"WW3" (originally titled "WORLD WAR 3")[P 1] is the fourth track on Kanye West's upcoming studio album, CUCK.[1] 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."[2]
Production[]
The song mainly samples Freda Payne's song, "I Get High (On Your Memory)". The track is played 4/4 time in 135 BPM, and it is in the key of Ab Minor. Dave Blunts wrote the song, along with the rest of the songs on CUCK.[3] 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.[4]
Background[]
A snippet of the song was first previewed by Ye on Twitter on March 15, 2025.[P 2] Ye had 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 would post a version of the song without drums, while simultaneously confirming its name as "WORLD WAR 3".[P 1]
The song was later included on a track listing for CUCK posted by DJ Akademiks on April 2, 2025.[5]
HIGHS AND LOWS 2[]
"HIGHS AND LOWS 2" is a remix of HIGHS AND LOWS which is a mashup of HIGHS AND LOWS and WW3.[P 4]
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 5] 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.[6]
Lyrics[]
[Chorus]
(I get high)
She wanna hop in a 'Rari (On the memory that you sent through me)
She wanna hop in a 'Rari (I get high)
She wanna hop in a 'Rari (On the memory that you sent through me)
She wanna hop in a 'Rari
I see that look in her eyes (I get high, I get high)
She wanna hop in a ride (I get high, I get high)
I said "are you ready to die?" (I get high, I get high)
I said "are you ready to die?" (I get high, I get high)
They tellin' me that I'm a bully (I get high on your memory)
I'm antisemitic, fully (High on your memory)
They sayin' I'm actin' like Hitler (High on your memory)
But how am I actin' like Hitler
When I'm a fuckin' n*****?
[Verse]
They tellin' me get off of Twitter
I voted for Trump, not Biden
Know some n*ggas that went to that island
Why the fuck would you go to that island?
Went to the dentist and got me some nitrous (I get high, I get high, I get high)
Went to the dentist and put in some diamonds (I get high, I get high)
I did not ask for broke n****s to chime in (I get high, I get high, I get high, I get high on your memory)
They just don't understand me (High on your memory, high on your memory)
I'm that n*gga that's gon' urinate on GRAMMYs (I get)
Rockin' Swastikas 'cause all my n*****' Nazis (High, high, high, high)
Reading Mein Kampf, 2 chapters 'fore I go to sleep (High)
[Chorus]
She wanna hop in a 'Rari
She wanna hop in a 'Rari
She wanna hop in a 'Rari
She wanna hop in a 'Rari (I get high)
I see that look in her eyes (I get high, I get high, I get high)
She wanna hop in a ride (I get high, I get high)
I said, "Are you ready to die?"
I said, "Are you ready to die?"
They tellin' me that I'm a bully (High on your memory)
I'm antisemitic, fully (High on your memory)
They sayin' I'm actin' like Hitler (High on your memory)
But how am I actin' like Hitler (I get)
When I'm a fuckin' n*****? (High, high, high, high, high)
References[]
- ↑ Blake, Cole (April 22, 2025). Kanye West Reveals Dave Blunts Wrote The Entirety Of His New Album, “Cuck”. HotNewHipHop. Retrieved on April 24, 2025.
- ↑ WW3 / Ye. Tidal. Archived from the original on April 3, 2025. Retrieved on March 27, 2025.
- ↑ Blake, Cole (April 22, 2025). Kanye West Reveals Dave Blunts Wrote The Entirety Of His New Album, “Cuck”. HotNewHipHop. Retrieved on 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 on May 1, 2025.
- ↑ Kanye West Is Supposedly Dropping A New "WW3" Album Today. HotNewHipHop (April 3, 2025). Retrieved on May 1, 2025.
- ↑ Cowen, Trace (April 1, 2025). Ye's "WW3" Video Features Repurposed 'Roots' Scene, Depicts Woman Being Whipped. Retrieved on 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 on 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 on March 27, 2025.
- ↑ "@KllY4A That’s my voice I recorded it yesterday ". @kanyewest via X (March 15, 2025). Archived from the original on March 15, 2025. Retrieved on March 27, 2025.
- ↑ "HIGHS AND LOWS 2 ON WW3 BEAT" (March 19, 2025). Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved on March 27, 2025.
- ↑ "WW3". @kanyewest via X (March 15, 2025). Archived from the original on March 15, 2025. Retrieved on April 29, 2025.