"Star Time" (also known as "Start Time" and "The Mind Is Powerful") is a song by 88-Keys and Kanye West that dates back to the So Help Me God sessions in 2015. The song was scrapped and given to 88-Keys to release on his own album, but was also scrapped for that release as well. The song was brought back for the VULTURES 2 sessions, and features vocals from American rapper and song writer, Young Moose and singer, songwriter, and record producer, The-Dream.
Production[]
The song samples Mind Power by James Brown, Mary Jane by Rick James and Introduction By Fats Gonder / Opening Fanfare by James Brown.[1]
Background[]
The song was initially created some time during very early-February 2015 in a session between Kanye, 88-Keys, The-Dream, and Terius' writing partner Tricky Stewart. Kanye would record a 4-minute freestyle for the song and Tricky would record a hook reference for the song.[2] The-Dream would later interpolate the Tricky hook and MIKE DEAN would add new production to the song on the fourth of the month.[3]
Past this point, several artists such as Pusha T, Styles P, and Your Old Droog among others would all record references for Kanye for this song, though none of them ended up being used for any final verses.[4] Respected New York rapper and then unknown sex trafficker Diddy would eventually join Ye during the sessions for So Help Me God and would contribute to several songs, one of the few known ones being this one.[5] Diddy would record adlibs for the song and presumably added production to a version of the song similar to the other song he had worked on, "All Day".[6]
On May 21st, the song's producer 88-Keys would post on Instagram, confirming that a song between him, Kanye, Diddy, and Bruno Mars was planned to release. Though no leaks have proven Bruno had recorded for this song, it is very likely the Instagram post had been about this song and Bruno had or had been intended to record a feature for the song, likely on the hook.[7] Further suggesting this theory, Kanye would share a Tweet on Twitter (now known as X) stating his plans to get Bruno on the hook for a song he made between him, Diddy, and 88.[8] Whether he did or not is unclear as further versions feature only The-Dream and Anderson .Paak on the chorus.
Past 2015, the song had been dropped completely and was not worked on into the SWISH sessions. The song was shelved for almost 4 years until Ye had picked the song back up again and handed it off to the song's producer 88-Keys along with "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" for his own album at the time in February 2019. Initially, Kanye's verse had been cut off and replaced with G-Eazy and IDK (likely as Ye's verses had not been finished) and The-Dream's hook would be replaced with a new hook by Anderson .Paak.[9] Ye would record a finished verse later that year on the 12th however and would be added back in G-Eazy's place.[10]
The song had been worked on into late-2020 though had eventually been thrown away alongside the rest of 88's planned album.[11] The song wouldn't be touched again until mid-2024 after the VULTURES 2 rework by ¥$ (Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign) according to trusted leaker Luit, and had now featured a new title. Young Moose had recorded a feature for the song and Ty was said by Luit to have recorded for the song, though his verse has yet to leak. The song had also reverted back to The-Dream's hook, though the song would not release as a part of the album and had later been thrown away yet again.
Lyrics[]
[Intro: James Brown & Kanye West]
So now ladies and gentlemen, it is star time (Yeah, uh)
Are you ready for star time?
[Verse 1: Kanye West & James Brown]
Life of the rich and gorgeous
Everything is on the house like the mortgage
Up to my dad, I would've been aborted
Then it would've been a real n***a shortage (Star time!)
Man for real, where the wheels the n***a order?
Wifey took her Sprinter back because of Tracy Morgan
In my own home, I'm a tourist
Can't even unpack man, another flight that's boarding (Star time!)
Automatic toilet, just flush
Came on her titties like Morris, Chestnut
[Chorus: The-Dream, James Brown & Kanye West]
Goddamn it I need you now, goddamn it I need you now
Goddamn it
And if you're out there in the crowd, then I really need you now
Goddamn it
Now ladies and gentlemen it is star time, are you ready for star time?
Don't you play with ya!
[Verse 2: Young Moose]
I stayed ten toes down to the point that my feet hurt
I'm tired of being last, it's 'bout time I put me first
I was on the bench, I'm like, "Put me in, watch me work"
They charged me but I'm still unbothered like T-surf
They lost me, they was trying to ride the wave but we surf
He thinkin' about crossing me, that n***a gone need church
Now tell the coach put him on the bench 'cause he hurt
That corner, that's how he got put on that t-shirt
This a warning that you should think about before you creep first
I was on him like a quilt when he thought that the heat worked
We put his ass up, yeah, we sent him to rebirth
When I wake up before I smoke, I eat first
I made her eat me up 'til she told me I needs her
I'm the teacher in the class, I ain't sayin' I need work
Talkin' 'bout you smokin' gas, boy, you know that that weed dirt, rah!
[Chorus: The-Dream, James Brown & Kanye West]
Goddamn it I need you now, goddamn it I need you now
Goddamn it
And if you're out there in the crowd, then I really need you now
Goddamn it
Now ladies and gentlemen it is star time, are you ready for star time?
Don't you play with ya!
[Verse 3: Kanye West & James Brown]
Oh, you been, something I marked on your bitch
Born and borned in, you got to get (Ah)
N***a playin', we 'bout to get (Star time!)
Yeah, yeah, I walk here, got nothin', I'm born from fear, yeah
Yeah, I got a couple on me, yeah, pop sampling (Star time!)
Yeah, seen them all, nothin' different like a knew them all
Yeah, never do (Ah)
Hold on (Star time!)
If you know I'm gonna fall out
Tell me something they gotta know what they all about
And when I see you better, one of y'all out
See me and then I'm gonna find out what y'all about
[Chorus: The-Dream, Rick James & Kanye West]
Goddamn it I need you now, goddamn it I need you now
Goddamn it
And if you're out there in the crowd, then I really need you now
Goddamn it (Don't you play, no) (Don't you play with ya!)
[Instrumental Outro]
Trivia[]
- In the 2024 version of the song featuring Young Moose, there is slightly noticeable damage from AI stem splitting over the open Moose had recorded for, making it very likely that like two other songs which had been brought back for the era, 530 and CAN U BE, Ye did not initially have the stems for the song.
References[]
- ↑ https://genius.com/88-keys-star-time-version-3-lyrics
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/28xBs7pup2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
- ↑ https://pillowcase.su/f/afc1f54d0a4f866895a14fcd73b4e8cf
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/GoodAssSub/comments/1k1j14y/pusha_star_time/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/GoodAssSub/comments/1fkl1zz/diddy_trying_to_convince_kanye_to_change_the/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Day_(Kanye_West_song)
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/28xBs7pup2/
- ↑ https://ibb.co/wNjfjbsk
- ↑ https://pillowcase.su/f/3a97e4b76346ed329739749426e14a01
- ↑ https://pillowcase.su/f/a58b4a944c6a025b5c0856856ba5e1fa
- ↑ https://pillowcase.su/f/5d8e46c4f52a116f5212f9920b1c9a3a