Template:Song"Real Friends" is the twelfth track from Kanye West's seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016).[1] The song features backing vocals from Ty Dolla $ign.[2] It was first released as a single on January 8, 2016, as part of Kanye's GOOD Fridays series.[3]
In the song, Kanye talks about the distrust he feels towards his friends and even his family members.[4] In the third verse, he mentions that he had a cousin who stole his laptop which had a video of Kanye having sex with someone. He also says that he had to pay $250,000 just to get it back from him. In December 2016, Kanye's cousin, Franklin Lawrence, revealed that the story was true.[5] Kanye would later reference this event in "No More Parties in LA" and "Pure Souls".
Production[]
The song's instrumental heavily samples Frank Dukes (A.K.A. Ging)'s 2015 song, "Couches".[6] Kanye's opening lines are also an interpolation of Whodini's 1984 song, "Friends".[7]
Background[]
Like many songs in The Life of Pablo, this song originated from the SWISH era. On January 24, 2016, Kanye tweeted a picture of the tentative track list for SWISH, listing "Real Friends" as the ninth track.[8] A day later, Big Boy posted a newer track list for SWISH, now placing "Real Friends" as the tenth track.[9] Even after renaming the album Waves, "Real Friends" stayed as the tenth track until Kanye posted a new track list for the newly-renamed The Life of Pablo on February 12, which placed the song as the eleventh track on the album.[10] When the album released, it was moved to the twelfth track.
Only an hour after the song released on Soundcloud, it was deleted because "there was a slight distortion in the main loop". It was released back on Soundcloud hours later.[11]
Remix[]

The cover for the remix.
On March 4, 2016, a remix for the song was announced by Swizz Beatz on Instagram.[12] The remix featured a verse from DMX. While the remix never officially released, it was leaked in 2017.[13]
Lyrics[]
How many of us, how many jealous? Real friends
It's not many of us, we smile at each other
But how many honest? Trust issues
Switched up the number, I can't be bothered
I cannot blame you for havin' an angle
I ain't got no issues, I'm just doin' my thing
Hope you're doin' your thing too
I'm a deadbeat cousin, I hate family reunions
Fuck the church up, by drinkin' at the communion
Spillin' free wine, now my tux is ruined
In town for a day, what the fuck we doin'?
Who your real friends? We all came from the bottom
I'm always blamin' you, but what's sad, you're not the problem
Damn I forgot to call her, shit I thought it was Thursday
Why you wait a week to call my phone in the first place?
When was the last time I remembered a birthday?
When was the last time I wasn't in a hurry? Uh
Tell me you want them tickets when it's gametime
Even to call your daughter on her FaceTime
Even when we was young I used to make time
Now we be way too busy just to make time
Even for my
Real friends
I guess I get what I deserve, don't I?
Word on the streets is they ain't heard from him, uh
I guess I get what I deserve, don't I?
Talked down on my name, throwed dirt on him
I couldn't tell you how old your daughter was (was)
Couldn't tell you how old your son is (is)
I got my own junior on the way, dawg (dawg)
Plus I already got one kid (kid)
Couldn't tell you much about the fam though
I just showed up for the yams though
Maybe fifteen minutes, took some pictures with your sister
Merry Christmas, then I'm finished, then it's back to business
You wanna ask some questions 'bout some real shit? (Shit)
Like I ain't got enough pressure to deal with (with)
Please don't pressure me with that bill shit (shit)
'Cause everybody got 'em, that ain't children
Oh you've been nothin' but a friend to me
n***as thinkin' I'm crazy, you defendin' me
It's funny I ain't spoke to n***as in centuries
To be honest, dawg I ain't feelin' your energy
Money turn your kin into an enemy
n***as ain't real as they pretend to be
Lookin' for real friends (real friends)
How many of us? How many of us are real friends
To real friends, to the real end
'Til the wheels fall off, 'til the wheels (yeah) don't spin
(Yeah, yeah) To three A.M., callin'
How many real friends?
Just to ask you a question
Just to see how you was feelin'
How many?
For the last you was frontin'
I hate when a n***a text you like, "What's up, fam? Hope you good"
You say, "I'm good, I'm great", the next text they ask you for somethin'
How many?
What's best for your family, immediate or extended
Any argument, the media'll extend it
I had a cousin that stole my laptop that I was fuckin' bitches on
Paid that n***a two hundred-fifty thousand just to get it from him
Real friends
Huh?
Real friends
I guess I get what I deserve, don't I?
Word on the streets is they ain't heard from him, uh
I guess I get what I deserve, don't I?
Talked down on my name, throwed dirt on himCredits[]
Adapted from Spotify[14]:
- Performed by Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign
- Written by Adam Feeney, Mike Dean, Matthew Samuels, Noah Goldstein, Cydel Young, Darren King, G. Proby, Jalil Hutchins, Kanye West, Kejuan Waliek Muchita, Lawrence Smith, Malik Yusef, Rupert Thomas Jr., Tyrone Griffin, Jr.
- Produced by Kanye West, Boi-1da, Ging, Havoc, Darren King, Noah Goldstein
References[]
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/album/7gsWAHLeT0w7es6FofOXk1
- ↑ https://genius.com/Kanye-west-real-friends-lyrics
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Friends_(Kanye_West_song)
- ↑ https://genius.com/Kanye-west-real-friends-lyrics
- ↑ https://genius.com/8488739
- ↑ https://www.whosampled.com/Kanye-West/Real-Friends/
- ↑ https://www.whosampled.com/Kanye-West/Real-Friends/
- ↑ https://www.vogue.com/article/kanye-west-swish-album-tracklist
- ↑ https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/a/eric-isom/kanye-west-swish-tracklist-chance-the-rapper
- ↑ https://metro.co.uk/2016/02/12/kanye-west-releases-the-final-ever-track-list-for-the-life-of-pablo-via-twitter-5679604/
- ↑ https://pitchfork.com/news/62798-kanye-west-drops-real-friends-and-previews-no-more-parties-in-la-featuring-kendrick-lamar/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BCi0nfSSDPh/
- ↑ https://genius.com/Kanye-west-real-friends-remix-lyrics
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/track/66Q3fAmSX5eHamgbKa9alP?si=e44fd3f51d294a8b
GOOD Fridays | ||||||
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