"MY SOUL" (formerly known as "Fighting Fires") is a song by ¥$ (Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign) that was released as the sixteenth and final track from their second studio album, VULTURES 2, on August 3, 2024.[1] The song features a guest verse from Ty's brother, Big TC, along with vocals from Todd Rundgren.[2] However, Big TC is left uncredited.[3]
Background[]
"Fighting Fires" began as a God's Country freestyle recorded on November 4, 2019, along with over 100 other freestyles.[4] The song was first premiered at Kanye's opera, Nebuchadnezzar, on November 25, 2019.[2]
Reference tracks for the song would be recorded by KayCyy, Swae Lee, Victory Boyd, Israel Boyd, and Arrowstar, as well as Ant Clemons, throughout 2020's DONDA sessions.[5] However, after January 22, 2021, the song was no longer worked on for DONDA.[6]
At some point past these sessions, the song was given to Big Sean for his own album. The song featured background vocals from Kanye and the Choir. However, the song was scrapped and was not touched again until the VULTURES 2 sessions in 2024.
The song was presumably not touched after this point, until at some point in the Vultures sessions, it was brought back. At a private VULTURES 2 listening party on March 9, 2024, an updated version of the track with Ty Dolla $ign replacing what had been Israel Boyd's vocals, and Kanye's replacing Arrowstar's.[1] The song also had added drums. According to Luit, the song had been renamed to "My Soul".
The song appeared on the first official tracklist for VULTURES 2 shared by insiders Flab & Pop. According to Luit, the song was still being worked on after the rework of the album. At one point, Eminem was said to have recorded vocals for the song, which were described by insiders as being emotionally charged to the point that he was even heard crying afterward, although since the information has came out it has been confirmed most of the info surrounding Eminem's work on both VULTURES albums is false and should be taken with a grain of salt.[7]
On July 15, Big Sean previewed a version of the song on Instagram Live, in which he has a featured verse.[8] On August 2, the song was seen on a tracklist on the Yeezy website, listed as the ninth track.[9] It was officially released as the 16th track of the album the following day, featuring Ty's imprisoned brother Big TC on the outro.
The song went through several reworks past its release, with the song's verses being rearranged and the bad mixing being fixed on August 6 and the song being turned clean on August 8 which would not be undone until August 15.[10] Upon the initial release of the VULTURES 2 deluxe, the song's outro had been cut by 14 seconds for unknown reasons.[11]
Big Sean Release[]
On August 28, after Big Sean was cut from the song presumably last minute, Big Sean decided to release his own rendition of the song onto his SoundCloud.[12] The song featured a completely new beatswitch at the end with a new outro sampling "Transition" by Galaxy 2 Galaxy with backing vocals from Kanye and the Sunday Service Choir throughout as well as Eryn Allen Kane on the outro.
Sean later stated on X (FKA Twitter) that the song had still been intended for his album despite releasing on VULTURES 2, but the sample for the song was not cleared in time hence his release of it on SoundCloud.[13] He stated the sample likely will not be cleared, but also hinted at a possible streaming release if it was to be.
Lyrics[]
[Intro]
My soul
[Verse 1]
What if I start off the track, hum the beginnin'
Fuck up the middle part and mumble the endin'?
It just feels better in my humble opinion
Much more n-words but humble beginnings
When I act like the n-word, somebody get injured
That's why we stay in court and go to the pen' for it
Before I forget, let me go get a pen for it
Cancel culture, before I get censored
All I really meant for is you to get mentored
Before we get sentenced, before we get sent for
Remember this sentence, remember repentance
Only God can judge me, GDs and Vice Lords
Over in Thanville, Stateville, Taylorville, Manard
Jacksonville, Pontiac, Pinckeyville
We mass targeted, mass marketed, mass incarceration
Mass in police stations, mass incorporated, fuck Adidas (My soul)
[Verse 2]
Won't be gettin' sleep tonight and I'm cryin' as I write this
Prayin' for my brother locked up, fighting fires
My heart goes out to all the daughters
Missin' God and fathers, never seen they loved ones
'Cause they're prisoners fighting fires
[Chorus]
And I might be biased, but I feel God standin' by us
And the prisoners fighting fires, oh-oh, yeah-yeah
And I might be biased, but my soul needs you, Lord
Oh, God, please come take control (Take control)
[Interlude]
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
I know, I know
Ah-ah, oh-no-no-no-no-no-ooh
[Verse 3]
The struggle is real, gotta face it
My freedom so close I can taste it
Make money, got bills, so I chase it
But stay on my Dīn, 'cause without it, I'm faithless
They promise they with you, they lies
They just want what you got, and they try
All alone with nobody beside
You sit there and cry just wishin' you die
Know this life is a test, tryna pass it
With my face on the ground in the Masjid
You got questions, so you better ask 'em
'Cause time wait for no one, it comes and it passes
Under pressure, attack on me daily
Love my mama, she tried, couldn't save me
Gave me tools to survive through this crazy
"Fear nothing but God, and be good to your lady"
Weigh optimism no one understands
It's predestined and God got a plan
One thing I know, he made me a man
He gave me two legs on the ground on the stand
To my wifey, baby, you so fine
Proud to say to the world, "Yeah, you mine"
You stood by me through all the hard times
You pushed the line, you pushed the line
I, I can feel your light up on me
Keep shinin' your light up on me
Shine your light, just shine up on me
I can feel your light, oh-woah
Trivia[]
- While not being their first ever collaboration as the two artists heavily collaborated during the Donda sessions, this marks Kanye West and Todd Rundgren's first ever officially released collaboration.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mwEMaSC8mKg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://genius.com/Kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-my-soul-lyrics
- ↑ https://en.as.com/entertainment/kanye-west-releases-vultures-2-full-tracklist-features-n/
- ↑ https://pillowcase.su/f/69f11cb5c12562148ea864ee4b7d6f75
- ↑ https://pillowcase.su/f/69f11cb5c12562148ea864ee4b7d6f75
- ↑ https://plwcse.top/f/69f11cb5c12562148ea864ee4b7d6f75
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/GoodAssSub/comments/1eqtnhb/recap_and_some_new_info_from_the_eminem_x_ye_info/
- ↑ https://x.com/yeunrlsd/status/1813024785477284072
- ↑ https://x.com/PloybertCorti/status/1819281915234451570
- ↑ https://pillowcase.su/f/0d9436689fff13f614563952849d2a18
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6XqeAeqRAE
- ↑ https://on.soundcloud.com/p1R6kNUU6qYGMMoaA
- ↑ https://x.com/BigSean/status/1829685127124828659
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