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"Pablo" is the eighth track from Kanye West's demo studio album, Donda 2 (2022).[1] The song features vocals from Travis Scott and Future. It was one of the first four songs uploaded to the Stem Player for the album on February 23. This collection of four songs makes up the first release phase for the album.[2] On March 7, 2022, an updated version of the song was released on the Stem Player.

Background[]

The song was initially created on January 15.[3] The song at this time was just a rough freestyle and would not be worked on again until February. Although nobody had featured on the song at this point, it is very likely the song was created to build off of the success of previous Donda song "Praise God".[4]

On February 3rd, executive producer for the album Future would meet up with Kanye and record for the song's second verse and producer Digital Nas would add production to the song, though this would be pitched up for later versions.[5] The hook at this point in time featured mumble Kanye vocals, some of which would be incorporated into later versions of the song. Three days later, Shenseea would meet up with Kanye and record a second verse between Kanye and Future's, though it was left unused.[6]

On February 8, Fat Money would record a reference for the song.[7] Three days later, Strick would record a short reference for the song over top new Chase Davis production, none of the new additions being used into later versions.[8] It has been noted by producers that Kanye wanted to give Chase a new acapella to the song however to see how the song would sound without Strick vocals and that the files had to be sent to Alex Scally of Beach House. Either the same day this was recorded or the following day Digital Nas would get ahold of the song and ruin it by speeding it up.[9]

The following day, Beach House would produce a rendition of the song, adding new strings and synths past the beat-drop for Kanye's verse.[10] That same day, Bump J would record a reference for the song, lots of his reference being used in later rerecordings for Kanye's verse.[11]

On February 17, Albe Back would record two references for the song, one alone and one with his daughter Kaity Paris.[12] On the 19th, Strick would record a second reference, this time for Kanye's verse, some of which being used for further along versions of Kanye's verse.[13] Baby Keem would also record a verse for the song at some point in time, likely on February the 21st as this is the same day he had also recorded for "Security" and "We Did It Kid".[14] On that same day, CyHi would also record a reference for the song.[15]

A few seconds of the song leaked weeks before release. The snippet contained the lines from Kanye's verse, "pick me up before I drown," which led fans to nickname the leak "Drown".[16][17] Travis Scott would record for his hook on the song likely hours prior to the first Donda 2 listening party.[18] The song was first previewed at the Donda Experience Performance on February 22.

The song was met with an official release date of February 23rd, still in a very unfinished state.[19] Kanye's verse had still been primarily mumble and the production had still been relatively stripped back.[20] On March 7th, the song would be updated with new drums from $crim, though this was the final update the song had been met with.[21]

Past the disastrous release of Donda 2, Kanye would continue to work on the song, meeting up with Yung Lean who had recorded a reference for the song just a day after the album's release onto the stem player.[22] The song was then brought into consideration for the 2022 revival of the GOOD Fridays series where the production was heavily revamped with new added production from Marilyn Manson and John Cunningham. Vocals on the "pick me up before I drown" part were also given backing vocals from Marilyn Manson which had likely stemmed from a prior reference track with Kaity for the song.[23] This song also had an over 2-minute freestyle at the end as well, some of the lyrics interpolating earlier mumble from the song and another Donda 2 track "Happy".[24] This version of the song was cut down to remove the freestyle at the end, though it still did not release.[25]

The song was later speculated to have been brought back for YEBU and was stated to have by an insider, though it was later confirmed this was false information and the song had not been brought back into consideration for the album, leaving "Flowers", "We Did It Kid" and "Happy" as the only three songs to be known to have been revived.

Lyrics[]

[Chorus]
Who they waitin' on? That's Pablo
Take my heart, run (Take my heart, run)
Just don't go numb (Just don't go numb)
Just don't go dumb (Just don't go dumb)
Let's have some fun (Let's have some fun)
Pull out your tongue (Pull out your tongue, yeah)
What you waitin' on? (What you waitin' on?)
Who they waitin' on? That's Pablo
Take my heart, run (Take my heart, run)
Just don't go numb (Just don't go numb)
Just don't break nothin' (Just don't break nothin')
Let's just have fun (Let's just have fun)
Pull out your tongue (Pull out your tongue)
What you waitin' on? (What you waitin' on?)
Who they waitin' on? That's Pablo

[Verse 1]
I never saw this stuff as blind (Chi', Chi', Chi', Chi')
Some gon say that love is blind (Chi', Chi', Chi', Chi')
Show me something new in town (Chi', Chi', Chi', Chi')
Pick me up before I drown (Chi', Chi', Chi')
Pick me up before I drown
Pick me up before I drown
Satan himself is back in town
Pick me up before I drown
Feelin' up, uh, you wait
And I know, you ain't
Throwin' up, like, who ain't?
Throwin' up, ayy, who ain't?
Throwin' up, mmm, you can't
Run it up, mmm, you faint (You faint)

[Chorus]
Who they waitin' on? That's Pablo
Take my heart, run (Take my heart, run)
Just don't go numb (Just don't go numb)
Just don't go dumb (Just don't go dumb)
Let's have some fun (Let's have some fun)
Pull out your tongue (Pull out your tongue)
What you waitin' on? (What you waitin' on?)
Who they waitin' on? That's Pablo
Take my heart, run (Take my heart, run)
Just don't go numb (Just don't go numb)
Just don't go dumb (Just don't go dumb)
Let's have some fun (Let's have some fun)
Pull out your tongue (Pull out your tongue)
What you waitin' on? (What you waitin' on?)
Who they waitin' on? That's Pablo

[Verse 2]
Comin' from the blitz, turn to your ashtray
You can have a bad day
Pull up with a stick, three thou' shots, André
Top of the world, **** get starstruck, I just be oiled up
Calm my nerves, hangin' with narcos, shoot like vato
Bales at the loft, I can go golf, mmm
Flyin' out to New York, she do it with an arch
Rick James, drip on my cloth
Why must I explain? When I'm with my dawg, right or wrong

[Outro]
Who they waitin' on? That's Pablo

Trivia[]

References[]

Donda 2
Singles
"Eazy" • "City of Gods" • "True Love"
Other tracks
"Broken Road" • "Get Lost" • "Too Easy" • "Flowers" • "Security" • "We Did It Kid" • "Pablo" • "Louie Bags" • "Happy" • "Sci Fi" • "Selfish" • "Lord Lift Me Up" • "First Time In A Long Time"
Chronology
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