Released: February 10, 2004

Songwriter: Kanye West

Producer: Kanye West

[Intro: DeRay Davis]
Kanye, can I talk to you for a minute?
Me and the other faculty members was wonderin'
Could you do a lil' som...
Somethin' beautiful, somethin' that the kids are gon' love when they hear it
That's gon' make them start jumpin' up and down, and sharin' candy and stuff
Think you could probably do somethin', for the kids, for graduation to sing?

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.