Kanye West

Released: February 10, 2004

Featuring: Syleena Johnson

Songwriter: Kanye West

Producer: Kanye West

[Chorus: Syleena Johnson & Kanye West]
Oh, when it all, it all falls down
Yeah, this the real one, baby
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down
Uh, Chi-Town, stand up!
Oh, when it all, it all falls down
Southside, Southside
We gon' set this party off right
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down
Westside, Westside
We gon' set this party off right
Oh, when it all

[Verse 1: Kanye West]
Man, I promise, she's so self-conscious
She has no idea what she doin' in college
That major that she majored in don't make no money
But she won't drop out, her parents'll look at her funny
Now, tell me that ain't insecurr
The concept of school seems so securr
Sophomore, three yurrs, ain't picked a carurr
She like, "Fuck it, I'll just stay down hurr and do hair"
'Cause that's enough money to buy her a few pairs
Of new Airs, 'cause her baby daddy don't really care
She's so precious with the peer pressure
Couldn't afford a car, so she named her daughter Alexis
She had hair so long that it looked like weave
Then she cut it all off, now she look like Eve
And she be dealin' with some issues that you can't believe
Single black female addicted to retail, and well

[Chorus: Syleena Johnson & Kanye West]
Oh, when it all, it all falls down
And when it falls down, who you gon' call now?
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down
C'mon, c'mon, and when it falls down
Oh, when it all

[Verse 2: Kanye West]
Man, I promise, I'm so self-conscious
That's why you always see me with at least one of my watches
Rollie's and Pasha's done drove me crazy
I can't even pronounce nothin', pass that Ver-say-see!
Then I spent four hundred bucks on this
Just to be like, "Nigga, you ain't up on this"
And I can't even go to the grocery store
Without some Ones that's clean and a shirt with a team
It seem we livin' the American Dream
But the people highest up got the lowest self-esteem
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings
We shine because they hate us, floss 'cause they degrade us
We tryna buy back our 40 acres
And for that paper, look how low we'll stoop
Even if you in a Benz, you still a nigga in a coupe

[Chorus: Syleena Johnson & Kanye West]
Oh, when it all, it all falls down
Come on, come on
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down
And when it falls down, who you gon' call now?
Oh, when it all, it all falls down
Come on, come on
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down
And when it all falls down

[Verse 3: Kanye West]
I say, "Fuck the police," that's how I treat 'em
We buy our way out of jail, but we can't buy freedom
We'll buy a lot of clothes, but we don't really need 'em
Things we buy to cover up what's inside
'Cause they made us hate ourself and love they wealth
That's why shorty's hollerin', "Where the ballers at?"
Drug dealer buy Jordan, crackhead buy crack
And the white man get paid off of all of that
But I ain't even gon' act holier than thou
'Cause fuck it, I went to Jacob with 25 thou
Before I had a house and I'd do it again
‘Cause I wanna be on 106 & Park, pushin' a Benz
I want to act ballerific like it's all terrific
I got a couple past-due bills, I won't get specific
I got a problem with spendin' before I get it
We all self-conscious, I'm just the first to admit it

[Chorus: Syleena Johnson & Kanye West]
Oh, when it all, it all falls down
C'mon, c'mon
And when it falls down, who you gon' call now?
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down
C'mon c'mon, and when it falls down
Oh, when it all, it all falls down
Southside, Southside
We gon' set this party off right
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down
Westside, Westside
We gon' set this party off right
Oh when it all, it all falls down
Chi-Town, Chi-Town
We gon' show 'em how we get down
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down
Now, Syleena, you just like a safe belt, you saved my life
C'mon
Oh when it all, it all falls down
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down

[Produced by Kanye West]

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.

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