In this blog post, we mention some of the best hip hop songs by Kanye West. The artist has released countless hit songs throughout his career. He’s clearly a talented producer, some say he is a much better producer than he is a performer. Regardless, you’ll find some favorite songs you can add to your music playlist and hopefully get to enjoy the best music Kanye west has to offer.
Bio: Who is Kanye West?
Kanye West has been a producer, rapper-singer, designer, businessman and more in his twenty-or-so years of fame. Born in Atlanta on June 8, 1977, West moved with his mom Donda to Chicago when he was a little kid after her divorce. Interested in a music career, he dropped out of college, focusing on coming up with beats that incorporated soulful old-school samples, usually sped up. He came to the industry’s attention after hooking up with Jay-Z. His production work on Jay-Z’s The Blueprint album catapulted Kanye West into the big leagues and served as the launch pad for his own career. In the years following, Kanye released a slew of projects, including The College Dropout, Graduation, 808s & Heartbreak, My Beautiful, Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezus and other significant albums. Over and above that, Kanye West is widely regarded as a music genius.
Iconic Hip Hop songs by Kanye West
1. Through The Wire
“Through The Wire” was inspired by Kanye’s near-death experience. Right after he was finally signed to Roc-a-Fella records, he was involved in a near-fatal car accident which left him with a shattered jaw that was wired shut for reconstructive surgery. Two weeks after his car accident, West wrote the famous song and recorded it with his mouth still wired shut. The song went platinum and Gold in the U.S. and UK and received a nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 2005 Grammy Awards. “Through The Wire” was also part of West’s debut album The College Dropout, which changed the trajectory of his entire career.
Stream “Through The Wire”
2. Stronger
“Stronger” is based around a sample taken from the Daft Punk song ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’. The original was released in 2001 and peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. The vocoded, robotic voice featured on Kanye’s track is an integral part of Daft Punk’s signature sound, which matches their futuristic aesthetic. Across studios in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo, Kanye employed a total of eight audio engineers and 11 mixing engineers to bring the song to life. Together, they created over 50 versions of the track in total. The song became Ye’s third No. 1 single and later went on to earn him a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 50th annual award show.
Stream “Stronger”
3. Runaway ft. Pusha T
On “Runaway” Kanye bares his soul to an antagonized audience. A vulnerable West confronts his character flaws in this dramatic song. The music video solidified West as unquestionably the greatest music genius of this generation. It was a dreamy mini-movie with lovely, light imagery and a heavy message — roughly speaking, people aren’t open-minded; they don’t accept what they don’t immediately understand.
Stream “Runaway” ft. Pusha T
4. Gold Digger ft. Jamie Foxx
“Gold Digger” samples Ray Charles’ notable “I Got a Woman,” and also features Jamie Foxx on vocals. Though the song was conceived years before its release, West added in samples of Jamie Foxx singing an interpretation of the Ray Charles “I’ve Got a Woman” last minute. West originally produced and wrote the 2005 hit for Shawnna. He the hook from a female’s perspective, and the song was meant for Shawnna’s 2004 debut album, Worth Tha Weight. Nonetheless, the song broke the record for the most digital downloads in a week and was also the fastest-selling digital download of all time. In 2006, the track was nominated for Record of the Year and won the Grammy award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Stream “Gold Digger” ft. Jamie Foxx
5. All Of The Lights ft. Rihanna, Kid Cudi
In 2011, West’s smash single “All of the Lights” became a musical sensation with several iconic artists on the track. “All of the Lights” features an all-star lineup of performers, including Alicia Keys, John Legend, The-Dream, Drake, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, La Roux, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, and Rihanna. Rihanna also sang the song’s hook and was credited as a featured artist on the single. The song is also part of the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which is regarded by many Kanye West fans as his magnum opus.
Stream “All Of The Lights” ft. Rihanna, Kid Cudi
6. Touch The Sky ft. Lupe Fiasco
“Touch The Sky” is the first track on the album Late Registration. After releasing the tame piano-driven “Heard Em Say”, Just Blaze’s triumphant horns breaks the sound barrier with a burst of new life on “Touch The SKy”. The song, which leans heavily on a sample from Curtis Mayfield’s 1970 hit ”Move on Up,” meshes well with the retro visuals, styled to look like an old Roger Corman bikesploitation flick. At the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, despite being named Best Hip-Hop Artist, West famously crashed the stage after “Touch The Sky” didn’t win for Best Music Video. In a classic, expletive-riddled Kanye rant, the rapper said the reason the video deserved to win was because it “cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it [and] I was jumping across canyons.”
Stream “Touch The Sky” ft. Lupe Fiasco
7. Good Morning
“Good Morning” is the first song on Kanye West’s third album, 2007’s Graduation. The song was produced solely by West. Kanye uses two samples in “Good Morning”, one of Elton John and another from Jay-Z, which are accompanied by layers of keyboards provided by London-based producer Andy Chatterley. The music video was directed by Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, who had designed the album artwork of Graduation and the cover art for the album’s singles. The surrealistic visuals of the video take influences from Japanese animé and utilises cel-shaded animation. The narrative is centered around West’s anthropomorphic teddy bear mascot Dropout Bear. He overcomes various obstacles while racing through a futuristic city in an effort to reach his college campus in time for his graduation ceremony.
Stream “Good Morning”
8. Jesus Walks
“Jesus Walks” was released in 2004, as the fourth single from West’s debut album The College Dropout. On the song, you hear the marching drums, the choir harmonies, and West’s impassioned battle cry in the name of the Lord, takes hold of your attention for a little over three minutes. The song touched on Kanye West’s religious views and his belief and hope that the song would impact his life in different ways. For Kanye, there is no dollar amount that he won’t spend or no measure he won’t take to create music videos that live up to his artistic standards. It’s that very passion and artistic drive that led him to film three separate music videos for “Jesus Walks” with a combined budget of over $1,000,000. The song went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song, at the 47th Grammy Awards.
Stream “Jesus Walks”
9. Heartless
“Heartless” was released as a single for West’s album 808s & Heartbreak. The song is about a troubled relationship. Here, West is reflecting on the toxic relationship he was once stuck in. The two can’t stay out of each other’s lives and continue to argue and the relationship becomes toxic. Her and his friends become involved and influence her decisions whether to stay or leave. In the end, he decides to leave and says she’ll never find someone better than he. Kanye conveys this negative attitude using tones that are bitter, mournful, and gloomy. However, the track manages to be upbeat while still remaining melancholy with Kanye singing in his now famous auto-tuned robotic croon.
Stream “Heartless”
10. All Falls Down ft. Syleena Johnson
“All Falls Down” the third single off his 2004 debut album, The College Dropout, reflects the themes of aspiration and disappointment that run through much of his earlier work. Moreover, a stand out clip featuring the song from the Jeen-Yuhs documentary sees Kanye West getting dismissed during a pitch to a major record label. The clip takes place at Roc-A-Fella Records in their New York City office back in 2002. Kanye West is seen pitching himself to Chaka Pilgrim who was a marketing executive at the time but later became the President of Roc Nation records. West then tells her “Let me play you some stuff,” He proceeds to play his original version of “All Falls Down” featuring the Lauryn Hill sample. Despite that, the song became an illuminating sequence that showed Kanye’s self-belief and determination at a time when most people still thought of him as “just a producer” and dismissed his skills as a rapper.
Stream “All Falls Down” ft. Syleena Johnson
11. BLKKK SKKKN HEAD
On “BLKKK SKKKN HEAD“, West jumps from topic to topic, addressing his interracial relationship with Kim Kardashian, LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat and the rash of violence in his native Chicago. The video was directed by Nick Knight (the British fashion photographer who also directed Lady Gaga’s unicorn-centric “Born This Way” clip and who also helmed that “New Slaves” video that was projected onto the sides of buildings). The final version for “BLKKK SKKKN HEAD” was really similar to the leaked version that prompted an angry Twitter rant from West.
Stream “BLKKK SKKKN HEAD”
12. Fade
On “Fade” Kanye calls out to a distant lover, claiming they’re not 100% invested in their relationship. He can feel them slipping away. The song is built off of four samples: Fingers Inc.’s “Mystery of Love (Club Mix),” Hardrive’s house song, “Deep Inside,” Ms. Barbara Tucker’s vocals from “I Get Lifted,” and Rare Earth’s “(I Know) I’m Losing You.” The music video draws from many points of inspiration, encapsulating multiple eras of artistic sexuality in any single shot. It features Teyana Taylor dancing Flashdance-style in a gym, but then it takes a turn at the last moment to show Taylor hooking up with her real-life partner, Cavaliers player Iman Shumpert, and ends with the two and a baby (presumably their actual baby) surrounded by sheep.
Stream “Fade”
13. Famous
“Famous” explores what it means to be famous as Rihanna personifies fame on the hook. On top of that, Swift and West had a very public fight over the lyrics he rapped in the song. Swift took offense to this. In a statement to the press, her team said the lyrics were inappropriate, noting, “Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message.” Despite that, the song was released to the public. The music video features nude images of famous celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Amber Rose, Ray J, Caitlyn Jenner, Bill Cosby, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Anna Wintour, George Bush, and Donald Trump. The video was inspired by Vincent Desiderio’s “Sleep” and Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”. Like Da Vinci’s painting featuring Jesus and his disciples, Kanye makes use of 12 people, albeit in a different setting.
Stream “Famous”
- Spotify
- Apple music
14. Flashing Lights ft. Dwele
In “Flashing Lights”, Kanye is found reminiscing about a flighty, capricious ex-girlfriend he can’t stop thinking about. Similar to “Homecoming”, Kanye uses this girl as a metaphor for his public audience, to whose chaotic whims he’s forced to cater to. Directed by Spike Jonze, the music video becomes yet another fantastic voyage into the darkest depths of the rapper’s royally complicated psyche. According to the actress on the video, “The finished version of “Flashing Lights” was actually the third attempt for Kanye,” she said. “West apparently wasn’t satisfied with the first two versions. He wanted the clip to be more about fashion, sex and life.”
Stream “Flashing Lights ft. Dwele”
15. Can’t Tell Me Nothing
“Can’t Tell Me Nothing” sees Kanye’s agonizing lyrics pair perfectly with the slowed down soul beat as he shouts out his haters and critics. He struggles with the most fundamental questions of God’s place in his life, as he’s removed from the vices that threaten his yearning for spirituality. The music video has an epic quality, with scenes shot from above, showing Kanye’s body flitting in and out of view. Yet even as he wanders across an arid landscape, he chooses to wear a fresh mankerchief and medallion, and still swaggers as if he’s onstage at Madison Square Garden. Jeezy revealed to HipHopDX that the song was originally meant for his album The Recession. “‘Wait Until I Get My Money Right’ was a song with me and T.I. for my album, The Recession,” Jeezy explains. “I sent it to Ye and [he] put a verse on it but wanted to know who produced the record.” Despite being told how dope the track was, Jeezy ultimately decided to leave it off the album. Six months later, Ye altered the song and asked Jeezy if he could keep his original ad-libs and Jeezy granted him permission. Soon after, the song — released as “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” — was one of the biggest songs of 2007.
Stream “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”
16. Good Life ft. T-Pain
“Good Life” was the third single from Kanye’s third offering, 2007’s Graduation, and shows us a more synthpop-based approach to hip-hop than his previous albums. Ye contemplates the finer things in life while telling his haters to continue hating as he watches them, while laughing from his new car, yacht, and private jet. Over a key sample from Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”, the song features the vocals of T-Pain, and production by Kanye, DJ Toomp, Timbaland and Mike Dean. The song went on to win Best Rap Song at the 2008 Grammys.
Stream “Good Life ft. T-Pain”
17. Bound 2
“Bound 2” is an extremely heartfelt and totally weird love song that ends on the album Yeezus. The song is about Kanye West and Kim Kardashian riding a motorcycle in front of green-screen images of Monument Valley and space, which makes it look a little bit like a ’70s biker-gang Roger Corman movie shot inside of an iMac screensaver. The soul instrumental and background vocals are sampled from the Ponderosa Twins Plus One’s 1971 song “Bound,” whereas the memorable ‘uh-huh, honey’ comes from the intro to Brenda Lee’s 1959 record “Sweet Nothin’s.”
Stream “Bound 2”
18. Homecoming
Kanye’s “Homecoming” featuring Chris Martin of Coldplay is the fourth single off of the rapper’s album Graduation. Interpolating a line from Common’s “I Used To Love H.E.R.,” Kanye uses extended metaphor to describe his feelings for Chicago, his home, by comparing it to a lost girlfriend. The opening and closing lyrics are almost identical to those of Common’s song, perhaps serving as a nod of respect to his good friend. The video was directed by veteran Hype Williams, and was filmed in Chicago using dope and classic black and white tones.
Stream “Homecoming”
Honorable mentions
- Katy Perry – E.T. ft. Kanye West
- Jay-Z & Kanye West – Ni**as In Paris
- Keri Hilson – Knock You Down ft. Kanye West, Ne-Yo
- JAY Z, Kanye West – Otis ft. Otis Redding
- JAY Z, Kanye West – No Church In The Wild
- Twista – Slow Jamz (Feat. Kanye West & Jamie Foxx)
Connect with Kanye West
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