| WW3 | WW3 (Remix) | HIGHS AND LOWS 2 |
"WW3" (abbreviated from "WORLD WAR 3")[P 1] is the fourth track on Kanye West's upcoming studio album, CUCK.[2] It was released as the lead single for the album on March 26, 2025, and is the first solo single released by West under the name "Ye."[3]
Production[]
The song mainly samples Freda Payne's song, "I Get High (On Your Memory)". The track runs at 135 BPM,[1] and it is in the key of Ab Minor. Dave Blunts wrote the song, along with the rest of the songs on CUCK.[4] The song was most likely co-written by Ye and Dave Blunts after Ye reached out to Blunts and connected him to his personal trainer on March 11, 2025.[5] In a version of the song it samples audio clips of Adin Ross.
Background[]
A snippet of the song was first previewed by Ye on Twitter on March 15, 2025.[P 2] Ye asked people to give the song a name, since he couldn't think of one. He later clarified that he recorded the song himself without AI.[P 3]
Later that day, Ye posted a full version of the song to X, while confirming the title of the track as "WORLD WAR 3".[P 1][6]
The song was later included on a track listing for CUCK posted by DJ Akademiks on April 2, 2025.[7]
On May 22, 2025, Ye announced on X that he was "done with antisemitism".[8] Following the statement, the lyrics and cover art for "WW3" were later updated on streaming platforms to censor references to antisemitism, such as the words "Hitler", "antisemitic", and "Mein Kampf".[9]
Music video[]
Ye previewed a music video for WW3 on March 30, 2025 on an interview with DJ Akademiks. Ye officially released the music video on Twitter the following day.[P 4] The video depicts a repurposed scene from the television miniseries Roots alongside graphic sexual imagery featuring a woman being whipped, a slideshow of numerous people engaging in interracial sexual intercourse, and a cross being burned at a KKK gathering.[10]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 @sheffmade (May 16, 2025). ""WW3" Co-Prod by Me 👨🏻🍳4️⃣" – via Instagram.
- ↑ Blake, Cole (April 22, 2025). "Kanye West Reveals Dave Blunts Wrote The Entirety Of His New Album, "Cuck"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ "WW3 / Ye". Tidal. Archived from the original on April 3, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ↑ Blake, Cole (April 22, 2025). "Kanye West Reveals Dave Blunts Wrote The Entirety Of His New Album, "Cuck"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ Sadler, Armon (March 11, 2025). "Ye Wants To Connect Dave Blunts To His Personal Trainer: "We Need You To Stay Alive"". VIBE. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- ↑ Setaro, Shawn (March 16, 2025). "Kanye West Shares New Song About 'Rocking Swastikas'". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Kanye West Is Supposedly Dropping A New "WW3" Album Today". HotNewHipHop. April 3, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- ↑ Saponara, Michael (May 22, 2025). "Ye Claims He's 'Done With Antisemitism': 'Forgive Me for the Pain I've Caused'". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
- ↑ "WW3 / Ye - TIDAL". Tidal. March 26, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
- ↑ Cowen, Trace (April 1, 2025). "Ye's "WW3" Video Features Repurposed 'Roots' Scene, Depicts Woman Being Whipped". Retrieved April 27, 2025.
Primary sources[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ""WORLD WAR 3 (No drum version)"". @kanyewest via X. March 15, 2025. Archived from the original on March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ↑ ""Couldn't go to sleep without letting yall hear this What should I call it"". @kanyewest via X. March 15, 2025. Archived from the original on March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ↑ ""@KllY4A That's my voice I recorded it yesterday "". @kanyewest via X. March 15, 2025. Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ↑ ""WW3"". @kanyewest via X. March 15, 2025. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
External links[]
- "WW3 (Censored)" on Genius