# Kanye West

Ye (born Kanye Omari West; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur based in Chicago, Illinois. One of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 160 million records sold, West has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint tenth-most of all time, and the joint-most Grammy awards of any rapper along with Jay-Z. He is frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest artists. Six of West's albums were included on Rolling Stone‍'‍s 2020 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list with the same publication naming him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. He holds the joint record (with Bob Dylan) for most albums (4) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll, and has the 5th most appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 (133 entries). Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. All Lyrics

## Lyrics

All songs produced by Kanye West, except as noted.

### The College Dropout (2004)

* 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 will look at her funny. Now, tell me that ain't insecurr, The concept of school seemed so securr. Sophomore, three yurrs, ain't picked a carurr.
** All Falls Down
* It seems, we living the American dream But people highest up got the lowest self esteem. The prettiest people do the ugliest things For the road to riches and diamond rings.
** All Falls Down
* 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 their wealth.
** All Falls Down
* God show me the way, because the Devil's trying to break me down The only thing that I pray is that my feet don't fail me now And I don't think there's nothing I can do now to right my wrongs I wanna talk to God, but I'm afraid 'cause we ain't spoke in so long.
** Jesus Walks
* To the hustlers, killers, murderers, drug dealers, even the strippers (Jesus walks with them) To the victims of welfare for we livin' in hell here, hell yeah (Jesus walks with them) Now, hear ye, hear ye, want to see Thee more clearly I know He hear me when my feet get weary 'Cause we're the almost nearly extinct We rappers is role models: we rap, we don't think I ain't here to argue about his facial features Or here to convert atheists into believers I'm just trying to say the way school needs teachers, The way Kathie Lee needed Regis, that's the way I need Jesus So here go my single, radio needs this They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus That means guns, sex, lies, videotape But if I talk about God, my record won't get played, huh?
** Jesus Walks
* I get down for my grandfather who took my mama Made her sit in that seat where white folks ain'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 Now niggas can't make it to ballots to choose leadership But we can make it to Jacob's or to the dealership That's why I hear new music and I just don't be feeling it Racism's still alive, they just be concealin' it.
** Never Let Me Down
* My flow is in the pocket like Wallace, I got the bounce like hydraulics, I can't call it, I got the swerve like alcoholics. My freshman year, I was going through hella problems 'Til I built up the nerve to drop my ass up out of college.
** Get Em High
* Always said if I rapped, I'd say somethin' significant But now I'm rapping 'bout money, hoes, and rims again.
** Breathe In Breathe Out
* Told 'em I finished school, and I started my own business. They say, 'Oh you graduated?' No, I decided I was finished.
** School Spirit
* Two words, Chi-town raised me crazy, So I live by two words: 'Fuck you, pay me' Screaming, 'Jesus, save me' You know how the game be, I can't let 'em change me 'Cause on judgment day, you gon' blame me Look, God, it's the same me And I basically know now, we get racially profiled 'Cuffed up and hosed down, pimped up and ho'd down Plus, I got a whole city to hold down From the bottom, so the top's the only place to go now.
** Two Words
* How do you console my mom or give her light support Tellin' her her son's on life support? And just imagine how my girl feel, On the plane scared as hell that her guy look like Emmett Till.
** Through the Wire
* And I still won't grow up, I'm a grown-ass kid Swear I should be locked up for stupid shit that I did But I'm a champion, so I turned tragedy to triumph Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire.
** Through the Wire
* Now that you're gone, it hit us Super hard on Thankgiving and Christmas, this can't be right. Yo, you heard the track I did man, 'This Can't Be Life'. Somebody please say grace so I can save face And have a reason to cover my face.
** Family Business
* I woke up early this morning with a new state of mind, A creative way to rhyme without usin' knives and guns. Keep your nose out the sky, keep your heart to God, And keep your face to the rising sun. I feel like one day you'll understand me, dawg You can still love your man and be manly, dawg
** Family Business
* Now I could let these dream killers kill my self esteem, Or use my arrogance as the steam to power my dreams I use it as my gas, so they say that I'm gassed But without it I'd be last, so I ought to laugh.
** Last Call
* Ain't nobody expect Kanye to end up on top They expected that College Dropout to drop and then flop.
** Last Call
* I'm Kan, the Louis Vouitton don Bought my mom purse, now she Louis Vuitton mom I didn't play the hand I was dealt I changed my cards I prayed to the skies and I changed my stars I went to the malls and I balled too hard 'Oh My God, is that a Black card?' I turned around and replied 'Why yes, but I prefer the term African American Express.' Brains, power, and muscle like Dame, Puffy, and Russell Your boy back on his hustle, you know what I've been up to Killing y'all niggas on that lyrical shit Mayonnaise-colored Benz, I push Miracle Whips.
** Last Call

### Late Registration (2005)

* And I heard 'em say Nothing's ever promised tomorrow or today From the Chi, like Tim, it's a harder way So this is in the name of love like Robert say Before you ask me to go get a job today, Can I at least get a raise on the minimum wage?
** Heard 'Em Say
* They say people in your life are seasons And anything that happens is for a reason The devil is alive, I feel him breathin' Claiming money is the key, so keep on dreamin' And put them lottery tickets just to tease us
** Heard 'Em Say
* Jay's favorite line: 'Dawg, in due time!' Now he look at me, like, 'Damn, dawg! You where I am!' A hip hop legend I think I died in that accident, 'cause this must be heaven.
** Touch the Sky
* I'm tryin' to right my wrongs But it's funny, them same wrongs helped me write this song.
** Touch the Sky
* How we stop the Black Panthers? Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer. Who gave Saddam anthrax? George Bush got the answers.
** Crack Music
* I know it's past visiting hours, But can I please give her these flowers? You know the best medicine go to people that's paid. If Magic Johnson got a cure for AIDS And all the broke motherfuckers passed away, You telling me if my grandma was in the NBA, Right now, she'd be okay? But since she was just a secretary Working for the church for thirty-five years, Things supposed to stop right here?
** Roses
* Why everything that's supposed to be bad make me feel so good? Everything they told me not to is exactly what I would. Man, I tried to stop, man, I tried the best I could, but You make me smile.
** Addiction
* Little was known of Sierra Leone And how it connect to the diamonds we own Though it's thousands of miles away Sierra Leone connect to what we go through today Over here, it's a drug trade, we die from drugs Over there, they die from what we buy from drugs.
** Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)
* I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine This little light of mine and I'm finna let it shine I'm finna take y'all back to them better times I'm finna talk about my mama if y'all don't mind I was three years old when you and I moved to the Chi Late December, harsh winter gave me a cold You fixed me up something that was good for my soul Famous homemade chicken soup, can I have another bowl? You work late nights just to keep on the lights Mommy got me training wheels so I could keep on my bike And you would give anything in this world Michael Jackson leather and a glove, but didn't give me a curl And you never put no man over me And I love you for that, mommy, can't you see? Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes 'Cause a nigga cheatin', telling you lies, then I started to cry As we knelt on the kitchen floor I said mommy I'ma love you 'til you don't hurt no more And when I'm older, you ain't gotta work no more And I'ma get you that mansion that we couldn't afford.
** Hey Mama
* Forrest Gump mama said, 'Life is like a box of chocolates' My mama told me go to school, get your doctorate Somethin to fall back on, you could profit with But still supported me when I did the opposite Now I feel like there's things I gotta get, things I gotta do, just to prove to you You was getting through, can the choir, please Give me a verse of 'You Are So Beautiful To Me' Can't you see, you're like a book of poetry Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, turn one page and there's my mommy.
** Hey Mama
* I was sick about awards, couldn't nobody cure me Only playa that got robbed but kept all his jewelry Alicia Keys tried to talk some sense in him Thirty minutes later seein' there's no convincin' him What more could you ask for? The international asshole Who complain about what he is owed? And throw a tantrum like he is three years old You gotta love it though: somebody still speaks from his soul And wouldn't change by the change or the game or the fame When he came in the game, he made his own lane Now all I need is y'all to pronounce my name It's Kanye, but some of my plaques, they still say 'Kayne'.
** Diamonds from Sierra Leone

### Graduation (2007)

* Good morning and look at the valedictorian Scared of the future while I hop in the DeLorean Scared to face the world, complacent career student Some people graduate, but be still stupid
** Good Morning
* When it feel like living's harder than dyin' For me givin' up's way harder than tryin' Lauryn Hill said her heart was in Zion I wish her heart still was in rhymin' 'Cause who the kids gon' listen to, huh? I guess me if it isn't you Last week I paid a visit to the institute They got the dropout keepin' kids in the school.
** Champion
* N-Now th-that that don't kill me Can only make me stronger I need you to hurry up now 'Cause I can't wait much longer I know I got to be right now 'Cause I can't get much wronger Man, I've been waiting all night now That's how long I've been on ya
** Stronger
* And I'm back on my grind A psychic read my lifeline, told me in my lifetime My name would help light up the Chicago skyline And that's why I'm Seven o'clock, that's primetime Heaven'll watch, God calling from the hotlines Why he keep giving me hot lines? I'm a star, how could I not shine?
** I Wonder
* I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven When I awoke, I spent that on a necklace I told God I'd be back in a second Man, it's so hard not to act reckless To whom much is given, much is tested Get arrested, guess until he get the message I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny And what I do? Act more stupidly Bought more jewelry, more Louis V My mama couldn't get through to me The drama, people suing me I'm on TV talking like it's just you and me I'm just saying how I feel, man I ain't one of the Cosbys, I ain't go to Hillman I guess the money should've changed him I guess I should've forgot where I came from.
** Can't Tell Me Nothing
* She don't believe in shooting stars But she believe in shoes and cars Order the hors d'oeuvres, views of the water Straight from a page of your favorite author And the weather's so breezy Man, why can't life always be this easy?
** Flashing Lights
* In my past, you on the other side of the glass Of my memory's museum I'm just sayin', hey, Mona Lisa Come home, you know you can't roam without Caesar.
** Flashing Lights
* People talking shit, but when the shit hits the fan Everything I'm not made me everything I am. I know people wouldn't usually rap this But I got the facts to back this Just last year, Chicago had over six hundred caskets Man, killing's some wack shit Oh, I forgot, 'cept for when niggas is rappin' Do you know what it feel like when people is passin'? He got changed over his chains a block off Ashland I need to talk to somebody, pastor The church want tithe, so I can't afford to pay Pink slip on my door, 'cause I can't afford to stay My fifteen seconds up, but I got more to say-- 'That's enough Mr. West, please, no more today.'
** Everything I Am
* I met this girl when I was three years old And what I loved most, she had so much soul She said, 'Excuse me, little homie, I know you don't know me But my name is Windy and I like to blow trees.' I told her in my heart is where she'll always be She never messed with entertainers 'cause they always leave She said, 'It felt like they walked and drove on me.' Knew I was gang affiliated, got on TV and told on me I guess that's why last winter she got so cold on me She said, 'Ye, keep making that platinum and gold for me!'
** Homecoming
* But if you really cared for her Then you wouldn't have never hit the airport to follow your dreams Sometimes I still talk to her But when I talk to her, it always seems like she talking 'bout me Every interview, I'm representin' you, makin' you proud Reach for the stars, so if you fall, you land on a cloud Jump in the crowd, spark your lighters, wave 'em around If you don't know by now, I'm talking 'bout Chi-Town.
** Homecoming
* My big brother was B.I.G.'s brother So here's a few words from your kid brother If you admire somebody you should go ahead tell 'em People never get the flowers while they can still smell 'em.
** Big Brother

### 808s & Heartbreak (2008)

* Last night I saw you in my dreams Now I can't wait to go to sleep And this life is all a dream So my real life starts when I go to sleep.
** "Hey Mama", Live performance at the Grammys, 10 February 2008
* Why would she make calls out the blue? Now I'm awake, sleepless in you.
** Say You Will
* Chased the good life my whole life long Look back on my life, and my life gone Where did I go wrong? And my head keeps spinning Can't stop having these visions I gotta get with it.
** Welcome to Heartbreak
* How could you be so Dr. Evil? You're bringin' out a side of me that I don't know I decided we wasn't gon' speak so Why we up 3 AM on the phone? Why do she be so mad at me for? Homie, I don't know, she's hot and cold I won't stop, won't mess my groove up 'Cause I already know how this thing go You run and tell your friends that you're leaving me They say that they don't see what you see in me You wait a couple of months, then you gon' see You'll never find nobody better than me.
** Heartless
* I'm a problem that'll never ever be solved I'm a monster, I'm a maven I know this world is changing Never gave in, never gave up I'm the only thing I'm afraid of No matter what, you'll never take that from me My reign is as far as your eyes can see, it's amazing.
** Amazing
* I'm not loving you, way I wanted to I can't keep my cool, so I keep it true I got something to lose, so I gotta move I can't keep myself and still keep you too No more wasting time, you can't wait for life We're just racing time, where's the finish line?
** Love Lockdown
* 'Bout the baddest girl I ever seen Straight up out a movie scene Who knew she was a drama queen That'd turn my life to Stephen King's? Just looking at your history You're like the girl from Misery She said she ain't take it to this degree Well, let's agree to disagree You spoiled little LA girl You're just an LA girl, you need to stop it now.
** RoboCop
* Let me know Do I still got time to grow? Things ain't always set in stone That be known, let me know Seems like street lights, glowing, happen to be Just like moments, passing, in front of me So I hopped in the cab and I paid my fare See, I know my destination, but I'm just not there In the streets I'm just not there Life's just not fair.
** Street Lights
* On lonely nights, I start to fade Her love's a thousand miles away It's 4 AM and I can't sleep Her love is all that I can see Memories made in the coldest winter Goodbye, my friend, will I ever love again? If spring can take the snow away Can it melt away all our mistakes?
** Coldest Winter

### My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

* I fantasized 'bout this back in Chicago Mercy, mercy me, that Murciélago Beyond the truest Hey, teacher, teacher, tell me how do you respond to students? And refresh the page and restart the memory? Re-spark the soul and rebuild the energy? We stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemy Sorry for the night demons that still visit me The plan was to drink until the pain over But what's worse, the pain or the hangover?
** Dark Fantasy
* Penitentiary chances, the devil dances And eventually answers to the call of autumn All them fallin' for the love of ballin' Got caught with thirty rocks, the cop look like Alec Baldwin Inter-century anthems based off inner-city tantrums Based off the way we was branded Face it, Jerome get more time than Brandon And at the airport, they check all through my bag And tell me that it's random Is hip-hop just a euphemism for a new religion? The soul music of the slaves that the youth is missing But this is more than just my road to redemption Malcolm West had the whole nation standing at attention. I was looking at my resume, feeling real fresh today They rewrite history, I don't believe in yesterday And what's a Black Beatle anyway, a fuckin' roach? I guess that's why they got me sitting in fuckin' coach.
** Gorgeous
* Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it, I guess every superhero need his theme music. ** Power No one man should have all that power The clock’s ticking, I just count the hours I embody every characteristic of the egotistic He knows he's so fucking gifted I just needed time alone with my own thoughts Got treasures in my mind, but couldn't open up my own vault My childlike creativity, purity, and honesty Is honestly being crowded by these grown thoughts Reality is catching up with me Taking my inner child, I'm fighting for custody. Lost in translation with a whole fuckin' nation They say I was the abomination of Obama's nation Well, that's a pretty bad way to start the conversation Now this'll be a beautiful death I'm jumping out the window, letting everything go.
** Power
* Restraining order, can't see my daughter Her mother, brother, grandmother hate me in that order Public visitation, we met at Borders Told her she take me back, I'll be more supportive I made mistakes, I bumped my head Them courts sucked me dry, I spent that bread She need her daddy, baby, please Can't let her grow up in that ghetto university.
** All of the Lights
* I'm living in the future so the present is my past. My presence is a present, kiss my ass.
** Monster
* I'm so appalled, Spalding, ball Balding Donald Trump taking dollars from y'all.
** So Appalled
* Put your hands to the constellations The way you look should be a sin, you're my sensation.
** Devil in a New Dress
* May the Lord forgive us, may the gods be with us In that magic hour, I seen good Christians Make brash decisions, oh, she do it What happened to religion? Oh, she lose it She putting on her makeup, she casually allure Text message break-ups, the casualty of tour How she gon' wake up and not love me no more? I hit the Jamaican spot, at the bar, take a seat I ordered the jerk, she said you are what you eat You see, I always loved that sense of humor But tonight, you should have seen how quiet the room was.
** Devil in a New Dress
* 'You love me for me', could you be more phony?
** Devil in a New Dress
* And I always find, yeah, I always find something wrong You been puttin' up with my shit just way too long I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most So I think it's time for us to have a toast Let's have a toast for the douchebags Let's have a toast for the assholes Let's have a toast for the scumbags Every one of them that I know Let's have a toast for the jerk-offs That'll never take work off Baby, I got a plan, Run away fast as you can.
** Runaway
* Never was much of a romantic I could never take the intimacy And I know I did damage 'Cause the look in your eyes is killing me I guess you knew of that advantage 'Cause you could blame me for everything And I don't know how I'ma manage If one day, you just up and leave.
** Runaway
* Have you lost your mind? Tell me when you think we crossed the line No more drugs for me, pussy and religion is all I need Grab my hand and baby, we'll live a hell of a lie I think I fell in love with a pornstar And got married in the bathroom Honeymoon on the dance floor And got divorced by the end of the night That's one hell of a life.
** Hell of a Life
* On the bathroom wall I wrote "I'd rather argue with you than to be with someone else" I took a piss and dismiss it like "fuck it" And I went and found somebody else Fuck arguing and harvesting the feelings Yo, I'd rather be by my fuckin' self 'Til about 2 a.m. and I call back And I hang up and I start to blame myself Somebody help You weren't perfect, but you made life worth it Stick around, some real feelings might surface.
** Blame Game
* You're my devil, you're my angel You're my heaven, you're my hell You're my now, you're my forever You're my freedom, you're my jail You're my lies, you're my truth You're my war, you're my truce You're my questions, you're my proof You're my stress and you're my masseuse Run from the lights, run from the night, run for your life.
** Lost in the World

### Yeezus (2013)

* Pardon, I'm getting my scream on Enter the kingdom But watch who you bring home They see a black man with a white woman At the top floor they gon' come to kill King Kong Middle America packed in Came to see me in my black skin Number one question they're asking Fuck every question you asking If I don't get ran out by Catholics Here come some conservative Baptists Claiming I'm overreacting.
** Black Skinhead
* Soon as they like you make 'em unlike you Cause kissing people's ass is so unlike you.
** I Am a God
* My mama was raised in the era when Clean water was only served to the fairer skin Doing clothes, you would've thought I had help But they wasn't satisfied unless I picked the cotton myself. So go and grab the reporters So I can smash their recorders See, they'll confuse us with some bullshit Like the New World Order Meanwhile the DEA Teamed up with the CCA They tryna lock niggas up They tryna make new slaves See, that's that privately owned prison Get your peace today They prolly all in the Hamptons Bragging 'bout what they made.
** New Slaves
* "Baby girl, he's a loner, baby girl, he's a loner" Late-night organ donor, after that, he'll disown ya After that he's just hopeless, soul mates become soulless "When it's over it's over," and bitch, I'm back out my coma
** Hold My Liquor
* Time to take it too far now Michael Douglas out the car now. Got the kids-and-the-wife life But can't wake up from the nightlife I'm so scared of my demons I go to sleep with a nightlight My mind move like a Tron bike Pop a wheelie on the Zeitgeist.
** I'm In It
* Before the limelight stole ya Remember we were so young When I would hold you Before the blood on the leaves I know there ain't nothin' wrong with me Something strange is happening We could've been somebody Before they call lawyers Before you tried to destroy us How you gon' lie to the lawyer? It's like I don't even know ya I gotta bring it back to the 'nolia All in on that alimony, uh Yeah, yeah, she got you, homie, yeah 'Til death, but do your part Unholy matrimony.
** Blood on the Leaves
* I know I got a bad reputation 'Walk around, always mad' reputation 'Leave a pretty girl sad' reputation Start a Fight Club, Brad reputation Close your eyes and let the word paint a thousand pictures One good girl is worth a thousand bitches Bound.
** Bound 2

### The Life of Pablo (2016)

* We on an ultralight beam This is a God dream This is everything Deliver us serenity Deliver us peace Deliver us loving We know we need it That's why we need You now Pray for Paris, Pray for the parents.
** Ultralight Beam
* Up in the morning, miss you bad Sorry I ain't call you back, same problem my father had All this time, all he had And what he dreamed, all his cash Market crashed, hurt him bad People get divorced for that Dropped some stacks, pops is good Mama passed in Hollywood If you ask, lost my soul Drivin' fast, lost control Off the road, jaw was broke 'Member we all was broke?
** Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 2
* Seem like the more fame, I only got wilder Hands up, we just doing what the cops taught us I've been outta my mind a long time I've been outta my mind a long time I be saying how I feel at the wrong time Might not come when you want but I'm on time. Name one genius that ain't crazy.
** Feedback
* See, before I let you go One last thing I need to let you know You ain't never seen nothing crazier than This nigga when he off his Lexapro Remember that last time in Mexico? Remember that last time, the episode?
** FML
* Who your real friends? We all came from the bottom I'm always blaming you, but what's sad, you not the problem Real friends I guess I get what I deserve, don't I? Word on the streets is they ain't heard from him I guess I get what I deserve, don't I? Talked down on my name, throwed dirt on him.
** Real Friends
* You tried to play nice, everybody just took advantage You left your fridge open, somebody just took a sandwich.
** Wolves
* Any rumor you ever heard about me was true and legendary I done got Lewinskys and paid secretaries For all my niggas with babies by bitches That use they kids as meal tickets Not knowin' the disconnect from the father The next generation will be the real victims Had my life threatened by best friends with selfish intents What I'm supposed to do? Ride around with a bulletproof car and some tints?
** No More Parties in LA
* My wife said, I can't say no to nobody And at this rate, we gon' both die broke Got friends that ask me for money knowing I'm in debt And like my wife said, I still didn't say no People trying to say I'm going crazy on Twitter My friends' best advice was to stay low I guess it's hard to decipher all of the bills Especially when you got family members on payroll The media said it was outlandish spending The media said he's way out of control I can see a thousand years from now in real life Skate on the paradigm and shift it when I feel like Troll conventional thought, don't need to question I know it's antiquated so sometimes I get aggressive Thank God for Jay Electra, he down with the mission Did it with no permission, on our own conditions Most blacks with money have been beaten to submission Yeezy with the big house, did it way different Never listen to Hollywood producers Don't stare at money too long, it's Medusa The ultimate Gemini has survived I wasn't supposed to make it past 25.
** Saint Pablo
* Most black men couldn't balance a checkbook But buy a new car, talking 'bout, 'How my neck look?' Well, it all looks great Four hundred years later, we buyin' our own chains The light is before us brothers, so the devil workin' hard Real family stick together and see through the mirage The smokescreens, perceptions of false reality I've been woken from enlightened man's dream Checkin' Instagram comments to crowdsource my self-esteem Let me not say too much or do too much 'Cause if I'm up way too much, I'm out of touch I'm prayin' a out-of-body experience will happen So the people can see my light, now it's not just rappin' God, I have humbled myself before the court Drop my ego when confidence was my last resort.
** Saint Pablo

### Ye (2018)

* My wife calling, screaming, say we 'bout to lose it all Had to calm her down 'cause she couldn't breathe Told her she could leave me now, but she wouldn't leave Oh, don't bring that up, that's gon' get me sentimental You know I'm sensitive, I got a gentle mental Every time somethin' happen they want me sent to mental We had an incident, but I cover incidentals You want me workin' on my messagin' When I'm thinkin' like George Jetson But soundin' like George Jefferson Then they questionin' my methods then Plus, what was meant to be was meant to be Even if, publicly, I lack the empathy I ain't finna talk about it 'nother four centuries.
** Wouldn't Leave
* Sometimes I take all the shine Talk like I drank all the wine Years ahead but way behind I'm on one, two, three, four, five No half-truths, just naked minds Caught between space and time This not what they had in mind But maybe someday...
** Ghost Town
* Niggas is savage, niggas is monsters Niggas is pimps, niggas is players 'Til niggas have daughters, now they precautious Father, forgive me, I'm scared of the karma 'Cause now I see women as somethin' to nurture Not somethin' to conquer Now she cuttin' class and hangin' with friends You break a glass and say it again She can't comprehend the danger she in If you whoop her ass, she move in with him Then he whoop her ass, you go through it again But how you the devil rebukin' the sin?
** Violent Crimes

### Jesus Is King (2019)

* If you woke, then wake up With Judas, kiss and make up Even with the bitter cup Forgave my brothers and drank up Everything old shall now become new The leaves’ll be green, bearing the fruit Love God and our neighbor, as written in Luke The army of God, and we are the truth.
** Selah
* Lifelike, this is what your life like, try to live your life right People really know you, push your buttons like typewrite This is like a movie, but it's really very lifelike Every single night, right, every single fight, right? I was looking at the 'Gram and I don't even like likes I was screaming at my dad, he told me, 'It ain't Christ-like' But nobody never tell you when you're being like Christ.
** Follow God
* Nothing worse than a hypocrite Change, he ain't really different He ain't even try to get permission Ask for advice and they dissed him Said I'm finna do a gospel album What have you been hearing from the Christians? They'll be the first one to judge me Make it feel like nobody love me.
** Hands On

### Donda (2021)

* First, it go viral, then they get digital Then they get critical, no, I'm not doin' no interview Mask on my face, you can't see what I'm finna do Had to move away from people that's miserable And this money could never neglect me I pray that my family, they never resent me And she fell in love with me soon as she met me.
** Off the Grid
* Genius gone clueless, it's a whole lot to risk Alcohol anonymous, who's the busiest loser? Heated by the rumors, read into it too much Fiendin' for some true love, asked Kim, 'What do you love?' Hard to find what the truth is, but the truth was that the truth suck Always seem to do stuff, but this time it was too much.
** Hurricane
* I don't want my mind alerting People sayin' tweeting gonna make you die early How 'bout have my heart hurting? Hold it all inside, that could make you die early I be going through things I had to wrote Celebrity drama that only Brad'll know Too many family secrets, somebody passing notes Things I cried about, I find laughable.
** Believe What I Say
* Sittin' by myself, I'm just thinking About all I've been through, I wish I was dreaming Man, it's hard to be an angel when you surrounded by demons I watched so many people leave I see 'em change by the season, that's mama's sеasoning God got you, the devil's watching, he just peeking in I know I madе a promise that I'd never let the reaper in But lately, I've been losin' all my deepest friends And lately, I've been swimmin' on the deepest end It's just drugs, it ain't no hugs, it ain't no love there You been down so much you don't even know what's upstairs Suicidal thoughts got you wonderin' what's up there And if I talk to Christ, can I bring my mother back to life? And if I die tonight, will I see her in the afterlife? But back to reality, where everything's a tragedy.
** Jesus Lord
* Startin' to feel like you ain't been happy for me lately, darling Remember when you used to come around and serenade me But I guess it's gone different, in a different direction, lately Trying to do the right thing with the freedom that you gave me Wrap your arms around with your mercy I give up on doing things my way.
** Lord I Need You
* Here go all your problems again Three, two, one, you're pinned Don't you wish the night would go numb? I've been feelin' low for so long I ain't had a high in so long I been in the dark for so long Night is always darkest 'fore the dawn Gotta make my mark 'fore I'm gone I don't wanna die alone Sadness settin' in again Three, two, one, you're pinned Took your thoughts and penciled 'em in Should've wrote 'em down in pen And maybe they'd come to life.
** Come to Life
* Mama, your son in the red hat Had suffered set-backs, had 'shouldn't-have-said-thats' Had made everyone mad Give 'em enough of they own rope to hang 'em with The paparazzi never really got what my angle is They treat my married life like some type of entanglement.
** Life of the Party
* You know why my spirit's callin' Darkness can't take light from me Haven't you gone far enough? Sacrificed the ones you love Gave up on your sanity Like some twisted fantasy What would I say to everything? Your actions cost everything.
** Never Abandon Your Family

## Quotes
### 2000s

* When I had my accident, I found out at that moment nothing in life is promised except death.
* If you have the opportunity to play this game called life, you need to appreciate every moment. A lot of people don't appreciate their moment until it's passed. I know everybody asked me the question, they wanted to know, 'What, Kan, I know he's gonna wild out, I know he's gonna do something crazy.' Everybody wanted to know what I would do, if I didn't win... I guess we'll never know!
** 2005 Grammy acceptance speech (February 13, 2005)
* I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, 'They're looting.' You see a white family, it says, 'They're looking for food.' George Bush doesn't care about black people.
** Live on NBC’s A Concert for Hurricane Relief (September 2, 2005)
* Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!
** 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (September 13, 2009)

#### Thank You and You're Welcome (2009)

* Know your worth! People always act like they're doing more for you than you're doing for them. Ask yourself this question, "Why would they do that?" Obviously, you bring something to the table for them to even do business with you.
** p.3-4
* Life is 5% what happens and 95% how you react!
** p.13-14
* Would you believe in what you believe in if you were the only one who believed it?
** p.19
* I refuse to accept other people's ideas of happiness for me. As if there's a "one size fits all" standard for happiness
** p.22

### 2010s

* I hate when I'm on a flight and I wake up with a water bottle next to me like oh great now I gotta be responsible for this water bottle
** October 16, 2011 tweet
* I am Warhol. I am the number 1 most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh. Walt Disney. Nike. Google. The music and the clothing are just as important. That's what makes you hip hop. You show people that you're hip hop by what you wear. You ain't got the answers Sway! [In response to Calloway suggesting he start a clothing company on his own]
** Radio interview with Sway Calloway on Sway in the Morning (November 26, 2013)
* Man, let me tell you something about George Bush and oil money and Obama and no money. People want to say Obama can't make these moves or he's not executing. That's because he ain't got those connections. Black people don't have the same level of connections as Jewish people. Black people don't have the same connections as oil people.
** more from 26 November 2013 interview, cited by HuffPo article

### 2020s

* You know, he made these peace treaties,[...] I just think it was to make money. I just think that that’s what they’re about is making money. I don’t think that they have the ability to make anything on their own. I think they’re born into money, and it makes me feel like they weren’t serving my boy Trump the way they could’ve.
** October 6, 2022 interview with Tucker Carlson regarding Jared Kushner, reported October 7 by "Kanye West says Jared Kushner only brokered Abraham Accords 'to make money' The Times of Israel (October 8, 2022)
* This ain’t a game. Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me. I told you this was war. Now gone get you some business.
** October 7, 2022 message to Diddy per "Kanye West shouts out Jewish people in now-deleted Instagram rant posts" The Jerusalem Post (October 8, 2022)
* I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can't be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda
** Tweet of October 9, 2022 soon deleted by Twitter, quoted here

#### InfoWars interview with Alex Jones (December 1, 2022)

* I see good things about Hitler also. I love everyone. Jewish people are not going to tell me you can love us, and you can love what we’re doing to you with the contracts, and you can love what we’re pushing with the pornography. But this guy that invented highways, invented the very microphone that I use as a musician, you can’t say out loud that this person ever did anything good, and I’m done with that.
** interview with Alex Jones on InfoWars, quoted by Rolling Stone (December 1, 2022).
* I like Hitler.
** 1 December 2022 during same interview (clip from VanLathan linked by Rolling Stone) in response to Alex Jones saying "(He) said he loved Hitler, they gave him an award. I'm just saying I don't like nazis and I don't like what some of the mafias are doing either."
* They did good things too, we've got to stop dissing the Nazis all the time.
** Comments, cited by The Independent (London, December 1, 2022), same interview
* I don't like the word evil next to Nazis. I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.
** same interview, clip from RightWingWatch linked by RollingStone, in response to Alex Jones saying "CNN says white people are evil nazis, so I mean, I just heard those statements but..." Jones replied "Oh man, well I have to disagree with that"
* He didn’t kill six million Jews. That's just factually incorrect. The Holocaust is not what happened. Let's look at the facts of that. Hitler has a lot of redeeming qualities.
** same interview
* I'm done with the classifications. Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table. Especially Hitler.
** same interview

#### February 2025 tirades/comments on X (Twitter)

* I'm never apologizing for my Jewish comments
* I'm a Nazi
* I love Hitler now what bitches
* Some of my best friends are Jewish and I don't trust any of them
* Elon stole my Nazi swag at the inauguration
* Donald Trump, please free my brother Puff
* Im [sic] never apologizing for my Jewish comments I can [say] whatever the fuck I wanna say forever [where's] my fucking apology for freezing my accounts suck my dick [how's] that for an apology
* Hitler was sooooo fresh
* call me Yaydolf Yitler
* Adam Sandler Thank you for the love
* After further reflection I've come to the realization that I'm not a Nazi
** Tweets made during February 2025 Twitter comments, which some publications characterized as tirades (sourced by Billboard magazine, New York Times, Deadline Hollywood, The Toronto Star, Hindustan Times)

## Quotes about West

* I woke up and burst into tears [...] Defcon three on Jewish people? What are you doing?
** Jamie Lee Curtis tweet (October 9, 2022), as cited in "Jamie Lee Curtis Calls Antisemitism in Kanye 'Ye' West's Removed Tweet 'Abhorrent'", The Hollywood Reporter (October 10, 2022).
* The holiest day in Judaism was last week. Words matter. A threat to Jewish people ended once in a genocide. Your words hurt and incite violence [...] You are a father. Please stop.
** Jamie Lee Curtis tweet (October 9, 2022), as cited in "Jamie Lee Curtis Calls Antisemitism in Kanye 'Ye' West's Removed Tweet 'Abhorrent'", The Hollywood Reporter (October 10, 2022).
* He is opening Donda Academy, a vocational school in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, and plans to build a series of shelters — which he calls “Dondasteries” — to provide safe spaces for those in need.
** October 3, 2022 by Farahat of iNew
* With Kanye, the arrogant thing always comes up, but think about what that does for your ability to make art. He doesn't even question himself as to whether he can do it or not. He does it fast and good, and he doesn't stop on the side of the road to wonder if he can do it.
** John Mayer, 28 April 2005
* The one thing I fear for [West] the most is if you keep talking about being the greatest, people eventually are going to want to watch you fail. Those who crash and burn are far more interesting to watch than those who actually succeed.
** John Mayer, MTV (April 28, 2005)
* I've met with Kanye [...] The thing about hip-hop today is it's smart, it's insightful, and the way that [West] can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable.
** Barack Obama, January 10, 2008
* He's a jackass.
** Barack Obama, 15 September 2009 [commenting privately on West after West's interruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards]
* I like Kanye, He's a Chicago guy. Smart. He's very talented. He is a jackass, but he's talented.
** Barack Obama, May 2012
* @KanyeWest asked permission to sample a section of a 1983 live performance of “Iron Man” from the US Festival without vocals and was refused permission because he is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many. He went ahead and used the sample anyway at his album listening party last night. I want no association with this man!
** Ozzy Osbourne, Post on X (formerly Twitter, 9 February 2024), as cited in "Ozzy Osbourne criticises Kanye West for using Black Sabbath sample without permission", The Standard (February 10, 2024).
* We can't stop a deranged bigot from spewing hate filled, ignorant bile ... but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr. Musk. Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X. That's twice as many people than the number of Jews in existence. His sick hate speech results in REAL LIFE violence against Jews. I don't know what's worse, the fact that he identifies as a Nazi (which implies he wants to exterminate ALL marginalized communities including his own) or the fact that there is not sufficient OUTRAGE to remove and ban him from all social media at this point. Silence is complicity.
** David Schwimmer on Instagram (February 8, 2025), as cited in "Friends star David Schwimmer urges Elon Musk to remove Kanye West from X after 'hate-filled, ignorant' comments", Sky News (February 10, 2025)
** Following the response to further antisemitic comments, Kanye West's account on X (formerly Twitter) was deactivated.
* Kanye threatened the Jews yesterday on twitter and it’s not even trending. Why do mostly only Jews speak up against Jewish hate? The silence is so loud
** Sarah Silverman on October 9, 2022 tweet

### Organizations

* This is classic anti-Semitism. There it goes again, the age-old canard that Jews are all-powerful and control the levers of power in government. As a celebrity with a wide following, Kanye West should know better. We hope that he will take responsibility for his words, understand why they are so offensive, and apologize to those he has offended.
** here, Anti-Defamation League (December 2013)
* [H]urtful, offensive and wrong. They perpetuate stereotypes that have been the basis for discrimination and violence against Jews for thousands of years. Words like this tear at the fabric of the Black-Jewish relationship. The Black and Jewish communities must stand together through incidents like this to make clear that trafficking in hateful stereotypes is unacceptable — and that the words of one entertainer do not reflect the views of an entire community.
** Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance (October 9, 2022) quoted here
* In the past week, Ye has spread some of the most vile and age-old stereotypes about Jews to his hundreds of millions of followers. There should be no place for this kind of hate in our public discourse. We support every entertainer’s right to free speech, but no one has a free pass to target and demonize a minority group with such malice. We are gravely concerned about the impact of Ye’s statements — and how they will affect his fans, particularly young people. At the same time, we hope this can be a moment that ultimately creates better awareness about the dangers of antisemitism for Ye, his fans, and other entertainers. We remain open to dialogue with him about how harmful and fallacious his comments are.
** Creative Community for Peace (October 2022)