LONELY ROADS

"LONELY ROADS"Single by King Combs, Ye
General information
Featured artist(s)	Jasmine Williams North West Diddy (uncredited)
Released	March 15, 2025
Recorded	2025
Length	3:50
Album	NEVER STOP
Label(s)	Goodfellas
Writer(s)	Sean Combs Ye Christian Combs Jasmine Williams North West Carlos Coleman Mario Winans Steven Jordan
Producer(s)	Ye Mario Winans Stevie J Justin Combs
Singles chronology
Previous	"BEAUTY AND THE BEAST"
Next	"WW3"
Track list
Next	"KIM"

"LONELY ROADS" (initially released as "LONELY ROADS STILL GO TO SUNSHINE") is a song by New York rapper and son of Diddy, King Combs that was released in collaboration with Ye (fka Kanye West) on March 15, 2024. The song featured vocals from West's daughter North West, as well as YZY label signee Jasmine Williams on the song's chorus.

The song marks Diddy's first released song since his incarceration in late-2024 on sex trafficking charges. In the song, Combs, North, and Jasmine Williams advocate for the freedom of Diddy. It serves as the opening track to Ye and King Combs' collaborative EP, NEVER STOP (2025).

Production

The song features production from Ye and samples The LOX, DMX, and Lil' Kim's 1998 song "Money, Power & Respect".

Background

On March 8, Ye would have a phone call with Diddy while he was still imprisoned where Diddy would encourage Ye to get back into making music and discuss the song. This full phone call would leak ten days later. Diddy reportedly had not idea West was recording the call and was slightly upset that West had shared the conversation.

It's unclear when exactly the song was made but it was verly likely to have been in February 2025 as this is when West had first publicly advocated for the freedom of rapper Diddy. Diddy even being sampled in the initial release of his and Ty Dolla $ign's single "Wheels Fall Off". King Combs was also featured on this song who had also recorded a verse for this song. According to Diddy in the phone call, the song was made in a span of three days.

Screenshot shared by Ye himself showing an argument with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian on the topic of North being featured on Diddy's new song.

West's daughter North as well as his newest and as of then only YZY signee Jasmine Williams would record for the hook, her signing to the label being revealed with the song's release. The song would officially release on West's X (fka Twitter) in a Tweet on March 15, 2025.

Controversy

Following the song's release, the song was met with lots of controversy, not only surrounding West's choice to affiliate himself with known predator Diddy but to put his daughter on the song with him.

Later that same day, the song was intended to have been uploaded to official streaming services other than X, though the song was blocked by North's mother Kim Kardashian in attempts to try and protect her daughter. This would result in a back-and-forth argument between Kim and Ye, ending with Kim filing for full custody of their five kids as a result of this.

Despite this, the song would release on West and Combs' collaborative EP that year, NEVER STOP still including North's vocals.

Lyrics

[Intro: Diddy & Ye]
I know now (Yeah)
I just wanna thank you so much for just taking care of my kids, man
'Cause ain't nobody reach out to me
Ain't nobody call me, you know what I'm sayin'? (Yeah)
Nobody, you know what I'm sayin'?
And that meant so much, you know what I'm sayin', that you reached out to them and took them under your wing while I'm in this motherfucker
And I appreciate you, word up, man
Yeah, absolutely, I love you so much, man
It's like, you raised me, even, even (Yeah) when I didn't know you, you know what I'm sayin'?
Yeah
I feel the love, Ye

[Chorus: Jasmine Williams & North West]
Comin' on my own for a long time
Lonely roads still go to sunshine
Lonely roads still go to sunshine
Hmm
I've been on my own for a long time
Lonely roads still go to sunshinе
Lonely roads still go to sunshine
Hmm (Okay, good night)

[Verse: King Combs]
Money, powеr, respect's still the key to life
Again, against the darkness, I can see the light
God sending signs, hope I read it right
(What you need in life)
Ready, set, get on your mug
Drink champagne in Spain and piss in the same bus
Ah, look in the mirror, have visions of sane Puff
About willpower, caramel-colored skin came from God, that's the real power
We ain't had our kingdom, n***a, we built ours
Built different, walk different, feel different
Gave n***as my recipe and it's still different
If you stand next to them, you gon' see the real difference
Roll somethin' up, take a puff for the name's sake
Put the whole world against me, I'ma keep the same face
I wanted all the real love, the fake hate, the headlines gon' still say, "Vacate the throne"
Young n***a, I'm home, dead wrong like B.I.​
Still the king like T.I., still fly like D-I-D-D-Y
Close your eyes, you don't wanna see me fly
I can't wait to see their face when we collide

[Bridge: North West]
Doing everything I wanted, that's the key to life
When you see me shining, then you see the light
Running through the jungle like a cheetah ride
Surrounded by fake friends I don't even like
When you see me shining, then you see the light
When you see me shining, then you see the light
Everything they know, it ain't even right
Okay, good night

[Chorus: Jasmine Williams & North West]
Comin' on my own for a long time
Lonely roads still go to sunshine
Lonely roads still go to sunshine
Hmm
I've been on my own for a long time
Lonely roads still go to sunshine
Lonely roads still go to sunshine
Hmm (Okay, good night)

[Outro: Diddy & Ye]
And I'ma make sure
Is as it takes, I'ma take my time, you know what I'm sayin'?
Did it in three days, but I'm gonna put a motherfuckin' bop to it, you know what I'm sayin'? (Yeah)
(Let's go)
(Let's go)
(Let's go)
(Let's go)
As we proceed (Let's go)
(Let's go)
(Let's go)
It is our, yeah

Trivia

• The song was released in very low quality and has a very compressed sound. It's more than likely it was not intended to be this way but was instead as low quality as it was as a result of X's notoriously bad media compression.
  • It's likely JAAS' vocal stems for the song had been lost following the song's X release as her vocals on the streaming release of the song are notably still low quality compared to the other three artists on the song.

References

Listen to the song!