Monster

Template:Song"Monster" is the sixth track from Kanye West's fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features vocals from Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver, and Nicki Minaj. It was originally released as the second single from Kanye's GOOD Fridays program before it was replaced with "Runaway Love (Remix)". Kanye rereleased the song as a single on October 23, 2010 as the third single for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Production

The song samples LaWanda Page's 1971 song, "The Hoe's in Church".

Background

In January or February 2010, during the Good Ass Job era, Kanye sent several early MBDTF songs to Noah Callahan-Bever via e-mail, one of which was "Monster". In early June, an small snippet of the song was leaked, which revealed Rick Ross' verse. The song was originally meant to release on Watch The Throne (2011), which was an EP at the time. However, Nicki convinced Kanye to put it on MBDTF instead. In December 2023, in response to Nicki not clearing her verse for "New Body", Kanye revealed that he made Nicki rewrite her verse for the song three times.

Music video

Kanye West ft Jay-Z, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj - Monster (AAC-VimeoEncoder-1080p-H264)

A music video for "Monster" directed by Jake Nava was filmed and planned to air on MTV, but MTV decided to outright ban it because of its disturbing nature and misogynistic portrayal of women. A few days prior, the song's music video was leaked and uploaded to YouTube, but Kanye took it down.

Reception

It was met with mostly positive reviews from music critics, with up and coming artist Nicki Minaj's verse being critically acclaimed, and West's production being well received. However, critics were mixed in their assessing of who had the better verse between West and Jay-Z. The song was listed amongst the best tracks of 2010 by publications, with NME placing it at number 53 on its list of the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". The song debuted and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 18.

Lyrics

I shoot the lights out

Hide 'til it's bright out

Oh, just another lonely night

Are you willing to sacrifice your life?

Ah

Bitch, I'm a monster no-good blood sucker

Fat motherfucker, now look who's in trouble

As you run through my jungles, all you hear is rumbles

Kanye Wests sample, here's one for example

Gossip, gossip, n***a, just stop it

Everybody know (I'm a motherfuckin' monster)

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert

Profit, profit, n***a, I got it

Everybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monster

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands

Uh, the best livin' or dead hands down, huh

Less talk, more head right now, huh

And my eyes more red than the devil is

And I'm 'bout to take it to another level, bitch

Matter who you go and get, ain't nobody cold as this

Do the rap and the track, triple-double, no assists

And my only focus is stayin' on some bogus shit

Arguin' with my older bitch, actin' like I owe her shit

I heard the beat, the same raps that give the track pain

Bought the chain that always give me back pain

Fuckin' up my money so, yeah, I had to act sane

Chi n***a but these hoes love my accent

She came up to me and said, "This the number to dial"

If you wanna make it number one, you're number two now

Mix that Goose and Malibu, I call it "Malibooyauh"

Goddamn, Yeezy always hit 'em with a new style

Know that motherfucker, well, what you gon' do now?

Whatever ever I wanna do, gosh, it's cool now

Know I'm gonna do, ah, it's the new now

Think you motherfuckers really really need to cool out

'Cause you will never get on top off this

So, mami, best advice is just to get on top of this

Have you ever had sex with a pharaoh?

Ah, put the pussy in a sarcophagus

Now she claimin' that I bruised her esophagus

Head of the class and she just won a swallowship

I'm livin' in the future so the present is my past

My presence is a present, kiss my ass

Gossip, gossip, n***a, just stop it

Everybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monster

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert

Profit, profit, n***a, I got it

Everybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monster

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands

Sasquatch, Godzilla, King Kong, Lochness

Goblin, ghoul, a zombie with no conscience

Question, what do these things all have in common?

Everybody knows I'm a motherfuckin' monster

Conquer, stomp ya, stop your silly nonsense

Nonsense, none of you n***as know where the swamp is

None of you n***as have seen the carnage that I've seen

I still here fiends scream in my dreams

Murder, murder in black convertibles

I kill a block I murder avenues, ah

Rape and pillage a village, women and children

Everybody wanna know what my Achilles heel is

Love, I don't get enough of it

All I get is these vampires and blood suckers

All I see is these n***as I made millionaires

Millin' about, spillin' they feelings in the air

All I see is these fake fucks with no fangs

Tryna draw blood from my ice-cold veins

I smell a massacre

Seems to be the only way to back you bastards up

Gossip, gossip, n***a, just stop it

Everybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monster

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert

Profit, profit, n***a, I got it

Everybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monster

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert

I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands

Pull up in the monster, automobile gangsta

With a bad bitch that came from Sri Lanka

Yeah, I'm in that Tonka, color of Willy Wonka

You could be the king but watch the Queen conquer

Okay, first things first I'll eat your brains

Then I'ma start rockin' gold teeth and fangs

'Cause that's what a motherfuckin' monster do

Hairdresser from Milan, that's the monster 'do

Monster Giuseppe heel, that's the monster shoe

Young money is the roster and the monster crew

And I'm all up, all up, all up in the bank with the funny face

And if I'm fake, I ain't notice 'cause my money ain't

So let me get this straight, wait, I'm the rookie?

But my features and my shows ten times your pay?

Fifty K for a verse, no album out

Yeah, my money's so tall that my Barbies gotta climb it

Hotter than a Middle Eastern climate, violent

Tony Matterhorn, dutty wine it, wine it

Nicki on them titties when I sign it

That's how these n***as so one-track minded

But really, really I don't give a F-U-C-K

"Forget Barbie, fuck Nicki 'cause sh-she's fake"

"She on a diet, " but my pockets eatin' cheesecake

And I'll say bride of Chucky is child's play

Just killed another career it's a mild day

Besides, Ye, they can't stand besides me

I think me, you and Amb' should ménage Friday

Pink wig, thick ass, give 'em whip lash

I think big, get cash, make 'em blink fast

Now look at what you just saw, this is what you live for

Ah, I'm a motherfuckin' monster

I, I crossed the limelight

And I'll, I'll let God decide-cide

And I, I wouldn't last these shows

So I, I am headed home (headed home)

I, I crossed the limelight

And I'll, I'll let God decide-cide

And I, I wouldn't last these shows

So I, I am headed home (headed home)

I, I crossed the limelight (no, the limelight)

And I'll, I'll let God decide-cide

And I, I wouldn't last these shows

So I, I am headed home (headed home)

Credits

Adapted from Spotify:

• Performed by Bon Iver, JAY-Z, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross
• Written by Ben Bronfman, Daniel Lynas, Harley Wertheimer, Justin Vernon, Kanye West, Malik Yusef, Mike Dean, Onika Maraj, Patrick Reynolds, Shawn Carter, W. Roberts
• Produced by Kanye West