Everything I Am (Kanye West song)

"Everything I Am"
Song by Kanye West featuring DJ Premier
from the album Graduation
Released September 11, 2007
Recorded 2007
Studio Avex Studio
(Honolulu, HI)
Sony Music Studios
(New York, New York)
Record Plant
(Hollywood, CA)
Genre Hip hop
Length 3:47
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) West

"Everything I Am" is a song by American rap musician Kanye West that features DJ Premier, from West's third studio album Graduation (2007). American singer Solange sampled the song in her 2010 single "Fuck the Industry", which Kanye himself produced.[1]

The line "Everything I'm not made me everything I am" from it was quoted by rapper Mwana FA in his 2009 track "Naongea Na Wewe", which features fellow rapper A.Y., and G-Eazy in his 2011 track "Endless Summer".[2][3] The same line, along with the line "Common passed on this beat, I made it to a jam", that comes before it, was sampled but changed slightly in rapper Novel's 2014 track "There Are No Words".[4]

Background

The track's chorus includes Kanye rapping the lyrics: "Common passed on this beat, I made it to a jam", which is a true quote because he originally planned on giving this song's beat to Common, but the offer was met with rejection and West decided to rap on the beat himself.[5] However, this doesn't mark the only time when Common passed on a beat for Graduation, since he was originally offered the backing beat of "The Glory", before passing it on to West too.[6]

Composition

Multiple samples from the track "If We Can't Be Lovers" by Prince Phillip Mitchell are used throughout the song.[7] It also samples vocals from Public Enemy's 1987 single "Bring the Noise".[8] A third sample is used in "Everything I Am" of 1987 single "Jimbrowski" by Jungle Brothers.[9] DJ Premier's feature on the track has him merely contributing scratches on the chorus.[10]

Lawsuit

There was controversy over the sample of "If We Can't Be Lovers" apparently being used without Mitchell's permission, with a lawsuit being fired against West for it in 2018, as well as one against Knowles for her track sampling "Everything I Am".[11]

Lyrical content

The verses feature West acknowledging that there's things he'll never be like, with quotes such as: "I'll never be as laid back as this beat was" and "Goodbye to the Indie Arie Award/".[12] These are shown as not being negative aspects of him and what actually make up West's true self, due to him rapping in the chorus: "Everything I'm not made me everything I am".

In an XXL list of 20 times the rap star showed Chicago love via lyrics, the lines: "You see how I creeped up?/You see how I played a big role in Chicago like Queen Latifah?" made the list.[13]

Critical reception

NME gave a rather deep, but positive reception towards the track, describing it as: 'starting on a war tack, but slowly softening, compassion slipping through the seams'.[14] The song was received by DJBooth as being 'almost a character analysis' from West.[15]

HotNewHipHop placed it at number 30 on their list of West's 50 best songs.[16]

Live performances

On September 29, 2007, just over two weeks after the album featuring it had been released, West gave a freestyle over an orchestral version of the beat from "Everything I Am" live on SNL, accompanied by a live performance of fellow Graduation track "Champion".[17]

Legacy

10 years after the song had been officially released, DJBooth published an article about it being West's 'last comfortable moment', showing a view towards the track of it having a significant legacy.[18] A legacy was also portrayed of "Everything I Am" in a 2017 article by Noisey about the featuring album, with it being written that the hook: 'became an almost ubiquitous Myspace screen name for teens and college-age kids' and that 'Those kids are now the biggest stars in rap and they haven't lost sight of the lessons Kanye taught on his genre-blending third album.', which shows it as having influence along with a legacy.[19]

In August 2016, Kim Kardashian West listed it among her top 28 favourite songs by her husband.[20]

Personnel

Information taken from Graduation liner notes.[21]

  • Songwriters: Kanye West, Phillip Mitchell, George Clinton, Jr., Carlton Ridenhour, Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee
  • Producers: Kanye West
  • Recorders: Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer
  • Mix engineer: Mike Dean
  • Assistant engineers: Bram Tobey, Jason Agel, Nate Hertweck, Anthony Palazzole, Andy Marcinowski
  • Rhodes: Omar Edwards
  • Additional vocals: Tony "Penafire" Williams
  • Bass guitar: Vincent "Biggs" James

References

  1. ↑ "Solange's 'Fuck the Industry (Signed Sincerely)' sample of Kanye West feat. DJ Premier's 'Everything I Am'". WhoSampled. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Mwana FA feat. A.Y.'s 'Naongea Na Wewe' sample of Kanye West feat. DJ Premier's 'Everything I Am'". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  3. ↑ "G-Eazy – Endless Summer Lyrics". Genius Lyrics. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Novel's 'There Are No Words' sample of Kanye West feat. DJ Premier's 'Everything I Am'". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  5. ↑ "10 Famous Beats Rappers Passed On". Complex. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Kanye West's 'Graduation': 10 Things You Didn't Know". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Kanye West feat. DJ Premier's 'Everything I Am' sample of Prince Phillip Mitchell's 'If We Can't Be Lovers'". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Everything I Am by Kanye West Songfacts". Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Kanye West feat. DJ Premier's 'Everything I Am' sample of Jungle Brother's 'Jimbrowski'". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Kanye West: Graduation". PopMatters. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Kanye West and Solange are reportedly being sued for copyright infringement". NME. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Kanye West - Everything I Am Lyrics". Genius Lyrics. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  13. ↑ "20 Times Kanye West Showed Love to Chicago in His Lyrics". XXL. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Kanye West - 'Graduation' review". NME. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Is Kanye West's 'Graduation' Album a Masterpiece? We Debate". DJBooth. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Top 50 Best Kanye West Songs". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Saturday Night Live - The Design Evaluation of Kanye West's Live Performances". Complex. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  18. ↑ "10 Years Later, Kanye West's "Everything I Am" Remains His Last Comfortable Moment". DJBooth. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Kanye West's 'Graduation' Gave Birth to Rap's First Real Rock Star". Noisey. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Stream Kim Kardashian's playlist of her favourite Kanye West tracks". NME. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  21. ↑ Graduation (Media notes). Kanye West. Roc-A-Fella Records. 2007.
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