| "Famous" | ||||
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| Single by Kanye West | ||||
| from the album The Life of Pablo | ||||
| Released | April 1, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2014–2015 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 3:14 | |||
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| Songwriter(s) | ||||
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| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Famous" on YouTube | ||||
"Famous" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, produced and co-written by fellow American hip hop artist/producer Havoc. It serves as the lead single from his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016). The song features vocals from Barbadian singer Rihanna and ad-libs from American hip hop artist Swizz Beatz, and enlists samples of Jamaican singer Sister Nancy's song "Bam Bam" and "Do What You Gotta Do" by American singer Nina Simone. The single was serviced to US urban and rhythmic contemporary radio stations on March 28, 2016, and was confirmed for release three days before.[2] It was sent to Italian contemporary hit radio stations on April 15 by Universal.
Upon its release, "Famous" was met with both critical acclaim and scrutiny for a controversial lyrical reference to American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, partially in relation to West's interruption of her 2009 VMA acceptance speech. After West claimed to have obtained Swift's approval over the criticized lyric, Swift denied the claim, criticizing West and denouncing the lyric as "misogynistic" in a statement. Several months later, West's then-wife Kim Kardashian released a three-minute video capturing parts of a conversation between Swift and West in which Swift appears to approve a portion of the lyric.[3][4] In 2020, a 25-minute uncut version of the video surfaced, establishing that West did not appear to tell Swift about the specific line ("I made that bitch famous") which she had objected to.[5][6]
In June 2016, West released a music video for "Famous" depicting wax figures of himself, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner and Bill Cosby all sleeping naked in a shared bed. It was released to a polarized response. The wax figures used in the video were later exhibited as a sculpture. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
- ^ Lyrics for "Famous" by Kanye West, as seen on Google Search, sourced from LyricFind. Click "More" to open authors list.
- ^ "Kanye West & Rihanna's "Famous" Will Be the First Single Off 'The Life of Pablo'". Idolater. March 27, 2016. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (July 18, 2016). "Kim Kardashian's Taylor Swift-Kanye West Snapchat story, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Jamieson Cox and Matthew Davis (July 17, 2016). "Kim Kardashian used Snapchat to prove Taylor Swift was lying about Kanye West's Famous". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Grady, Constance (March 21, 2020). "Newly leaked footage shows Taylor Swift and Kanye West talking "Famous"". Vox. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ Willman, Chris (March 21, 2020). "Taylor Swift and Kanye West's 2016 Phone Call Leaks: Read the Full Transcript". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2020.