.” Each of his albums has been massive critical and commercial successes, including his collaboration album with JAY-Z, Watch the Throne. As of 2020, West has won an astounding 21 Grammys, tied with JAY-Z as the most decorated hip-hop artist in Grammy history.

more tracks from the album

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Record for Hype)

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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Record for Hype)