Hell of a Life (Kanye West song)
"Hell of a Life" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song was produced by West, Mike Caren, Ernest Wilson and Mike Dean. The song features a number of samples and contains backing vocals by Teyana Taylor, signed to West's G.O.O.D. Music label. The song features a production style with influence from rock and heavy metal music, and is notably bombastic and aggressive in nature. The song expresses a narrative about West marrying a pornographic film actress and the traumatic events that follow. It employs highly sexual, nightmarish imagery, and was inspired by West's relationship with model Amber Rose among other real-life events.
"Hell of a Life"
The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics who noted the song for its sexual subject matter, praising the performance provided by West and the aesthetically pleasing imagery created by the song. The song was featured during West's Coachella Music Festival setlist and briefly appeared in his short film Runaway, during a dinner sequence. It charted on the South Korean Gaon Chart at position 57.
Background[edit]
"Hell of a Life" was recorded in Oahu, Hawaii, along with the majority of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[1] Kanye West had faced various media controversies and expressed a desire to record his next album in a reclusive manner, straying away from collaborating with artists he didn't consider himself personally familiar with.[2][3] The track takes inspiration from "Iron Man", a song first recorded by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their second studio album Paranoid, which is also sampled on the song.[3] Another source of music influence that the track drew from was Kraftwerk, an influential electronic music project from the 1970s.[4] G.O.O.D. Music artist Teyana Taylor contributes backing vocals to the song, primarily within the last minute of the track.[5]
Lyrically the song draws from West's relationship with model Amber Rose.[6][7] West had first gotten into contact with Rose in 2008 and developed a romantic relationship with her.[8] The couple had a dramatic break-up in 2010, due to allegations of adultery.[9] The song is unique among songs featured on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as it is the only song on the album featuring vocals solely provided by West, who chose to otherwise collaborate extensively on the project.[10][11]
Marketing[edit]
The song was also featured as in Runaway, a 35-minute music video directed by West set to music from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[33][34] The beginning of the song is featured at the end of the dinner sequence.[35] The song was featured during West's setlist during his 2011 performance at Coachella.[36][37] At a concert in New York City, West performed the song with Justin Vernon of folk band Bon Iver, a musician who West had extensively collaborated with on the album.[38][39] Vernon sang the chorus while West provided the rapping verses.[38]
Credits adapted from the liner notes for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).[14]