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"24" is the eleventh track from Kanye West's tenth studio album, Donda (2021), and the fifteenth track from the deluxe edition of Donda.[1][2] The song features backing vocals from the Sunday Service Choir, Daniel Davila, and KayCyy.

In the song, Kanye reminds the listener that through it all, things will be okay. It is also a tribute to the late basketball player Kobe Bryant, who passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.[3] He donned the number 24 for most of his time that he played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Background[]

The melody was thought of a day before Kobe Bryant's passing on January 26, 2020.[4] Three days after Kobe's death, KayCyy wrote lyrics for the song which made Kanye cry.[5] The song went through many changes later that year, with KayCyy being featured on several versions. The song also went through several production changes as different producers worked on the track. Several versions of the song made during the DONDA: WITH CHILD era sound much more uplifting compared to the dark organs heard in the released version.

Ultimately, the choir vocals were the only thing that made it to the first listening party held at Atlanta. At that show, it was a six-minute opening track. The song was further reworked and shortened until its proper release about a month later. The song was eleventh in the original track list, before being pushed to fifteenth in the deluxe version of the album.[6]

Music video[]

The music video was released on September 18, 2021 and was directed by Nick Knight.[7]

The song's music video opens with a clip of Ye's performance of "No Child Left Behind" at the second Atlanta listening party. As fans cheer at the show, he is shown floating to the sky.[7]

"No Child Left Behind" fades out and the song "24" begins being played as Ye is shown floating in some computer-generated clouds. Some clips of his mother are shown in the background at the start of this section of the video. The video ends with the camera panning out as the clouds and imagery vanish into a "digital void."[8][7] Ye and his team originally wanted some images of Kobe and Gianna Bryant to be shown in the music video, but it was not cleared.[4]

Kanye_West_-_24_OG_(2020_Music_Video)

Kanye West - 24 OG (2020 Music Video)

On April 19, 2022, an earlier music video for "24" was leaked. This music video also features Ye floating in the sky, but it instead uses the DONDA: WITH CHILD version of the song. Most of the footage in this video would later be reused in the released music video. It was filmed in March 2021.

Live performances[]

Drake covered the song at the Larry Hoover concert on December 9, 2021.[9]

Lyrics[]

[Intro]
Dear God, make it alright
Only You can make it alright
Dear Lord, make it alright
Nothing else ever feels right
Dear God, make it alright
Nothing else ever feels right
Na-na-na, nothing else ever feels right

[Verse 1]
Exhausted
Never the right time to go
—Right time to go
Never the right time to go
God loves you
Love when He choose your steps
Gotta make it right 'fore you left
Gotta make it right before you—
Everybody wanna feel like
Everything gon' be right
New me over the old me
Let it out, let it all out
God, please set it alright
Make it right, now that feels right
Nothing else ever feels right
Nothing else ever feels right

[Chorus]
Save me, yeah, make it alright
Bow our heads 'cause it's alright, alright, mm-mm
Twenty-four hours
Twenty-four candles
Twenty-four hours
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Throw our hands up in the sky
Yes, Lord, we put 'em high
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah

[Verse 2]
Yeah, know you're alive and God's not finished
Know you're alive and God's not finished
I know you're alive, God's not finished
I know you're alive and God's not—
The Devil's a lie, but now he finished
Devil's a lie and now he fin—
Devil's a lie and now he finished
Throw our hands up in the sky
Yes, Lord, we wave 'em high

[Refrain]
We gonna be okay, we gonna be okay
We gonna be okay, we gonna be okay
We gonna be okay, we gonna be okay

[Bridge]
God's not finished, God's not finished
God's not finished, God's not finished
God's not finished, God's not finished
God's not finished, God's not finished

[Refrain]
Know we gon' be okay, we gonna be okay
We gonna be okay, we gonna be okay
God's not finished, God's not finished
God's not finished, we gonna be okay

[Outro]
Throw our hands up in the sky
Yes, Lord, we wave 'em high
Mm-mm-mm, mm-mm

References[]

Donda
Singles
"Hurricane" • "Life Of The Party"
Radio singles
"Believe What I Say" • "Off The Grid"
Other tracks
"Donda Chant" • "Jail" • "God Breathed" • "Praise God" • "Jonah" • "Ok Ok" • "Junya" • "24" • "Remote Control" • "Moon" • "Heaven and Hell" • "Donda" • "Keep My Spirit Alive" • "Jesus Lord" • "New Again" • "Tell The Vision" • "Lord I Need You" • "Pure Souls" • "Come to Life" • "No Child Left Behind"
Deluxe tracks
"Up From The Ashes" • "Never Abandon Your Family"
Chronology
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