"I Love Kanye" | |
---|---|
Song by Kanye West | |
from the album The Life of Pablo | |
Released | February 14, 2016 |
Genre | Spoken word |
Length | 0:44 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) | Kanye West |
"I Love Kanye" (originally "I Miss the Old Kanye") is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). The song was solely produced by West, who wrote it alongside Malik Yusef. A spoken word track, it has no instrumental. Lyrically, West shows self-awareness by making fun of his changing public image while referencing the internet meme that he loves himself. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who were often complimentary towards West's lyrics. They mostly praised his self-awareness, while a few critics highlighted West's arrogance.
In 2018, Billboard named "I Love Kanye" as the 11th greatest interlude of all time. The song peaked at numbers 14 and 48 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively. It was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In February 2016, West used the song against Kyle Mooney during their rap battle on Saturday Night Live (SNL). Meek Mill used an Instagram post to reference the song in May 2018. Numerous remixes of the song were released from February to March 2016, including respective ones by Key Wane and DJ Premier.
Prior to "I Love Kanye", there had been internet memes about how much West loves himself, which he capitalized on with the song. [1] Many critics and fans have claimed that West was better earlier in his career with his music and political views, with him using the song to show awareness of such criticism. [1] [2] The song was produced by West, standing alongside "Siiiiiiiiilver Surffffeeeeer Intermission" as one of the two tracks on The Life of Pablo that he solely produced. West co-wrote the song with Malik Yusef. [3]
"I Love Kanye" was originally titled "I Miss the Old Kanye". [2] [4] A day before the album's release, West debuted the track on Saturday Night Live (SNL) by using it in a freestyle rap battle against American comedian Kyle Mooney. [5] On February 14, 2016, "I Love Kanye" was included on The Life of Pablo. [6] The following month, West took to Twitter and sent out lyrics from the track in separate tweets for each line. [7] When West was at Disneyland in June 2016, a young child asked him how he wrote the track. West replied by grinning and saying, "I just thought about what I loved." [8]
Musically, "I Love Kanye" is a spoken word track. [9] The song has no instrumental, with West rapping a cappella throughout. [10] [11] According to a number of music journalists, he raps in a humorous manner. [12] [13] [14] [15] West ends the song with a laugh. [16]
In the lyrics of the song, West demonstrates self-awareness while mocking his changing public image. [16] [17] West acknowledges the viral memes that reference how much he loves himself, rapping "I love you like Kanye loves Kanye" at one point. [1] He also addresses criticism that his music was better in the past, particularly when he released his first two studio albums The College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005). [1] [2] West refers to different versions of himself, such as the "old Kanye", "new Kanye", and "sweet Kanye". [17] In total, West mentions his forename 25 times in the lyrics. [18]
On February 14, 2016, "I Love Kanye" was released as the ninth track on West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo, which was a Tidal exclusive album at the time. [6] [19] The song was later made available on the streaming services Spotify and Apple Music on March 30, 2016, and West tweeted out a link to the website ilovekanyesong.com that featured direct links to the song on the streaming services alongside their logos. [lower-alpha 1] [21] [22] [23] "I Love Kanye" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, with them mostly praising West's lyrics. Ryan Patrick of USA Today highlighted the self-awareness demonstrated by West on the song for showing him "heralding his own singularity as an artist". [16] The New York Times ' Jon Caramanica also noticed West's self-awareness, referring to the song as "a rhyme and hubris exercise" that is "also a rant that's also a barometer of public opinion that's also a wink". [24] Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone admitted West sounding as if he "is actually mourning the long-running love affair between Kanye and Kanye" is why the song "stings, especially the punch line 'I love you like Kanye loves Kanye'" because West has awareness that he consistently "fucks over the one he loves", even himself, who Sheffield asserted West "loves most". [25] Expressing a similar sentiment, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian pointed to the line as an example of "self-awareness occasionally suggested by TLOP's lyrics". [26] Pitchfork critic Jayson Greene noted mirrors are seen by West "everywhere he looks" after he has "changed the genre's DNA with every album", reaching the point at which every album has provided inspiration for "a generation of direct offspring" and the song's message is clearly that West is done with "creating new Kanyes, at least for now". [13] Greene continued by opining that West is fine "to just stand among them, both those of his own creation and their various devotees" while branding his rapping on the song as "wryly". [13]
Reviewing in his Vice Expert Witness column, Robert Christgau described the song as a "pseudo-freestyle meta-wink" and called it a narcissist's version of The College Dropout track "We Don't Care" that is "almost as funny". [12] Christgau elaborated, writing: "The sour-grapes self-examination morphs into a pseudo-outlet track." [12] In a somewhat mixed review for The Daily Telegraph , Neil McCormick wrote "I love you like Kanye loves Kanye" is West's apparent "idea of an ultimate compliment" and noticed the line is likely his attempt "to make a joke about perceptions of his egomania" while deriding how "underlying it is an actual egomania that blinds West to just how narrow his self-obsession really is". [15] In NME , Gavin Haynes dismissed the song's "postmodern LOLs" as one of the "unwelcome guests" on the album. [27]
In 2018, Billboard ranked "I Love Kanye" as the 11th greatest interlude of all time, and the magazine's Xander Zellner admitted that West "proved to the world that he sees your tweets, he reads the headlines, and he's in on the joke" with the song. Zellner elaborated, observing that the track is "barely a song" and registers "just as much a self-aware personal statement -- closing with the ever-definitive 'I love you like Kanye loves Kanye.'" [28]
Following the release of The Life of Pablo, the song debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. [29] That same week, it entered the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 48, and received 3.9 million streams. [30] On February 24, 2020, "I Love Kanye" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for pushing 500,000 certified units in the United States. [31] Elsewhere, the song reached number 123 on the UK Singles Chart. [32] It peaked at number 35 on the UK R&B Chart. [33]
During a sketch for SNL entitled "Kyle vs. Kanye" on February 13, 2016, West engaged in a freestyle rap battle with Mooney. [5] [34] [35] The rap battle started with Mooney freestyling against West, which he replied to by using "I Love Kanye" as a freestyle. [5] [35] The song was performed live by West as part of the Saint Pablo Tour's kickoff show at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on August 25, 2016. [36] On November 1, 2016, West performed the song for the tour's fourth concert at The Forum in Inglewood. [37]
Following the release of The Life of Pablo, the song became a popular topic with West's fans across Twitter. [2] [17] The song's line "I miss the old Kanye" was the inspiration for a Stillwater Artisanal beer of the same name, which was in tribute to the line. [38] The label of the beer was inspired by the album's artwork. [38] After West seemingly ranted against him in October 2016, fellow rapper Jay-Z referenced "I Love Kanye" as he admitted to "miss the old Kanye". [39] In May 2018, rapper Meek Mill paid reference to the song by posting an image to his Instagram showing a mock memorial of West that was designed by American art collective SuperPoorKids, with the image being surrounded by the words "RIP Old Kanye". [40] [41] [42]
On February 15, 2016, a remix of "I Love Kanye" was shared by American producer Stefan Ponce, re-imagining the song with a sample of the Dramatics' "I Dedicate My Life To You" (1973). [43] A remix by producer Key Wane was released six days later, titled "Kanye". [44] For the remix, a soulful backdrop is added and some of the lyrics are flipped. [44] [10] On February 25, 2016, a remix was released by DJ Premier, who had collaborated with West on the remix of the single "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)" in 2007. [45] Of his latest remix, DJ Premier said: "I'm a street DJ and when a good acappella is naked, you put some clothes on it." [10] [45] The remix adds elements of piano, slow-knocking kick and snare, a bassline, and percussion. [45] [46] It also features scratches from DJ Premier and vocal samples of Late Registration track "Wake Up Mr. West". [45] [47] The same day as the release of the DJ's remix, rapper Hezekiah shared his "Pro Remix" of the song. The remix heavily features chops and combines the original with a sample of Jocelyn Brown's "Somebody Else's Guy" (1984). [48]
A remix of the song under the title of "Old Kanye" by American production team J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and producer 8 Bars was released on February 28, 2016. [49] Discussing the remix, the team explained that they "wanted to take Kanye's verse and make it into a full-blown song". [49] "Old Kanye" has a jazz instrumental and heavily features synths, while also adding cascading chords and soundbites of newscasts. [49] [50] [51] The remix includes a hook that is performed by Stige, during which Auto-Tune is used on his vocals. [50] Stige raps a second verse, which lyrically echoes the sentiment expressed by West on the original. [49] American producer TM88 shared a remix entitled "TrapYeezy88" on March 3, 2016. [52] Prior to the remix, TM88 had worked with West on the rapper's 2011 collaborative studio album Watch the Throne with Jay-Z. [10] A trap remix, "TrapYeezy88" runs for two minutes and adds hi-hats as well as synths, while West's vocals are chopped up and distorted. [52] [53]
Credits adapted from West's official website. [3]
Recording
Personnel
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC) [32] | 123 |
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) [33] | 35 |
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [54] | 14 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [55] | 48 |
US On-Demand Songs ( Billboard ) [56] | 44 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [31] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Can't Tell Me Nothing" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his third studio album, Graduation (2007). The song contains additional vocals from Young Jeezy and Connie Mitchell. It was produced by West with DJ Toomp with West being responsible for 60 percent of the production. The song originated from Young Jeezy's "I Got Money", after West made changes to the track. On May 15, 2007, the song premiered via Hot 97 and was released by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam that same day as the lead single from the album. A hip hop track, it was described by West as a theme song for the people. The lyrics see West reflecting on his fame while he expresses different types of feelings.
"Love Lockdown" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song was produced by West, while co-produced by Jeff Bhasker. The producers co-wrote it with Esthero, Malik Yusef, and Starshell. West initially shared the song via his blog on September 10, 2008, before re-recording it after negative reactions. The song was later released for digital download on September 18, 2008 by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam as the lead single from the album. An electropop song, its instrumentation relies on piano and Roland TR-808 drumbeats.
"Highlights" is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West, from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). The song features vocals from Young Thug and The-Dream. One day before the album was released, West performed the song on Saturday Night Live with Young Thug, El DeBarge, Kelly Price and The-Dream. Within the track, West takes a shot at Ray J. The song was met with mixed reviews from music critics. It was revealed in July 2016 that West had a shot a music video, but it was never released.
"Black Skinhead" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West and Daft Punk. The song's lyrics center on racial tensions and the crumbling mental state of the character West portrays on the album. The song premiered on Saturday Night Live in May 2013, with West performing it in front of a projected backdrop. He has since performed the song live on various occasions, including at the Glastonbury Festival and the Billboard Music Awards in 2015. It was universally praised by music critics and ranked by numerous sites, including Rolling Stone and NME, as one of the best tracks of 2013. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Nick Knight and features computer-generated imagery of West, with interactive options including "screen grabbing" and adjusting the speed of his vocals. The video was released in July 2013 and has received positive reviews from critics.
"Wolves" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, featuring vocals from Sia and Vic Mensa, from his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016). It was produced by West, Cashmere Cat, and Sinjin Hawke and was originally planned to be the opening track to The Life of Pablo. West debuted the song on February 12, 2015, at a fashion show where he also premiered his new Adidas shoe. The presentation was broadcast live to more than 40 locations around the world.
The Life of Pablo is the seventh studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in Italy, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. West and a variety of producers, including co-executive producers Rick Rubin and Noah Goldstein handled production. West enlisted guest vocals for the album from The-Dream, Kelly Price, Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, Kid Cudi, Desiigner, Rihanna, Young Thug, Chris Brown, The Weeknd, Ty Dolla Sign, Vic Mensa, Sia, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, and Sampha.
"Send It Up" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West, Daft Punk, Gesaffelstein, Brodinski, Arca and Mike Dean. Like other songs on the album, it features an industrial hip hop sound, with elements of electronic music. The song features vocals from American rapper King Louie, who improvised his contributions. It contains a sample of "Memories" by Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer Beenie Man. Eight days before its release on the album, West performed the song live at the Governors Ball Music Festival, along with four other tracks from Yeezus.
"Fade" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). The song features vocals from Post Malone and Ty Dolla Sign. It was first played at West's Yeezy Season 2 show in September 2015, before later being released for digital download and streaming as the third and final single from the album on September 9, 2016, through GOOD Music and Def Jam. 11 days later, the aforementioned labels serviced the song to radio stations across the United States. A hip house song with club elements, it samples Mr. Fingers's "Mystery of Love", Rare Earth's and The Undisputed Truth's respective cover versions of "(I Know) I'm Losing You", Hardrive's "Deep Inside", and Barbara Tucker's "I Get Lifted ". The lyrics of the song focus on trying to hold on to a fading love.
"No More Parties in LA" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016), featuring vocals from fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was produced by West and Madlib, who began the recording in 2010. The beat was originally offered to Freddie Gibbs before being given to West and Lamar by Madlib. The song was released as the third promotional single from the album as part of West's GOOD Fridays series on January 18, 2016.
"Real Friends" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, featuring vocals from fellow singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released as a promotional single from West's seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo, on January 8, 2016, The song includes West rapping about his trust issues around friends and family, with Whodini's song "Friends" being directly recalled.
"Father Stretch My Hands" are songs by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). They are split into two parts on the album: "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2". "Pt. 1" contains vocals by American rapper Kid Cudi and American R&B singer Kelly Price, while "Pt. 2" includes vocals from American rapper Desiigner and American musician Caroline Shaw. Prior to release, the latter was played by West for Desiigner when the two met.
"Waves" is a song by the American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). The song includes guest vocals from singer Chris Brown and fellow rapper Kid Cudi. It was the first beat conceived by West with Charlie Heat, which was set to be scrapped until a few weeks before release and Chance the Rapper persuaded West to keep the song on the album. An art pop number with gospel elements, the song samples Fantastic Freaks's "Fantastic Freaks at the Dixie" and features choral synths. It mostly features vocals from Brown, who sings about the symbolism of waves crashing at sea. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly praised Brown's appearance. Some highlighted the musicality, while a few critics picked it as a highlight of the album.
"30 Hours" is a song by American rap musician Kanye West, featuring backing vocals from Andre 3000, that lies on West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016). The track was released as a promotional single from the album as part of West's GOOD Fridays program.
"FML" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016), which features vocals from Canadian singer The Weeknd. It contains a sample of "Hit" by Section 25, which two of the band members praised West for sampling. In the song, West references his issues with mental health. The song charted in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada in 2016.
"Freestyle 4" is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West that features vocals from rapper Desiigner, which is from West's seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). It was remixed by Tyler, the Creator in March 2016.
"Ultralight Beam" is a song by American recording artist Kanye West from his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016). The song features vocals by R&B singers The-Dream and Kelly Price, rapper Chance the Rapper, gospel singer Kirk Franklin and a ten-piece choir, with additional vocals by Natalie Green and Samoria Green. It was first performed live on Saturday Night Live in February 2016.
DJDS is an American production and DJ duo consisting of Jerome LOL and Samo Sound Boy, based in Los Angeles.
"Kids See Ghosts" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their debut studio album of the same name (2018). The song features a guest appearance from Mos Def, who received credit under his real name of Yasiin Bey. It was produced by West, Kid Cudi, and Plain Pat, while additional production was handled by Andrew Dawson, Justin Vernon and Noah Goldstein. Apart from Plain Pat and Goldstein, the producers wrote the song alongside Bey. Making heavy use of synthesizers, the song draws inspiration from ambient music. Lyrically, the song reflects on the difficulties of fame and success.
Jesus Is King is the ninth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West, released on October 25, 2019, and distributed through GOOD Music. The album follows a Christian theme, different from his usual work. West described it as "an expression of the gospel". It features guest appearances from Clipse, Ty Dolla Sign, Kenny G, Fred Hammond, Ant Clemons, and the Sunday Service Choir. Production is included from West, Federico Vindver, Angel Lopez, BoogzDaBeast, and Timbaland, among others.
"Use This Gospel" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his ninth studio album, Jesus Is King (2019). The song features guest appearances from hip hop duo Clipse and jazz saxophonist Kenny G. It was produced by West, Angel Lopez, DrtWrk, Federico Vindver, and Timbaland, with co-production from BoogzDaBeast and Pi'erre Bourne. The song was recorded as a new version of the leaked track "Law of Attraction", which West came up with in a freestyle session. Clipse's feature on the song marked their reunion, after West requested for a collaboration. A gospel number with a maximalist style, it samples Two Door Cinema Club's "Costume Party" and includes a saxophone solo from Kenny G.