40 Best Kanye West Song Lyrics & Rap Lines From His Best Albums
The best Kanye lyrics and iconic quotes we can never forget.
In Atlanta, Georgia on June 8, 1977, Kanye Omari West was born. The singer, songwriter, rapper, fashion designer, record producer, and entrepreneur first became known as a record producer for Rock-A-Fella records in the early 2000’s. He produced records for Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Ludacris, along with many other notable artists.
After a few successful years of producing, West wanted to make a name for himself as a solo rap artist. In 2004 he released his debut album, The College Dropout. The Album received many accolades and positive reviews. It was a commercial and critical success! This inspired West to start his own record label, GOOD Music.
To this day, Kanye West has 9 solo albums, all of which have gone platinum. He holds the record for most consecutive studio albums to reach number one on the billboard 200. West is also listed as one of the top Grammy winners of all time, with 21 Grammys under his belt so far and 69 nominations. He is also the only artist, aside from Lady Gaga, to have been nominated for Album of the Year for his first 3 albums.
Music career aside, West is famous for marrying the queen of reality television, Kim Kardashian West. The two started dating in 2012, while the television star was still legally married to ex-husband Chris Humphries. Her divorce wasn’t officially finalized until the middle of 2013. One year later Kim and Kanye (now lovingly referred to as 'Kimye') married in Florence Italy. The two now have four children together, North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
While he is a talented musician, businessman, self-proclaimed genius and loving family man, Kanye West has famously said some strange things online and in the media.
His political views, comments on slavery — and most recently some bizarre tweets talking about trying to get a divorce due to infidelity, Michael Jackson's murder and his own kids never posing for Playboy — have drawn a lot of controversy over the years. However it hasn’t seemed to effect his record sales.
To this day Kanye West is considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time. Here are the best Kanye lyrics from some of his most recent albums, including Jesus is King, Life of Pablo and Yeezus, along with and iconic Kanye West quotes we can never forget.
1. “People never change, they just get better at hiding who they really are.” — Kanye West
2. “I feel like I’m too busy writing history to read it.” — Kanye West
3. “It’s bigger than me. It’s about while I was here on earth what I did to help” — Kanye West
4. “Love your haters. They’re your biggest fans.” — Kanye West
5. "You won't ever be the same when you call on Jesus' name/ Listen to the words I'm sayin', Jesus saved me, now I'm sane." God Is, Kanye West
6. "But I'm a champion, so I turned tragedy to triumph/Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire" Through the Wire, Kanye West
7. “I want people to feel like it’s okay to create. I want people to feel like it’s okay not to be boxed in. I want people to feel like awesome is possible.” — Kanye West
8. “For me to say I wasn’t a genius would be lying to you and myself.” —Kanye West
9. "Said I'm finna do a gospel album / What have you been hearin' from the Christians? / They'll be the first one to judge me / Make it feel like nobody love me / They'll be the first one to judge me / Feelin' like nobody love me" — Hands On, Kanye West
10. “I say things are serious and put them in a joke form so people can enjoy them. We laugh to keep from crying.” — Kanye West
11. "The most beautiful thoughts are always besides the darkest / Today, I seriously thought about killing you / I contemplated, premeditated murder / And I think about killing myself / And I love myself way more than I love you, so…" — I Thought About Killing You, Kanye West
12. “People always tell you ‘Be Humble! Be Humble’, but when was the last time you told someone to Be Amazing? Be great, be great! Be awesome, be awesome!” — Kanye West
13. "Sh-- could get menacin', frightenin', find help / See, this is why all the b--ches f--- with Ye! / F--- what they talk about! / Sometimes I scare myself, myself / They take me on meds, off meds, ask yourself / Sh-- could get menacin', frightenin', find help / Ask your homegirl right now, "Look, you had a shot at Ye? / Sometimes I scare myself, myself" — Yikes, Kanye West
14. "Sometimes I take all the shine / Talk like I drank all the wine / Years ahead but way behind / I'm on one, two, three, four, five / No half-truths, just naked minds / Caught between space and time / This not what we had in mind" — Ghost Town, Kanye West
15. "Raise our sons, train them in the faith/ Through temptations, make sure they're wide awake/ Follow Jesus, listen and obey/ No more livin' for the culture, we nobody's slave." Closed On Sunday, Kanye West
16. "Think they woke the dead / They can't keep me on the meds, stop them all / But they, won't slow down my breath, uh / There's so many less, I think they woke the dead" — Wake the Dead, Kanye West
17. “I’m doing pretty good as far as geniuses go. I’m like a machine, like a robot.” — Kanye West
18. “You’re not perfect, but you’re not your mistakes” — Kanye West
19. "Thirteenth amendment, gotta end it, that's on me/ He the new commander and the chief/ That's on Keef, that's on God." On God, Kanye West
20. "There could never really be justice on stolen land / Are you really for peace and equality?" — DONDA, Kanye West
21. "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous / For all the girls that got d--- from Kanye West / If you see 'em in the streets give 'em Kanye's best / Why? They mad they ain't famous / They mad they still nameless" — Famous, Kanye West
22. "I miss the old Kanye, straight from the Go Kanye / Chop up the soul Kanye, set on his goals Kanye / I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye / The always rude Kanye, spaz in the news Kanye." — I Love Kanye, Kanye West
23. "Don't stare at money too long, it's Medusa / The ultimate Gemini has survived / I wasn't supposed to make it past 25." Saint Pablo, Kanye West
24. "I am a God / Even though I'm a man of God / My whole life in the hand of God / So y'all better quit playin' with God." I Am A God, Kanye West
25. "She asked me what I wished for on my wishlist / Have you ever asked your b--ch for other b--ches? / Maybe we could still make it to the church steps / But first, you gon' remember how to forget / After all these long-ass verses / I'm tired, you tired, Jesus wept." — Bound 2, Kanye West
26. "I'm living in that 21st Century, doing something mean to it / Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it / Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it / I guess every superhero need his theme music" — POWER, Kanye West
27. "Gossip, gossip, nigga, just stop it / Everybody know I'm a motherf---ing monster." — Monster, Kanye West
28. "Let's have a toast for the douchebags / Let's have a toast for the a--holes / Let's have a toast for the scumbags / Every one of them that I know / Let's have a toast for the jerk-offs / That'll never take work off / Baby, I got a plan / Run away fast as you can." — Runaway, Kanye West
29. "F--- arguing and harvesting the feelings / Yo, I'd rather be by my f---ing self / Till about two a.m. and I call back / And I hang up and I start to blame myself / Somebody help." — Blame Game, Kanye West
30. "Rap god, Greek mythology / And this life too crazy to think logically / Here’s somethin' that you could use as an analogy / My life is like a child’s illusions become reality" — See Me Now, Kanye West
31. "Every time I talk they say I'm too aggressive / I was out here spazzin', all y'all get the message? / On the field I'm over-reckless, on my Odell Beckham / 2020, I'ma run the whole election, yah!" — Facts, Kanye West
32. "After I got my advance, I just wanted to shine / Jay favorite line: "Dawg, in due time!" / Now he look at me, like, "D--n, dawg! You where I am!" / A hip-hop legend, I think I died / In a accident, cause this must be heaven" — Touch The Sky, Kanye West
33. “D--n 'Ye it'd be stupid to diss you / Even your superficial raps is super official." — Gone, Kanye West
34. "I been thinking / About my vision / Pour out my feelings / Revealing the layers to my soul” — FML, Kanye West
35. “In the night I hear them talk / The coldest story ever told / Somewhere far along this road / He lost his soul / To a woman so heartless.” — Heartless, Kanye West
36. "So I hopped in the cab and I paid my fare / See I know my destination, but I'm just not there." — Street Lights, Kanye West
37. “My big brother was B.I.G.'s brother / So here's a few words from ya kid brother / If you admire somebody you should go on 'head tell 'em / People never get the flowers while they can still smell 'em” — Big Brother, Kanye West
38. “I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven / When I awoke, I spent that on a necklace / I told God I'd be back in a second / Man, it's so hard not to act reckless." Can't Tell Me Nothing, Kanye West
39. “When it feel like living's harder than dying / For me giving up's way harder than trying.” — Champion, Kanye West
40. "I'm trying to right my wrongs/But it's funny them same wrongs helped me write this song." — Touch The Sky, Kanye West
Kaitlin Kaiser is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.