An Anthem that Changed Rap
Intro
In today’s day and age there are many ways to have an influence and to spread your opinion to others. One of the main and most popular ways is through music. Many of the most influential people in the world are musicians, one of the most influential is a man named Kanye West. Kanye is arguably the GOAT or Greatest of All Time in the rap industry. One of his well-known songs is called “POWER” is why he is who he is today.
Who is Kanye West?
Kanye West, also known as Ye, is an American rapper, producer, singer, song writer, and fashion designer. Kanye was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. He is one of the most acclaimed and best-selling musicians of the 21st century. Kanye has won a whopping 22 Grammys with a total of 70 nominations in total and has sold more than 32 million albums and 100 million digital downloads worldwide with the number still on the rise.
A Major Hit
“Power "is one of Kanye’s most successful singles he has released. The song absolutely performed on the charts, “POWER” being Kanye’s comeback song after his release of his 2008 album “808’s & Heartbreak”. “POWER” charted number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and had critics praising its production, mixture of genres, and Kanye’s impactful lyrics. Multiple publications such as Time, Pitchfork Media, Spin, and Rolling Stone, all listed it in the best tracks of 2010. “POWER” dropped as a single leading into Kanye’s fifth studio album titled “My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasies” which was a huge success as an album. The album debuted number 2 on the Billboard top 200. The album then went to sell over four million copies in the United States and was certified 4-times platinum. “POWER” was a pivotal piece of work for Kanye’s career and where he is now.
It Just Sounds Different
Now that it has been made clear just how well the song did on the charts, you got to ask why? Why was this specific song as popular as it is? Well in the song, Kanye uses it as a way to say his piece on the power struggles in society. In the song he has many lines related to the idea of power such as “no one man should have all that power” which is said many times throughout the song. He shows his thoughts and feelings on the power dynamics of society as when this song was released, his career was peaking. Moving through and up the fame. “POWER” is a very unique song with many powerful elements whether through the sounds, lyrics, and the impact it had on the genre of rap. Kanye’s lyrics throughout the song have many meanings and can be interpreted differently depending on how each person hears it. An example of this is when Kanye says “The clock is ticking i just count the hours’ ‘in the main chorus of the song. This can be taken in many different ways by a person. Although for Kanye, it is him saying that he is only focused on the significant events or the hours and doesn’t focus on the less meaningful seconds. Kanye is telling everyone to stop worrying because they are ruining his trip off of the power. In addition to the strong lyrics through the song, Kanye also used samples from many other songs to make the unique beat for “POWER”. The beat consists of samples from three separate songs 21st Century Schizoid Man by King Crismo, Afromerica by Continent Number 6, and It’s your thing by Cold Gritz. The 21st Century Schizoid Man is an apocalyptic prog rock track that adds a foundation for Power throughout the whole song. By adding an intergenerational sense to Kanye’s beat. Afromerica is just another song that contributes to the song’s texture. While It Your Thing just adds another layer of inspiration into the song. Kanye is able to show off many of his talents and musical gifts with this song. He brings together multiple musical elements that just bring the song together into one of his most popular and influential. He was able to bring in multiple beats and rhythms to keep the listener hooks. Added his own flair with his lyrics and added meaning to the song. Kanye West explores themes of corruption, systemic inequalities, empowerment, and the personal struggles that come with wielding great power. It invites listeners to reflect on their own relationship with power and how it shapes their lives and the world around them. Along with doing all of this, he tied multiple generations of music together with the samples he used for the beat.
My Connection to “POWER”
The song “POWER” is a hit on the charts, for Kanye, and for the rap genre in general. It is a truly great song, for me “POWER” will always be special. Kanye West now in my life is one of my favorite musicians ever and have listened to him throughout my whole childhood. “POWER” was my pathway into his music, being the first Kanye song that really hit me. Growing up playing video games was a big hobby of mine, and one of my favorite games had “POWER” on its soundtrack. This caused me to listen to the song on repeat without me even knowing it. Now every time “POWER” comes on, it brings me back to those good times and memories. While doing this it introduced me to a whole other artist who continues to affect me every day listening to Kanye daily.
Creator Bio
Jorden Reece is a freshman at Linfield University. His current major is criminal justice and is minoring in finance. Jordan is also on the football team and is currently training most days out of the week for when the season picks back up in the fall. When he is not training for football, he spends most of his time working, eating, sleeping, camping, and going out with others.
