Famous

"Famous"Song by Kanye West
General information
Featured artist(s)	Rihanna Swizz Beatz
Released	February 14, 2016 (album) March 28, 2016 (single)
Recorded	Jan. 7, 2014-2016
Length	3:16
Album	The Life Of Pablo
Writer(s)	Mike Dean, Noah Goldstein, Andrew Dawson, Chancelor Bennett, Cydel Young, Enzo Vita, Ernest Brown, Giampiero Scalamogna, Jimmy Webb, Kanye West, Kasseem Dean, Kejuan Waliek Muchita, Luis Bacalov, Patrick Reynolds, Ross Birchard, Sergio Bardotti, Winston Riley, Jeffery Williams
Producer(s)	Kanye West, Havoc, Noah Goldstein, Charlie Heat, Andrew Dawson, Hudson Mohawke, Mike Dean, Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds, Kuk Harrell
s chronology
Previous	"Ultralight Prayer"
Next	"Wolves"
Track list
Previous	"Father Stretch My Hands"
Next	"Feedback"
Music video

"Famous" (originally titled "Nina Chop") is the fourth track from Kanye West's seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). The track features vocals from singer Rihanna, producer Swizz Beatz, and (sampled) singer Nina Simone. It was released as a single on March 28, 2016.

Production

The song's chorus, mostly performed by Rihanna, comes from Nina Simone's song "Do What You Gotta Do," which is directly sampled at the end. A sample of the track "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy serves as the song's outro.

Background

The track previously went by the name, "Nina Chop" up until January 2016, with that name coming from the use of a sample of Nina Simone's song "Do What You Gotta Do." Additionally, the track was going to contain vocals from rapper Young Thug that were cut from release. When the song was updated in March 2016, a lyric was changed from: "She be Puerto Rican day parade wavin'"; to: "She in school to be a real estate agent".

Chance the Rapper also recorded a verse that seems to have been positioned after the Simone sample at the end of the track. He played the verse to Zane Lowe of Beats 1 after release.

Rick Ross released a remixed version of the song in February 2016.

Controversy

See also: List of feuds#Taylor Swift

At the beginning of his first verse, Kanye raps:

For all my South Side ni**as that know me best

I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex

Why? I made that bitch famous

(Goddamn!)

I made that bitch famous

The line met criticism after release, in which Ye defended the line by saying he talked with Taylor about the line and she "gave her blessings" for its use. Swift's spokesperson claimed otherwise. Months after release, Kim Kardashian shared a video of Ye and Swift speaking over the phone, seemingly confirming West's claims. It was four years later, in 2020, when a full recording of the video was leaked, showing that Ye did share the lines with Swift and that she objected to it.

Swift alluded to Ye in her acceptance speech at the 2016 Grammys when she said " people along the way who are going to try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame." She also called the song's music video revenge porn in a 2019 Tumblr post addressed to media proprietor Scooter Braun.

In turn, Ye made a tweet in August 2020 that seemed to refer to Taylor Swift as a snake, referring to a 2016 Kim tweet that seemed to make the same comparison.

Music video

Kanye West - Famous

The song's official music video depicts twelve wax figures of celebrities laying in bed with a wax figure of Kanye West. The celebrities are (from left-to-right) former U.S. president George W. Bush; fashion icon Anna Wintour; former U.S. president Donald Trump; singers Rihanna, Chris Brown, and Taylor Swift; Kanye West himself; his now ex-wife Kim Kardashian-West; Kim's ex-partner Ray J; Ye's own ex-partner Amber Rose; Kim's mother Caitlyn Jenner; and comedian Bill Cosby.

The music video alternates between a panning birds eye view of the bed, and night vision closeups of the figures. Many of the figures have parts of their personal regions shown.

Abruptly before the last chorus performed by Rihanna, the song cuts to a black screen that displays "SPECIAL THANKS / BILL COSBY / CAITLYN JENNER / AMBER ROSE / RAY J / KIM KARDASHIAN WEST / TAYLOR SWIFT / CHRIS BROWN / RIHANNA / DONALD TRUMP / ANNA WINTOUR / AND GEORGE BUSH / FOR BEING FAMOUS" before a final pan out is shown of the figures.

The last two minutes of the music video shows the sun over a horizon as the track "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" plays.

Lyrics

[Intro]
Man, I can understand how it might be
Kinda hard to love a girl like me
I don't blame you much for wanting to be free
I just wanted you to know
Woo, woo
Swizz told me let the beat rock (Oh)
Oh

[Verse 1]
For all my Southside n***as that know me best
I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex
Why? I made that bitch famous (Goddamn)
I made that bitch famous
For all the girls that got dick from Kanye West
If you see 'em in the streets, give 'em Kanye's best
Why? They mad they ain't famous (Goddamn)
They mad they still nameless (Talk that talk, man)
Her man in the store tryna try his best
But he just can't seem to get Kanye fresh
But we still hood famous (Goddamn)
Yeah, we still hood famous

[Chorus]
I just wanted you to know
I've loved you better than your own kin did
From the very start
I don't blame you much for wanting to be free
Wake up, Mr. West! Oh, he's up!
I just wanted you to know

[Verse 2]
I be Puerto Rican day parade floatin'
That Benz Marina Del Rey coastin'
She in school to be a real estate agent
Last month I helped her with the car payment
Young and we alive, whoo!
We never gonna die, whoo!
I just copped a jet to fly over personal debt
Put one up in the sky
The sun is in my eyes, whoo!
Woke up and felt the vibe, whoo!
No matter how hard they try, whoo!
We never gonna die

[Chorus]
I just wanted you to know
Get 'em!

[Bridge]
Bam, 'ey 'ey 'ey
Bam bam, bam, bam bam dilla
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
What a bam, bam, bam bam dilla
How you feeling right now? Let me see your lighters in the air
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey 'ey 'ey
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
What a bam
Let me see your middle finger in the air
Bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
Bam bam, bam, bam bam dilla
Let me see you act up in this motherfucker
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
What a bam, bam, bam bam dilla
How you feelin', how you feelin', how you feelin' in this mother fucker, God damn
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey 'ey 'ey
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
What a bam
One thing you can't do is stop us now
Bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
Bam bam bam, bam bam dilla
Ayy, you can't stop the thing now
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
What a bam, bam, bam bam dilla
Man, it's way too late, it's way too late, it's way too late, you can't fuck with us
Bam bam, 'ey 'ey 'ey 'ey 'ey
Bam bam, 'ey 'ey 'ey
What a bam
To the left, to the right
Bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
Bam bam bam, bam bam dilla
I wanna see everybody hands in the air like this
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
What a bam, bam, bam bam dilla
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey 'ey 'ey
Bam bam 'ey 'ey 'ey
What a bam, bam

[Outro]
I just wanted you to know
I loved you better than your own kin did
From the very start
I don't blame you much for wanting to be free
I just wanted you to know

Credits

Adapted from Spotify:

• Performed by Kanye West
• Written by MIKE DEAN, Noah Goldstein, Andrew Dawson, Chancelor Bennett, Cydel Young, Enzo Vita, Ernest Brown, Giampiero Scalamogna, Jimmy Webb, Kanye West, Kasseem Dean, Kejuan Waliek Muchita, Luis Bacalov, Patrick Reynolds, Ross Birchard, Sergio Bardotti, Winston Riley
• Produced by Kanye West, Havoc, Noah Goldstein, Charlie Heat, Andrew Dawson, Hudson Mohawke, MIKE DEAN, Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds, Kuk Harrell