Kanye West

Released: August 30, 2005

Songwriter: Michael Masser Gerry Goffin

Producer: Kanye West

[Produced by Kanye West]

[Skit]
Oh, ho-ho-ho!
I knew I was gon' see, I knew I was gon' see you again! Knew I was gon' see you again!
Where your goddamn book bag at?
Always carryin' that lil' book bag, nobody wants to see that!
Goddamn 4th grader, sit your ass down!
He wanna play it again like he got somethin' else to do
You ain't got nuttin' else to do!
You ain't doin' nothin' wit' your life, notin' wit' your life!
You think this is?
You better look at me when I'm talkin' to you!
You think this shit easy, don't you?
You think this is promised!
Well ain't nothin' promised to you!
Look at my face, do I got a promised face?
Does it look like I promised you anything?
Kanye, nigga-is you snorin' in my class?
Wake up Mr. West!
Wake up Mr. 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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