Hey Mama (Kanye West song)
"Hey Mama" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song includes additional vocals from John Legend. West composed the song in 2000, specifically intending for it to be included on the album. The song was produced by West and Jon Brion. A ballad, it contains a sample of Donal Leace's "Today Won't Come Again". In the lyrics of the song, Kanye pays tribute to his mother, Donda West.
"Hey Mama"
August 30, 2005
2000–2005
- The Record Plant (Hollywood)
- Sony Music (New York City)
- Grandmaster Recording (Hollywood)
5:05
- Kanye West
- Donal Leace
- Kanye West
- Jon Brion
"Hey Mama" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly praised its musical style. A few commended the sample of "Today Won't Come Again", though critical commentary towards the concept was somewhat mixed. The song reached numbers 9 and 64 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Hot Canadian Digital Singles charts in 2007 and 2008, respectively. It has since been certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Kanye West performed the song in memory of Donda throughout his Glow in the Dark Tour (2008), while he also sang it as a tribute to her at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards that year.
Background[edit]
The song's production was handled by West, alongside record producer and composer Jon Brion.[1] Brion had achieved fame from his distinctive production work for artists and film scores for auteurs, though was lacking experience in hip hop. West became a fan of singer-songwriter Fiona Apple whom Brion had produced for; while watching 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he appreciated Brion's score.[2] The pair became connected via their mutual friend Rick Rubin; West quickly phoned Brion and they instantly formed chemistry with each other. West enlisted him to work on Late Registration, marking Brion's first involvement in a hip hop project, with the decision creating confused reactions across his fanbase.[2] Brion imagined people commenting that West has "gone off his rocker" and envisioning him making "an art record with some crazy, left-field music guy", clarifying this not to be "the case whatsoever". The producer recalled West taking charge of production with his strong vision and mentioned the rapper's "quick, intuitive decisions".[2]
Kanye's mother Donda West helped support his dreams of creating music, following on from him dropping out of college completely. Donda had been aware of Kanye's musical interest for a long time, having accepted his offer for an hour of studio time when he was 13 years old.[3] She worked with the mother of record producer No I.D., who became Kanye's mentor after they met through her. Speaking of Donda's involvement in his career, Kanye said she "always kept me around music" and "was also my first manager".[3] Kanye has often paid tribute to Donda in his music, especially on "Hey Mama".[3] According to Kanye West, she cried upon her first listen to the song.[4] In June 2003, prior to the release of West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004), he revealed that he had recorded the song in 2000 and was already saving it for Late Registration.[5]
Composition and lyrics[edit]
Musically, "Hey Mama" is a ballad.[6] The song is based around a sample of the 1972 track "Today Won't Come Again", as written and performed by American musician Donal Leace.[1][7] Alongside the sample, handclaps are featured throughout.[8] The song also includes a moaning vocoder, Tin Pan Alley-styled drums, and a xylophone solo, all of which were contributed by Brion.[8] On the hook, Leace's "la-la-la" vocals from "Today Won't Come Again" are looped, accompanied by harmonies.[9][10][11] The song closes with synthesizers, contributed by Brion.[8] Additional vocals are provided on the song by singer John Legend.[1][7]
Lyrically, the song serves as a tribute to Donda from Kanye.[12][13] Kanye details how Donda supported him despite him doing the opposite of what she wanted, alongside depicting how he desired nothing due to her hard work as a single parent.[12][14] He makes a promise to Donda of going back to school, as well as pleading to cry. Kanye West also mentions that she had to work at night to keep the lights on.[9]
Appearances in media[edit]
On April 7, 2015, The Fader obtained footage of Kanye and Donda singing "Hey Mama" together, which concluded with the rapper wrapping an arm around her as they both grinned.[41] On November 10, 2017, the release of West's rival Taylor Swift's album Reputation coincided with the 10th anniversary of Donda's death, leading to West fans organizing Hey Mama Day.[42] The event was organized to protest the album's release and block Swift from topping the charts by playing "Hey Mama", with the song gathering around 700,000 Spotify streams in 24 hours.[42][43] However, it did not enter any Spotify charts due to the service realizing that the numbers stemmed from repeated listens.[43]
On July 12, 2020, Kanye shared a snippet of his 2021 track "Donda" that is named after his mother via Twitter, alongside a video. The video features archival footage that shows the Wests rapping "Hey Mama" together. Simultaneously, Kanye's wife Kim Kardashian shared the footage of the Wests rapping.[44]
Information taken from Late Registration liner notes.[1]
Recording
Personnel