Although it has the makings of a great April Fools' joke, Kanye West has legitimately released his new album The Life of Pablo on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play. Along with that, a new song from Kanye West, "Saint Pablo," was leaked from his next album Turbo Grafx 16. The track, featuring Sampha, discusses West's $53 million debt, according to a tweet West himself posted back on Feb. 24. While you may be excited to listen to The Life of Pablo , which until now had only been available through the service TIDAL, you may need to check out the lyrics to "Saint Pablo."
I obviously can't help but wonder if the title of the song has to do with the newest addition to West and Kim Kardashian's family, their son Saint West. Yet, most of the song has nothing to do with his family. Perhaps the title has to do with the fact that his latest album has been a saint to him now that he has released it on all of the major music streaming platforms (he does reference the powers that be at Google and Apple in the lyrics). As Sampha sings about God, West covers a number of topics, but mostly that controversial debt of his.
Just when you finally got your hands on West's new album, take a break to check out some of the more standout lyrics from "Saint Pablo."
My wife said, I can't say no to nobodyAnd at this rate we gon' both die brokeGot friends that ask me for money knowin' I'm in debtAnd like my wife said, I still didn't say no
West references Kardashian right off that bat, saying that she tells him he needs to start saying no to people who ask him for money since he is in debt. Fair advice from a wealthy spouse.
People tryna say I'm goin' crazy on TwitterMy friends' best advice was to stay lowI guess it's hard to decipher all of the billsEspecially when you got family members on payrollThe media said it was outlandish spendin'The media said he's way out of controlI just feel like I'm the only one not pretendin'I'm not out of control, I'm just not in their control
He also doesn't shy away from referencing his infamous Twitter rants, but he moves quickly back to the issue at hand here: His debt. West raps about how he has family members to pay as part of his rap empire and also criticizes the media's theorizing that his debt was caused by his excessive spending. (Can you really blame us when you take a look at the presents West buys Kardashian?)
I know I'm the most influentialThat TIME cover was just confirmationThis generation's closest thing to EinsteinSo don't worry about me, I'm fine
In case you were worried that his debt had impacted that healthy ego of his, West included a reference to his 2015 Time magazine cover and a comparison to Einstein to just let fans know that his outrageous confidence isn't going anywhere.
Thank God For Jay Electra, he down with the missionDid it with with no permission, on our own conditionsMost blacks with money have been beaten to submissionYeezy with the big house, did it way differentNever listen to Hollywood producersDon't stare at money too long, it's MedusaThe ultimate Gemini has survivedI wasn't supposed to make it past 25
West is most likely talking about Jay Electronica in this section, who said on a radio show back in 2015 that, "Kanye's a black God, and we love him ... Kanye, as far as I know, is a beautiful human being. Very beautiful brother physically and spiritually."
I've been waking the spirits of millions more to comeA million illegally downloaded my truth over the drums
After Sampha sings the hook, West mentions the issue of illegal music downloads, which is extremely relevant to West since illegal downloads of The Life of Pablo were theorized to have lost West $10 million in sales.
Brother Don Muhammad told the minister about the presentationHe sat back and smiledBlack on black lies is worse than black on black crimeThe Jews share they truth on how to make a dimeMost black men couldn't balance a checkbookBut buy a new car, talkin' 'bout "how my neck look?"Well it all looks greatFour hundred years later, we buyin' our own chainsThe light is before us brothers, so the devil working hardReal family stick together and see through the mirageThe smokescreens, perceptions of false realityWho the real owner if your boss gets a salary?
In true West form, this set of lyrics is packed with controversial topics. He mentions Don Muhammad, who is a Nation of Islam minister in Boston, and then makes the prejudiced rap about Jewish people and money. After saying most black men don't know how to handle finances, he references how, even after slavery, commercialism in America is still not benefitting the black community.
I am one with the peopleI am one with the people (real)
Although these lyrics seem innocent enough, the sound of distinct gun shots can be heard in the background, perhaps referencing the slew of unwarranted, racially-charged shootings of unarmed black men by police that have given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.
I've been workin' from enlightened man's dreamCheckin' Instagram comments to crowdsource my self esteem
West then veers back to a lighter topic of admitting he uses social media to gauge popular opinion — unsurprising, as I did previously mention that his confidence is fully intact still.
When I was negotiating with Apple, it was Larry and meTold Tim Cook to call me, I was scary to seeI would’ve took a hundred million and gave twenty to HovI heard it’s the way they did it when we only had the stoveBut it's better that I stayed at home with my folksCause if Jay a billionaire then I'mma never go brokeOnly thing I ask is next time I'm on stage we all go
At the end of his rap, he comes back to his own financials again, discussing Apple's CEO Tim Cook and most likely Google cofounder Larry Page, whom West had asked for help from when he was tweeting about his debt. He says he should continue to stick with his "folks" when it comes to money and mentions fellow rap superstar Jay-Z, whom he claims he'd give money to.
While you still may not understand how West is in such debt when he has experienced such massive success, he has paid his fans in the best way he nows how: With a new song to obsess over.
