Ye vs. the People
"Ye vs. the People" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. It stars a guest appearance from fellow rapper T.I., with him being credited as the People. The song was solely produced by West, who co-wrote it with T.I., and due to the work of the Four Tops being sampled, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, and Eddie Holland were credited as songwriters. Following a conversation West had about his support of Donald Trump with T.I. in the studio, the rappers recorded the song in April 2018. On April 27, 2018, it premiered via Power 106. The song was released for digital download and streaming as a standalone single by GOOD Music and Def Jam three days later. T.I. stated in July 2018 that he never believed West would release the song. A hip hop track, it contains a sample of the Four Tops' "7 Rooms of Gloom".
"Ye vs. the People"
April 30, 2018
April 2018
3:22
- Kanye West
- Clifford Harris
- Lamont Dozier
- Brian Holland
- Edward Holland Jr.
Kanye West
The song sees West and T.I. engaging in a debate, with the rappers expressing their contrasting views on Trump. "Ye vs. the People" received mixed reviews from music critics, who were somewhat divided in their opinions towards the political nature of it. While they were often ambivalent about the performance of West that discusses politics, critical commentary around T.I.'s appearance was moderately positive and a few reviewers criticized the former's thought process for the song. It debuted at number 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2018, standing as the first time a track with T.I. as a performer reached the Hot 100 since 2014.
Composition and lyrics[edit]
Musically, "Ye vs. the People" is a hip hop track.[16] The song features a sample of "7 Rooms of Gloom" by the Four Tops, which its instrumentation is built around.[11][14][17] For the beginning of the song, the sample is used.[18] Multiple outlets described "Ye vs. the People" as a debate between West and T.I.;[6][19][20][21] the rappers take turns to perform throughout the song.[14]
In the lyrics of the song, West defends his support of Trump while T.I. criticizes him over the support.[6][20] West also expresses frustration over the pressure on African-Americans to be Democrats.[21] West begins by rapping that U.S. president Barack Obama "was heaven-sent" but Trump's victory proves the rapper "could be president," which closely places together Democratic superstition and Independent possibility.[16][19] T.I. suggests West's right-wing political views are bigger than his own "selfish agenda," also complaining to him about Trump's lack of a response to police brutality in the US.[9][22] West boasts about wearing a MAGA hat, claiming that doing so added empathy to the campaign slogan.[15][23] In response, T.I. expresses disappointment in West for having worn "a dusty ass hat to represent the same views as white supremacy."[6] At the end of the song, West offers an invitation to further debate.[20]
Commercial performance[edit]
"Ye vs. the People" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 85 for the chart issue dated May 8, 2018. It stood as West's first entry on the Hot 100 since he was featured on Drake's single "Glow" in April 2017 and marked T.I.'s first entry since his single "About the Money" in November 2014.[28] The song outperformed the simultaneous debut of West's "Lift Yourself", which opened at number five on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100. "Ye vs. the People" received 7.4 million streams and 12,000 downloads in its first week, debuting at number 32 on the US Digital Song Sales chart.[28] It further reached number eight on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart.[29] On the New Zealand Heatseekers chart, the song charted at number three.[30]