| "Stronger" | ||||
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| Single by Kanye West | ||||
| from the album Graduation | ||||
| B-side | "Can't Tell Me Nothing" | |||
| Released | July 31, 2007 | |||
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| Producer(s) | Kanye West | |||
| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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| "Stronger" on YouTube | ||||
"Stronger" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his third studio album, Graduation (2007). The song was produced by West, with an extended outro handled by Mike Dean. It was written by West and Daft Punk were credited as co-writers due to their work being sampled, while Edwin Birdsong also received a credit from a master use of "Cola Bottle Baby". West decided to sample "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" after first hearing the duo's work when touring in 2006, then made the beat and spent months re-writing his verses. The song's production process was arduous, with various engineers and 75 different mixes, even having the drum programming redone with Timbaland after its release. Daft Punk voiced their approval of the song, finding West made the sample suitable for his personality as he ventured outside of hip hop.
After West shared a snippet in May, "Stronger" was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the second single from the album on July 31, 2007, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. A maximalist hip hop song also based in electronica with varied elements of electronic music, it relies on a slowed vocal sample of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Described by West as an emancipation from his previous mistakes, the song's lyrics are themed around self-empowerment. He finds his patience strengthens him when he has lust for a girl on the chorus, paraphrasing Friedrich Nietzsche's dictum: "What does not kill him, makes him stronger." The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly highlighted the sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Focus was often placed on West's innovation through the sample and combination of genres, while critical assessments of his rapping were somewhat mixed.
"Stronger" was named to year-end lists for 2007 by multiple publications, including Spin and The Village Voice. The song was awarded Best Rap Solo Performance at the 50th Grammy Awards, alongside winning Best Rap/Hip Hop Dance Track at the 2008 International Dance Music Awards. Later appearing on retrospective lists of numerous outlets, it was ranked number 493 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2024. The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming West's third number-one single in the United States and ranking as his third biggest hit of all time there as of 2018. The top spot was also achieved in Canada, New Zealand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, while it reached the top 10 of six other countries and the European Hot 100 Singles chart. The song was certified diamond in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America, standing as West's first single to receive this certification. It was also awarded octuple and triple platinum certifications in Australia and the UK by the Australian Recording Industry Association and British Phonographic Industry, respectively.
An accompanying music video was largely shot guerrilla-style in Tokyo and Los Angeles, going through reiterations from West's attention to detail. The video juxtaposes shots across Tokyo with scenes of him either rapping or being operated on in a laboratory and it was inspired by the Japanese anime film, Akira (1988). The visual was well received by most critics for the special effects, and it won Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards. West performed "Stronger" live throughout 2007 and 2008, including on his Glow in the Dark Tour and a rendition with Daft Punk at the Grammys. He later delivered performances at numerous festivals from Wireless in 2009, up to Glastonbury in 2015. The song has been used for numerous songs, sports games, and films, such as The Hangover Part II (2011). It was covered by Thirty Seconds to Mars in 2007, six years before Allison Williams performed the song in the series Girls. Retrospectively, the song has been credited for influencing hip hop artists to move towards electronica elements and also the revival of disco-infused music in the later 2000s decade, while it has appeared on various lists of the best workout songs.