Never Let Me Down (Kanye West song)

"Never Let Me Down"
Song by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy
from the album The College Dropout
Released February 10, 2004
Recorded 2003
Studio Baseline Recording
(New York, New York)
The Record Plant
(Hollywood, California)
Larrabee Sound North
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre Hip hop
Length 5:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) West

"Never Let Me Down" is a song by American rapper and producer Kanye West, that features Jay-Z and J. Ivy, from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). Capicua rapped over the track's beat on the song "Amigos Imaginários" from his 2013 mixtape Capicua goes West (Mixtape Vol.2).[1]

Background

Ivy revealed that he originally knew West from Chicago, but was reintroduced to him in Jersey shortly before they collaborated on the song.[2] On the original track list of The College Dropout, "Never Let Me Down" was number fourteen, instead of number seven as it was on the official release.[3]

Sample

Throughout the track, vocals from American band Blackjack's 1980 song "Maybe It's the Power of Love" are samples, most noticeably in the chorus.[4] In February 2015, band member Michael Bolton recalled clearing the sample at the time, revealing that he required the artists to send him the lyrics first to see if the content was worthy of his approval - in the end, Bolton believed that: 'the song turned out beautifully' and he's 'totally happy with it'.[5] Bolton actually took to the online site Rap Genius and annotated the song.[5] However, it was also revealed by Bolton that he didn't know who Kanye and Jay were when he first found out that they were trying to license "Maybe It's the Power of Love", until his daughters told him: "They're like the biggest rappers in the business, dad." - Bolton himself even admitted to being out of touch during this time.[6]

Lyrics

One of the two verses by Jay is recycled from his 2002 song "Hovi Baby" (Remix).[7] The lines rapped in West's verse: "Nothing sad as that day my girl's father passed away/So I promised to Mr. Rainey I'm gonna marry your daughter" marked a promise that he didn't keep, since the rapper went on to marry Kim Kardashian in 2014 rather than Sumeke Rainey.[8]

Recording

On February 13, 2014, a video surfaced online from 2003 of West rapping his verse to Pharrell in the studio, as well as singing along with the sample.[9] The verse was actually recorded by West on the night of the Madison Square Garden show by Jay that he wasn't invited to.[10] When it comes to Jay's appearance on "Never Let Me Down", he recorded for it literally two days before mastering of the album.[11]

Critical reception

Billboard had mixed views towards the track, describing Jay's presence as being where he: 'phones in a verse about making number one albums', but praising the rest of it for being: 'about overcoming racism and undefeatable odds'.[12] Pitchfork felt negatively about Jay contributing to the song too, describing his appearance as him: 'already sounding groggy from retirement'.[13]

HotNewHipHop placed it at number 48 on their list of West's 50 best songs.[14]

Cinematic version

"Never Let Me Down (Cinematic)"
Song by Kanye West
Released March 22, 2005
Recorded 2004
Genre Hip hop
Length 5:15
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) West

On March 22, 2005, The College Dropout Video Anthology was released, which features a bonus audio CD with a cinematic version of "Never Let Me Down" as a track on it.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Capicua's 'Amigos Imaginários' sample of Kanye West feat. Jay-Z and J. Ivy's 'Never Let Me Down'". WhoSampled. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  2. ↑ "The Making of Kanye West's "The College Dropout"". Complex. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Kanye's Early 'College Dropout' Tracklist Will Blow Your Mind". DJBoothNet. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Kanye West's sampling: a listenable history". The Verge. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Michael Bolton Recalls Clearing A Sample For Kanye West's And Jay Z". The Urban Daily. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Michael Bolton Admits "I Didn't Know Who Jay Z and Kanye West When They Licensed My Song"". WhoSampled. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  7. ↑ ""Never Let Me Down" - Kanye West - 6". Spin. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  8. ↑ "10 Other People Kanye West Should Apologize to in 2015". Complex. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Kanye West Raps "Never Let Me Down" For Pharrell For The First Time". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  10. ↑ "15 Things You Didn't Know About Kanye West's "The College Dropout"". Complex. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Kanye West's 'The College Dropout': An Oral History". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Kanye West's 'The College Dropout' at 10: Classic Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Kanye West: The College Dropout Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Top 50 Best Kanye West Songs". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  15. ↑ "College Dropout: Video Anthology - Kanye West". AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
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