"Life Of The Party" is the fourth track from the deluxe version of Kanye West's tenth studio album, Donda (2021).[1][2] The song was first available exclusively on the Stem Player device before appearing in the album's deluxe version that was released on November 14, 2021. The song features a verse from André 3000.[3] A music video for the song was released on May 8, 2022.[4]
Both artists rap about losing their mothers and about some other struggles they've faced throughout their respective careers. The song's title is used in a line from the track "Jesus Lord" from the same album.[5] Ye and André 3000 previously collaborated on "30 Hours" from The Life Of Pablo (2016).
Production[]
The song heavily samples The Dramatics' 1975 song, "I Was the Life of the Party".[6] The outro also samples a video from 2014 of DMX and his daughter riding a roller coaster.[7]
Background[]
The song was first created during Yandhi sessions in April 2019.[8] However, it would not be worked on again until the God's Country and DONDA: WITH CHILD eras. One leaked version of the song reveals that Pusha T did reference vocals for the song.[9] On July 18, 2020, Kanye posted a track list for DONDA, listing "Life Of The Party" as the nineteenth track.[10] After DONDA was delayed, the song would continue to be worked on until the project morphed into Donda. The song was reportedly previewed at a private listening party in Las Vegas on July 18, 2021.[11][12] It was also set to be previewed in the Chicago listening party, but it was cut last minute.[12]
On September 4, Ye's rival (at the time) Drake played an earlier version of the song on Sound 42 radio. In this version, Ye throws disses at Drake, CyHi the Prynce, and even South Park.[12] André responded to the leak a day later on Instagram, where he revealed that the album wasn't set to be clean until after he recorded his verse. Because of this, Kanye decided to omit the song from the album's original release. He also revealed that the version that he was sent didn't have the disses.[12] Kanye decided to release the song as a single and on the deluxe version of the album. The version on the album is censored, but the single is uncensored.[2]
When reflecting on the situation in 2024, André thanked Drake for leaking the song, since he "gave the song a chance to be heard" after he asked Ye to remove his verse from the song.[13]
Lawsuit[]
In November 2022, Kanye was sued by Phase One Network, who alleged that the version of the song on his Stem Player featured a sample of Boogie Down Productions' song, "South Bronx", a song that they owned. They also claimed that Kanye reached out to the company to clear the sample but he was never granted permission to use it.[14]
Music videos[]
Kanye West - Life Of The Party (Music Video) -2020-
As part of a rollout for the Yeezy x Balenciaga collaboration, a music video for the song was released on May 8, 2022.[4] It features childhood photos of Ye with the faces animated to sync with the lyrics of the song. It also only contains Ye's verse, leaving out André 3000's verse, the intro, and the outro to the song.[15]
However, in July 2020, during the DONDA: WITH CHILD era, a completely different music video for "Life Of The Party" was made. The video features an early version of the song with a slightly different instrumental and lyrics. It was directed by Hype Williams.
Lyrics[]
[Intro]
It's after hours at that glamorous night spot
And they're taking it easy, swapping personal experiences
Let's listen in America Today
Life of the party, mhm, 'til I almost cry, mhm
It's the life of the party, to think I could've almost died
Lord, help us
[Verse 1]
Hey, Miss Donda
You run into my mama, please tell her I said, "Say something"
I'm startin' to believe ain't no such thing as Heaven's trumpets
No after-over, this is it, done
If there's a Heaven, you would think they'd let ya speak to your son
Maybe she has in the form of a baby's laugh
I heard passing by in a stroller remindin' me, "Hey, keep rolling"
I don't know, maybe she has with a prick of a blade of grass
I've been layin' on way too long, got me itchy
Got up and roamed a lil' more
Miss Donda, you see my mama, tell her I'm lost
You see, she'd always light a cigarette, we talk, I would cough
Exaggeratin' a lil' bit so she get the point
Tryna get her to stop smokin', I would leave and fire up a joint
'Til I quit, started back up again, twenty years later
All that time, y'all thought a n***a was high, thought I was crazy
My mom, she ain't cut no corners
Got me back on track, I don't miss her overstepping
But do miss her showin' Seven civilian life shit
Ah, Miss Donda, you see my mama, whisper her this:
The real reason I was geeked to go to church
Must confess, when y'all grown-ups would be in Bible study
That girl helping me with my homework? Her and I were fucking
So pure and perverted, so spirit spinning and dirty
So on, so on, and so on, we hoped that no one heard us
Sh-sh, ah, ah
And to this day, I think her mama knew but let us explore
Miss Donda, you see my father, please, ask him why he never married
Always smiled, but was he happy inside?
Because I carried my mother's name, did he carry shame with him?
I'm sure she did it out of spite, 'twas her decision at birth
Shit, she probably was hurt, ah, poor baby
Two young people with different views, a lot for a young lady
No coincidence, they both passed away from heart conditions
There's a dissidence at play, dad and mom do hard division
Three Thou', poster child for big dick n***as raised by their mothers
I'm supposed to smile as if God knew that I would be troubled
Keeps me around, for what? I don't know
But I do know that it's crucial, that we do so, pronto
I don't know how much long though
[Chorus]
Straight from Shibuya, on some zen
We back, ramped up, we on ten
It's a marathon and look, we comin' for the win
Just like Puff told Christopher, we gon' win big (C'mon)
Put the whole family on, look at what my Kim did
Just like Puff told Christopher, we gon' win big (Uh)
We gon' win big (What?)
[Verse 2]
Southside gang mentality weigh heavy
I was thinkin' out the box even in a Box Chevy
And my favorite art teacher name was Mrs. Levy
'Round the time, I learned to put my feelings to a medley (The life of the party)
I ain’t turn in homework for like four months and I bet she let me
She saw the vision
"Yeezy you special, go make your own decisions then"
Man, that was a good choice, faith driving us like a Rolls Royce
They tried to take my voice away, I ain't try to take ya choice away
I just prayed the water break, just for my daughter sake, from a slip-up
Fake signatures from fake managers, it all damage ya, good Lord
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
My neighbor still dissin', wonderin' why I ain't sayin' it
I can smell the setup, that's that 2Pac in Vegas hit
I revealed myself and some don't know what to make of it
God has said himself to make sure that the baby live
And if Ye ain't here, then tell me who gonna say this here?
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a goddamn minute
Let me stop playing with it, hopped in a Lamb' with it
Hopped in a Lamb' with it, in a damn pandemic
Nerve of Uncle Sam gotta have his damn hand in it
[Chorus]
Listen, straight from Shibuya, on some zen
I'm on ten, it's a marathon and look, we comin' for the win
Just like Puff told Christopher, we gon' win big (C'mon)
Put the whole family on, look at what my Kim did
Just like Puff told Christopher, we gon' win big (Uh)
We gon' win big (What?)
[Bridge]
Do y'all feel me? Really?
Get off Scott Free, I'm talking Ridley
Get off our knees, that's if you're with me
Get off your knees, that's if you're with me
Get off your knees and let's get free
Get off your knees and let's get free
Really, I mean really
Really, I mean really
I need release, I don't need police
I'm like, "n***a, puh-lease"
Y'all can't hear me, (Harmonizing), for the real me
For the real me, I mean, mhmm-mm
[Outro]
Alright, it's gonna shoot us in the— woah, uh-oh, uh-oh
Ready mama? (Yup)
I'm so proud of you, yup, you're gonna have so much fun
They gonna shoot us in the air, mama, okay?
C'mon, P, I got you, it's okay, mama
Hold your head back, hold your head back (Three, two, one)
Daddy's here, daddy's here, daddy's right here
It's okay, mama, daddy's here, daddy here
Help, help, daddy's right here, I'm scared
Okay, okay, I got you, it's okay
Okay, we goin' slow, we goin' slow down
It's okay, stop cryin', daddy got you, see, it's over, you did it, P!
You already did it! See? It's already over! Yay! You did it!
Big Girl! It's already over! It's already over, it's already over (The life of the party)
Daddy right here, daddy right here ('Til I almost cried)
I told you I'm not gon' let you go
I'm not gon' let you go, mama, okay?
Daddy got you, daddy gon' bring us all the way down, okay?
How was it? (We good)
You did a good job (It was scary)
Good job! (Our daughter got more heart than you)
The version that can be heard in the unreleased music video for the song, which was made in November or December 2020.
[Intro]
It's after hours at that glamorous blank spot
Where they're taking it easy, swapping personal experiences
Let's listen in America Today
Boy
[Refrain]
Straight from Shibuya, on some zen
I'm back, ramped up, I'm on ten
I know revenge is saved only for Him
But it's hard to make amends when mens just gon' be mens
[Verse]
The white picket got me feeling so fenced in
Bipolar don't equal seekin' attention
That's that psy-that's that psychology
Gemini inside of me, it's my dichotomy
Sendin' Christ publicists to get the Christ out of me
Just to mention His name is a glitch in the game
Break all the chains, I ain't had a drink in over 21 days
Certain summers was a bummer, momma made minimum wage
Everybody rocking J's, I couldn't get 'em for days
She was the only one that knew that I would get to that stage
Guess who wouldn't be shocked by anything that I say?
It's getting kinda heavy like when rain broke the levy
We livin' in the years where tears become deadly
And my favorite art teacher name was Mrs. Levy
'Round the time, I learned to put my feelings to a medley
I ain’t turn in homework for bout' like 4 months and I bet she let me
She saw the vision
"Yeezy you special' go make your own decisions then"
Yeah, that was a good choice, faith driving us like a Rolls Royce
They tried to take my voice away, I ain't tryna take the choice away
I just pray the water break, just for my daughter sake, from a sip-up
Fake signatures from fake managers, it all damage her, good Lord
Give 'em enough of they own rope to hang 'em with
The paparazzi never really got what my angle is
They treat my family like, like some type of entertainment
My neighbors still dissin', wonderin' why I ain't saying it
I can smell the setup, that's that 2Pac in Vegas hit
I revealed myself and some don't know what to make of it
God is sending you something, make sure that the baby live
And if Ye ain't here, then tell me who gonna say this shit?
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a goddamn minute
Let me stop playing with it, God playing 'round with it
Popped in a Lamb with it, in a damn pandemic
Know that Uncle Sam gotta have his damn hand in it
[Refrain]
Look, straight from Shibuya, on some zen, I'm on ten
It's a marathon and yet we coming for the win
Just like Puff told Christopher we gon' win big (C'mon)
Put the whole family on, look at what my Kim did
Just like Puff told Christopher we gon' win big (Uh)
Uh, we gon win big, woah (What?)
The infamous version that Drake leaked on September 4, 2021, with disses aimed at him and others.
[Intro]
It's after hours at that glamorous blind spot
Where they're taking it easy, swapping personal experiences
Let's listen in America Today
Life of the party, mhm, 'til I almost cry, mhm
It's the life of the party to think I could've almost died
Lord, help us
[Verse 1]
Hey, Miss Donda
You run into my mama; please tell her I said, "Say something"
I'm startin' to believe ain't no such thing as heaven's trumpets
No after-over, this is it, done
If there's a Heaven, you would think they'd let ya speak to your son
Maybe she has in the form of a baby's laugh I heard
Passing by in a stroller remindin' me, "Hey, keep rolling"
I don't know; maybe she has with a prick of a blade of grass
I've been layin' on way too long, got me itchy
Got up and roamed a lil' more
Miss Donda, you see my mama, tell her I'm lost
You see, she'd always light a cigarette, we'd talk, I would cough
Exaggeratin' a lil' bit, so she get the point
Tryna get her to stop smokin', I would leave and fire up a joint
'Til I quit, started back up again, twenty years later
All that time, y'all thought n***a was high, thought I was crazy
My mom, she ain't cut no corners
Got me back on track; I don't miss her overstepping
But do miss her showin' Seven civilian life shit
Ah, Miss Donda, you see my mama whisper her this:
The real reason I was geeked to go to church
Must confess, when y'all grown-ups would be in Bible study
That girl helping me with my homework? Her and I were fuckin'
So pure and perverted, so spirit spinning and dirty
So on, so on and so on, we hoped that no one heard us
Sh-sh, ah, ah
And to this day, I think her mama knew but let us explore
Miss Donda, you see my father, please, ask him:
Why he never married? Always smiled, but was he happy inside?
Because I carried my mother's name, did he carry shame with him?
I'm sure she did it out of spite; 'twas her decision at birth
Shit, she probably was hurt, ah, poor baby
Two young people with different views, a lot for a young lady
No coincidence, they both passed away from heart conditions
There's a dissidence at play; dad and mom do hard division
Three Thou', poster child for big dick n***as raised by their mothers
I'm supposed to smile as if God knew that I would be troubled
Keeps me around, for what? I don't know
But I do know that it's crucial that we do so, pronto
I don't know how much long though
[Verse 2]
Mama, your son in the red hat
Had suffered set-backs, had, "shouldn't-have-said-thats"
Had made everyone mad
He made 808s so he's everyone dad, know he ever gets sad
Hotel rooms by the shore, close my eyes, I can see more
Nobody punkin' me, nobody pressure me, nobody gangsta me
Especially when the gangstas eat thanks to me
And my favorite principal name was Mrs. Wooten
She was strict, the perfect instructor for young Putin
Vladimir, just so that is clear
Whom should we fear when we know Dad is here?
Daddy's right here, Daddy's right here
I don't play, boy
Over y'all dead body 'fore my daughter pose in Playboy
We don't condone over-sexualization of the kids in the home
Battery in my back
This house of pain won't ever last
CyHi told me to my face that "SICKO MODE" was his biggest song
Well go'n 'cause Donda was the best ghostwriter I ever had
South Park had jokes about fish sticks
'Til this day, the whole team can kiss this dick
I put Virgil and Drake on the same text
And it wasn't about the matching Arc'teryx or Kid Cudi dress
Just told these grown men, "Stop it with the funny shit"
I might hire the whole team from ACG
So don't text me like I'm Juanita JCV
Or more important, Monica Corgan, who was there for me
Somebody really there for me was rare for me
That was new air to breathe
When I was underappreciated, undervaluated
Stockholders told me, "Board rooms will bore you"
Can't remember going by your rules, try to follow the Lord's rules
Thought we was the new Abu Dhabi
Told Drake "Don't play with me on GD"
And he sent that message to everybody
So if I hit you with a "W-Y-D"
You better hit me with, "Yes sir, I'm writing everything you need"
I told you I was gonna take the summer back
So any of the cap, won't take none of that
Where my motherfuckin' red hat?
Security and the nannies be forever handling
I can't stand it when there's talks about puttin' the kids back in
Sierra Canyon when daddy got his own school
Trav, smile for these white people if you want (C'mon)
While we build a team to get Hoover out the joint
I do what I want, bro, in my life
Serve and protect long as it's my wife
Screaming on M-A-N's for trying to lower the percentage of SKIMS
See, I was going in
Back when they thought I was only making Ms, now it's nine-billi'
You ain't gotta like me, but you feel me
[Bridge]
Do y'all feel me? Really?
Get off Scott Free, I'm talking Ridley
Get off our knees, that's if you're with me
Get off your knees, that's if you're with me
Get off your knees and let's get free
Get off your knees and let's get free
Really, I mean really
Really, I mean really
I need release, I don't need police
I'm like, "n***a, please"
Y'all can't hear me, (Harmonizing), for the real me
For the real me, I mean, mhmm-mm
[Outro]
Alright, it's gonna shoot us in the- woah, uh-oh, uh-oh
Ready mama? (Yup)
I'm so proud of you, yup, you're gonna have so much fun
They gonna shoot us in the air, mama, okay?
C'mon, P, I got you, it's okay, mama
Hold your head back, hold your head back (Three, two, one)
Daddy's here, daddy's here, daddy's right here
It's okay, mama, daddy's here, daddy here
Help, help, daddy's right here, I'm scared
Okay, okay, I got you, it's okay
Okay, we goin' slow, we goin' slow down
It's okay, stop cryin', daddy got you, see, it's over, you did it, P!
You already did it! See? It's already over! Yay! You did it!
Big Girl! It's already over! It's already over, it's already over
Daddy right here, daddy right here
I told you I'm not gon' let you go
I'm not gon' let you go, mama, okay?
Daddy got you, daddy gon' bring us all the way down, okay?
How was it? (We good)
You did a good job (It was scary)
Good job!
Trivia[]
- "Life Of The Party" is the only song from Donda that has a credited feature on streaming services.
References[]
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/album/46BlnKQOwYucGwNHJmj2g3
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_the_Party_(Kanye_West_and_Andr%C3%A9_3000_song)
- ↑ https://www.whosampled.com/Kanye-West/Life-of-the-Party/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://youtu.be/401hZy6Hipw
- ↑ https://genius.com/Kanye-west-and-andre-3000-life-of-the-party-lyrics
- ↑ https://www.whosampled.com/Kanye-West/Life-of-the-Party/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4i_ywj7I5o&ab_channel=ReelblackOne
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHV7XEN41wA
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZKolV8Tj_c
- ↑ https://www.rap-up.com/2020/07/18/kanye-west-announces-new-album-donda/
- ↑ https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/3309726/kanye-west-donda-album-listening-party-videos-kim-kardashian/
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 https://genius.com/Kanye-west-life-of-the-party-original-version-lyrics
- ↑ https://x.com/kurrco/status/1870665538436817183
- ↑ https://www.tmz.com/2022/11/07/kanye-west-boogie-down-productions-lawsuit-life-party-stem-player-donda-krs-one/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_the_Party_(Kanye_West_and_Andr%C3%A9_3000_song)#Music_video
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