Never Let Me Down (Kanye West song)

Last updated
"Never Let Me Down"
Song by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy
from the album The College Dropout
ReleasedFebruary 10, 2004
Recorded2002-03
Studio Baseline Recording
(New York, New York)
The Record Plant
(Hollywood, California)
Larrabee Sound North
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre Hip hop
Length5:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) West

"Never Let Me Down" is a song by American rapper and producer Kanye West, that features Jay-Z and J. Ivy, from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). It was released as the album's eight track, produced solely by West and samples "Maybe It's the Power of Love" by Blackjack. [1] West and Ivy each provide one verse–the latter is a poem–while Jay-Z has two verses. Music critics mostly had praise for it, but tended to view Jay's appearance in a negative light. In 2011, Billboard listed the song as the second greatest collaboration between Kanye and Jay. Although an accompanying music video wasn't ever produced for "Never Let Me Down", the audio of it was used in one of West's videos for "Jesus Walks". The song has developed a significant legacy over time, despite never being released as a single.

Contents

Background

Ivy revealed that he initially knew West from Chicago, but was reintroduced to him in New Jersey shortly before they collaborated on the track. [2] He got a call from Coodie at 11 pm on December 7, 2002, about being part of the song, in which Coodie said to him: "J, you need to get to L.A. Kanye got this song with him and Jay Z and he wants to put a poet on it. I told him he had to put J. Ivy on it." and Ivy was initially like: "Stop bullshitting", before Coodie played it for him over the phone from Record Plant in Hollywood, California. [3] At the time, Ivy was excited about being on the record, not only because of: 'knowing that [West] was taking off to superstardom at the time', but also because he thought of Jay as: 'one of the greatest of all time'. [4] After penning his verse, Ivy called Coodie and rapped to him over the phone, then he put Ivy on speaker phone to rap his verse again once Coodie went in the other room with people in it and the people in there reacted positively to Ivy's verse - this led to him rapping it over, over, over and over again to them. [3]

Release

On the original track list of The College Dropout, "Never Let Me Down" was number fourteen, instead of number eight as it stands on the official release. [5] [6] When the album was released, West referenced featuring artist Jay-Z in the booklet's list of 'Thanx' by crediting: 'Jay 4 blowin me up'. [1] Despite a music video never being released, part of the song is played during the ending of the second version of three videos for West's 2004 single "Jesus Walks", which comes one position before it on the album's track list. [7] [6] Ivy performed a poetry style rendition of his verse for the Season 5 opener of Russell Simmons presents HBO Def Poetry in 2006, which was only performed live and never part of any release by the rapper. [8] The verse being performed by Ivy for this opener was appropriate, since he considers it to be a poem. [4]

Sample

Within the track, American band Blackjack's 1980 song "Maybe It's the Power of Love" is sampled. [1] In February 2015, band member Michael Bolton recalled clearing the sample at the time, revealing that he required the artists to send him the lyrics first to see if the content was worthy of his approval - in the end, Bolton believed that: 'the song turned out beautifully' and he's 'totally happy with it'. [9] Bolton actually took to the online site Genius and annotated the song. [9] However, it was also revealed by Bolton that he didn't know who Kanye and Jay were when he first found out that they were trying to license "Maybe It's the Power of Love", until his daughters told him: "They're like the biggest rappers in the business, dad." - Bolton himself even admitted to being out of touch during this time. [10]

Lyrics

Jay-Z has two verses on "Never Let Me Down" Jay-Z 7.jpg
Jay-Z has two verses on "Never Let Me Down"

The first of the two verses by Jay is recycled from his 2002 song "Hovi Baby" (Remix), whilst the last is an entirely new verse. [11] Ivy's verse is a poem that he wrote in a notebook, which Ivy claimed was something that he turned to God and prayed for. [4] The lines rapped in West's verse: "Nothing sad as that day my girl's father passed away/So I promised to Mr. Rainey I'm gonna marry your daughter" mark a promise that he didn't keep, since the rapper went on to marry Kim Kardashian in 2014 rather than Sumeke Rainey. [12] Within the verse, West raps the line: "Racism's still alive, they just be concealin' it", which went on to be one of his most quoted lyrics. [13] The 2002 car accident involving West is referenced by him with the line: "I know I got angels watching me from the other side", which is a subject he mostly touches on in debut single "Through the Wire". [14]

Recording

On February 13, 2014, a video surfaced online from 2003 of West rapping his verse to Pharrell in the studio, as well as singing along with the sample and Pharrell clearly showed excitement after hearing the rap from him. [15] The verse was actually recorded by West on the night of the Madison Square Garden show by Jay that he wasn't invited to. [16] Ivy rapped his verse on speaker phone to West and others on December 7, 2002, then flew over to Hollywood to join them in recording via West's request. [3] It was revealed by Tarry Torae that West set up a little studio section in his living room during the recording of "Never Let Me Down" and Torae ended up recording two or three songs in the night of this session, one of which was "My Way" which ended up on West's mixtape Freshmen Adjustment (2004). [2] [17] When it comes to Jay's appearance on the track, John Monopoly revealed that he recorded for it literally two days before mastering of the featuring album - however, Jay had confirmed to give West a feature before it was even known which track he'd be part of. [3]

Reception

Critical response

"Never Let Me Down" received positive reviews from the majority of music critics, though most tended to have praise for West's work and express negativity towards Jay's contributions. Paul Cantor of Billboard had mixed views towards the song, describing Jay's presence as being where he "phones in a verse about making number one albums", but praising the rest of it for being "about overcoming racism and undefeatable odds". [18] Rob Mitchum of Pitchfork felt negatively about Jay's contributions too, labelling his appearance as him "already sounding groggy from retirement". [19] Jay's content was viewed as paling in comparison to that of West by Dave Heaton of PopMatters , since he described the song as "where Jay-Z rhymes about attaining status and power, Kanye one-ups him with a show-stopping attack on racism and meditation on death". [20] The staff of HipHopDX actually put Jay forward as being better than West on the song but didn't lack praise for either rapper, writing that "Jay-Z drops 2 incredible verses on [Never Let Me Down] with Kanye not far behind delivering the verse of his career." [21] It was viewed by Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine as being one of the album tracks where West "proves he can flow with the best of them". [22]

Accolades

HotNewHipHop placed it at number 48 on their list of West's 50 best songs. [23] On Complex's list of his 100 best songs, the track was ranked at number 82. [24] "Never Let Me Down" was listed by Billboard as being the second greatest Jay and Kanye collaboration in August 2011, post-release of their collaborative album Watch the Throne . [25] Time named it the second best song of 2004. [26]

Legacy

The video of West rapping "Never Let Me Down" to Pharrell from 2003 actually surfaced online within the same week as the tenth anniversary of The College Dropout and it was regarded as a classic track by this point. [15] Ivy's appearance on it has been regarded as one of the most significant moments of his career. [27] West's lyrics: "I get down for my grandfather/Who took my mama/Made her sit in that seat where white folks didn't want us to eat/At the tender age of six, she was arrested for the sit-ins/And with that in my blood, I was born to be different" were viewed by Spin in 2014 as showing "heavenly inspiration and scrappy determination", which was claimed for West to still be showing nine years later in his 2013 track "I Am a God". [11] When Ben Westhoff of The Guardian published an article in April 2015 that ranked the album at number one in West's discography, the song was the end of what he called "as powerful a sequence as I've ever heard on record". [28] Ivy blogged in celebration of The College Dropout's 13th anniversary on February 10, 2017, and shared the original page with his lyrics scribbled down, alongside various notes. [8]

Personnel

Information taken from The College Dropout liner notes. [1]

Certifications

Certifications for "Never Let Me Down"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [29] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cinematic version

"Never Let Me Down (Cinematic)"
Song by Kanye West
ReleasedMarch 22, 2005
Recorded2004
Genre Hip hop
Length5:15
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) West

On March 22, 2005, The College Dropout Video Anthology was released, which features a bonus audio CD with a cinematic version of "Never Let Me Down" as a track on it. [30]

Related Research Articles

<i>The College Dropout</i> 2004 studio album by Kanye West

The College Dropout is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to release, West had received praise for his production work for rappers such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but faced difficulty being accepted as an artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Intent on pursuing a solo career, he signed a record deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded the album over a period of four years, beginning in 1999.

<i>Late Registration</i> 2005 studio album by Kanye West

Late Registration is the second studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions held at studios in Hollywood and New York City, in collaboration with Jon Brion. The album features guest appearances from Adam Levine, Jamie Foxx, Common, Brandy, Jay-Z, and Nas, among others.

Blackjack was an American rock band, active from 1979–1980, featuring Michael Bolton, Bruce Kulick, Sandy Gennaro and Jimmy Haslip. The band was short-lived, released two albums, the self-titled Blackjack in 1979 and Worlds Apart in 1980, and embarked on a small US nationwide tour.

<i>Graduation</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Kanye West

Graduation is the third studio album by the American rapper Kanye West released on September 11, 2007, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions took place between 2005 and 2007 at several studios in New York and Los Angeles. It was primarily produced by West himself, with contributions from various other producers, including DJ Toomp. The album features guest appearances from recording artists such as Dwele, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Mos Def, DJ Premier, and Chris Martin. The cover art and its interior artwork were designed by Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Through the Wire</span> 2003 single by Kanye West

"Through the Wire" is the debut solo single by American rapper and producer Kanye West, who wrote and recorded the song with his jaw wired shut after a car crash on October 23, 2002. The song samples Chaka Khan's 1985 single "Through the Fire" and was released on the last day of September 2003 as the lead single from his debut album The College Dropout (2004).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus Walks</span> Song by Kanye West

"Jesus Walks" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on May 25, 2004, as the fourth single from his debut album The College Dropout (2004). The song contains a sample of "Walk with Me" as performed by the ARC Choir. "Jesus Walks" was acclaimed by music critics, who praised its compelling sonic atmosphere and boldness in its open embrace of faith. It was met by widespread commercial success, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming West's fourth consecutive top-twenty hit in the United States.

"Drive Slow" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. The song features guest appearances from fellow rappers Paul Wall and GLC, and additional vocals by American recording artist Tony "Penafire" Williams. It was produced by West, who wrote the song alongside the featured artists. The song originally appeared on Kanye West's second studio album, Late Registration, and was also included on Paul Wall's debut studio album, The Peoples Champ, as well. Drive Slow was released on a 12" vinyl on June 6, 2006 by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam as the fifth and final single from the album. A hip hop track, it contains elements of jazz. The song features a sample of Hank Crawford's cover version of "Wildflower".

"Two Words" is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West, that features Mos Def, Freeway and The Boys Choir of Harlem, from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). A cinematic version of the song was released as part of The College Dropout Video Anthology. It has been performed by Freeway regularly at his live shows over the years. An orchestral sound is used in the song. The music video was released in March 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow Jamz</span> 2003 single by Twista

"Slow Jamz" is a song by American rapper Twista together with the American rapper and producer Kanye West and American singer Jamie Foxx. Produced by West, it was released in November 2003 through Atlantic and Roc-A-Fella Records, as the lead single from Twista's fourth studio album Kamikaze (2004), and the second single from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). The song was written by Twista and West, with additional writing credits going to Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the sampling of Luther Vandross' cover of Dionne Warwick's 1964 song "A House Is Not a Home". Containing genres of hip hop, pop rap, R&B, and soul, the song's lyrics reference slow jam artists and describes the role of lovermen.

<i>The College Dropout Video Anthology</i> 2005 video by Kanye West

The College Dropout Video Anthology is a DVD release featuring the music videos to the singles from American rapper Kanye West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004), released on March 22, 2005. It featured the videos to the previously unreleased "Two Words", "Slow Jamz", "Through the Wire", "All Falls Down", the three versions of "Jesus Walks", and "The New Workout Plan".

"Us Placers" is the debut song by American supergroup Child Rebel Soldier, a musical collaboration consisting of American hip-hop artists Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams. It was released as the third song on the track-listing of West's 2007 mixtape Can't Tell Me Nothing. The song was produced by Fiasco and samples the 2006 song "The Eraser" by Thom Yorke. In "Us Placers," the trio speaks on the entrapments of fame. Having been released on a free mixtape, the song did not enter the charts but became an online hit and received strong reviews from music critics.

"Good Morning" is the first song from American hip hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West's third studio album Graduation (2007). The song was produced by West and contains samples from the recording "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by English singer and pianist Elton John. As the opening track, the song serves as an introduction to the musical and lyrical themes of the album. West establishes the academic narrative of it, celebrating his graduation in the realm of hip hop and rapping about his skepticism of higher education over thumping, off-kilter boom bap drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster (Kanye West song)</span> 2010 song by Kanye West

"Monster" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released as the third single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features rappers Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Nicki Minaj, along with indie folk group Bon Iver. All five credited acts have writing credits on the posse cut, with the production handled by West and Mike Dean. The instrumental is atmospheric and drum-heavy, and the lyrics reflect influences from horror films, creating an eerie composition which drew critical comparisons to the Michael Jackson track "Thriller".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So Appalled</span> 2010 song by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Pusha T, Cyhi the Prynce, Swizz Beatz and RZA

"So Appalled" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song was produced by West, along with No I.D. and Mike Dean, and features verses by Jay-Z, Cyhi the Prynce, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, and RZA respectively, who all receive writing credits. Lyrically, the song explores topics such as the troubles produced from being famous, social concerns and features numerous pop culture references.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Ivy</span> American spoken word artist

James Ivy Richardson II is an American performance poet, spoken word artist, songwriter, and author. He won his first Grammy Award in 2023 with his sixth album, The Poet Who Sat by the Door.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otis (song)</span> 2011 single by Jay-Z and Kanye West featuring Otis Redding

"Otis" is a song by American hip hop artists Jay-Z and Kanye West from their first collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). The song posthumously features soul singer Otis Redding, whose version of "Try a Little Tenderness" is sampled in the song. The production was covered solely by West. The track was premiered by Funkmaster Flex's Hot 97 radio show and was released onto the Internet the day afterward. Lyrically, the song has the two rappers sharing lines discussing wealth, decadence and fame. The track received highly positive reviews from music critics who praised the trading off of verses by the two rappers and the Redding-sampled beat, which was compared to the style heard on West's The College Dropout. Several publications placed the song amongst the best of the year.

Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah are American film directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and producers. Coodie and Chike started directing together with their music video for Kanye West entitled "Through the Wire", which was nominated for a MTV Viewers Choice Award, and won a Source Award for Best Music Video of the Year. They have continued their music video success directing "Two Words" and the third version of "Jesus Walks" off Kanye West's The College Dropout album, Pitbull's "Culo" video, Mos Def's "Ghetto Rock" video, Erykah Badu's controversial video "Window Seat" and most recently Lupe Fiasco's "Old School Love" video. The team started directing and producing long form music content with the bonus behind the scene video on Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics album and a music documentary for Wale's The Gifted album.

"Guilt Trip" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West, Mike Dean, S1, with an additional production credit for Travis Scott and Ackeejuice Rockers for the samples of "Chief Rocka" by Lords of the Underground and "Blocka" by Pusha T featuring Popcaan and Travis Scott. The song's lyrics deal with looking back at a failed relationship, similar to fellow Yeezus track "Blood on the Leaves". West provides his vocals through rapping and singing through an Auto-Tune processor, reminiscent of his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. The song includes vocals from rapper Kid Cudi, who later expressed negative opinions about his feature due to his vocals being recorded years prior.

"Welcome to the Jungle" is a song by American hip hop recording artists Kanye West and Jay-Z, from their collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). Additional vocals are provided by Swizz Beatz and Acapella Soul, and Swizz Beatz also produced the song. It plays an interlude afterwards that samples "Tristessa" by Orchestra Njervudarov. The song was praised by music critics, with Jay-Z usually pointed out as the main star. Rolling Stone listed it as the 20th best song of 2011.

"Spaceship" is a song by American musician Kanye West, featuring fellow American rappers GLC and Consequence, taken from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). It was scheduled to be released as the album's sixth and final single, but this plan ended up being cancelled. The music video was released in June 2009. "Spaceship II" and "Spaceship III" were released by Alex Wiley in 2013 and Consequence in 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The College Dropout (Media notes). Kanye West. Roc-A-Fella Records. 2004. 986 173-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. 1 2 Ahmed, Isanuel (February 10, 2014). "The Making of Kanye West's "The College Dropout"". Complex . Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ramirez, Erika (February 5, 2014). "Kanye West's 'The College Dropout': An Oral History". Billboard . Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Lamarre, Eddy (September 12, 2016). "J. Ivy talks poetry and dealing with emotions". Rolling Out. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  5. ↑ Garrison, Lucas (January 25, 2016). "Kanye's Early 'College Dropout' Tracklist Will Blow Your Mind". DJBooth. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "The College Dropout - Kanye West". AllMusic . Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  7. ↑ West, Kanye (December 24, 2009). "Kanye West - Jesus Walks (Version 2)". YouTube . Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "The College Dropout Anniversary". J. Ivy . February 10, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Burgess, Omar (February 28, 2015). "Michael Bolton Recalls Clearing A Sample For Kanye West's And Jay Z". The Urban Daily. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  10. ↑ illersss (January 25, 2017). "Michael Bolton Admits "I Didn't Know Who Jay Z and Kanye West When They Licensed My Song"". WhoSampled . Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  11. 1 2 ""Never Let Me Down" - Kanye West - 6". SPIN . February 2, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  12. ↑ Charity, Justin (March 4, 2015). "10 Other People Kanye West Should Apologize to in 2015". Complex . Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ Mojica, Nicholas (November 18, 2016). "7 Times Kanye West Spoke About Racism". IBTimes . Yahoo News UK . Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  14. ↑ Cush, Andy (September 15, 2016). "Here's Definitive Proof That Kanye's "Through the Wire" Accident Wasn't Faked". SPIN . Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  15. 1 2 Smith, Trevor (February 13, 2014). "Kanye West Raps "Never Let Me Down" For Pharrell For The First Time". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  16. ↑ Ahmed, Insanuel (February 11, 2014). "15 Things You Didn't Know About Kanye West's "The College Dropout"". Complex . Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Freshmen Adjustment - Kanye West". AllMusic . Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  18. ↑ Cantor, Paul (February 10, 2014). "Kanye West's 'The College Dropout' at 10: Classic Track-by-Track Review". Billboard . Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  19. ↑ Mitchum, Rob (February 20, 2004). "Kanye West: The College Dropout Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  20. ↑ Heaton, Dave (March 4, 2004). "Kanye West: The College Dropout". PopMatters . Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  21. ↑ J-23 (February 13, 2004). "Kanye West - College Dropout". HipHopDX . Retrieved October 28, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ Clinquemani, Sal (April 30, 2004). "Kanye West The College Dropout". Slant Magazine . Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  23. ↑ Schwartz, Danny (February 15, 2018). "Top 50 Best Kanye West Songs". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  24. ↑ Barber, Andrew; Klinkenberg, Brendan; Scarno, Ross (January 5, 2018). "The 100 Best Kanye West Songs". Complex . Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  25. ↑ "'Watch The Throne': Jay-Z and Kanye West's 10 Best Collaborations". Billboard . August 4, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  26. ↑ Josh Tyrangiel (17 December 2004). "Top 10 Songs of 2004". Time. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  27. ↑ "About". J. Ivy . Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  28. ↑ "I love every Kanye West album – so I've ranked them, from great to really great". The Guardian . April 15, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  29. ↑ "American single certifications – Kanye West – Never Let Me Down". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Kanye West - College Dropout: Video Anthology". Amazon . Retrieved November 1, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.