"New Slaves" is a song by American
hip hop recording artist
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, from his sixth studio album ''
Yeezus
''Yeezus'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on June 18, 2013, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production, ...
'' (2013). It was produced primarily by West, with additional production by Ben Bronfman, Mike Dean,
Travis Scott, Noah Goldstein, Sham Joseph, and Che Pope. The song's lyrics discuss
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
and
segregation Segregation may refer to:
Separation of people
* Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space
* School segregation
* Housing segregation
* Racial segregation, separation of humans ...
, as well as
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...
in general,
materialism, and
stereotypes of African Americans
Stereotypes of African Americans are misleading beliefs about the culture of people of African descent who reside in the United States, largely connected to the racism and discrimination which African Americans are subjected to. These beliefs ...
in the United States. It features vocals from American recording artist
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
, whom West previously collaborated with on ''
Watch the Throne
''Watch the Throne'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, collectively known as The Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to the r ...
'' (2011). The song's coda features a sample of "
Gyöngyhajú lány
"Gyöngyhajú lány" ("''The girl with pearly hair''") is a song by Hungarian rock band Omega. It was written in 1968, composed in 1969, and released on their album '' 10 000 lépés''. "Gyöngyhajú lány" was very popular in many countries, inc ...
" by Hungarian composer
Gábor Presser
Gábor Presser (born 27 May 1948) is a Kossuth Prize winning Hungarian musician, composer, singer. He was a band member in Locomotiv GT and Omega, and has been a prominent personality in Hungarian pop and rock music.
Biography
Childhood
Born ...
, who later sued West in 2016 over its use.
Before its release on the album, West promoted it extensively, projecting it on over 60 locations around the world, and performing it live on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' and at the ''
Later... With Jools Holland''. Since release, the song has received widespread acclaim from music critics, with many praising its message, sample, and Ocean's appearance. Despite not being released as a
single, the song charted in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in 2013. It was nominated for
Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...
at the
56th Annual Grammy Awards
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid comp ...
and appeared on several year-end lists. West later performed the song on
The Yeezus Tour
The Yeezus Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West in support of West's sixth solo studio album, '' Yeezus'' (2013). The venture served as West's first solo concert tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travis S ...
.
Background
In a 2014 interview with Zach Baron of ''
GQ'', West claimed to have engaged in numerous meetings that included what he dubbed as "Stay in your place" type conversations.
They were described as what lead him "to the point of creating 'New Slaves' and '
Blood on the Leaves' and the entire ''Yeezus'' album, and to make the album basically like a protest in music."
The track samples "HBA War" by
Dutch E Germ; ''Yeezus'' production consultant
Arca introduced West to the track.
The
conclusion of "New Slaves" features Ocean singing over a sample of "
Gyöngyhajú lány
"Gyöngyhajú lány" ("''The girl with pearly hair''") is a song by Hungarian rock band Omega. It was written in 1968, composed in 1969, and released on their album '' 10 000 lépés''. "Gyöngyhajú lány" was very popular in many countries, inc ...
" (1969) by
Hungarian rock band
Omega
Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/ isopsephy ( gematria), it has a value of 800. The ...
.
In 2016, Hungarian composer
Gábor Presser
Gábor Presser (born 27 May 1948) is a Kossuth Prize winning Hungarian musician, composer, singer. He was a band member in Locomotiv GT and Omega, and has been a prominent personality in Hungarian pop and rock music.
Biography
Childhood
Born ...
, who wrote "Gyöngyhajú lány" in 1969, claimed that West asked him for permission to use that composition as the
outro of "New Slaves", and gave him a $10,000 check as a deposit toward a future agreement. The check was not cashed, and Presser filed a lawsuit against West, seeking $2.5 million. After unsuccessful negotiations between Presser and West through 2016, Judge
Lewis A. Kaplan
Lewis A. Kaplan (born December 23, 1944) is a United States district judge serving on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He took senior status on February 1, 2011.
Education, career, personal life
Born in S ...
of the US Southern District of New York rejected the rapper's attempt to dismiss the suit and to transfer the case out in December. Just two days before West was slated to be deposed in the case, he reached an out-of-court deal with Presser on March 20, 2017. Details of the deal are not disclosed.
Release and promotion
![New Slaves projection](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/New_Slaves_projection.jpg)
"New Slaves" was released on June 18, 2013, as the fourth track on West's sixth studio album ''
Yeezus
''Yeezus'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on June 18, 2013, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production, ...
''.
Prior to the song's release, it was played at 66 locations whilst a black-and-white video of West performing it was
projected
Projected is an American rock supergroup consisting of Sevendust members John Connolly and Vinnie Hornsby, Alter Bridge and Creed drummer Scott Phillips, and former Submersed and current Tremonti guitarist Eric Friedman. The band released t ...
on various buildings in various countries around the world, including at
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...
and the
Royal Ontario Museum. Miriam Coleman said the simplicity of the video "provided a striking context for the rapper's searing lyrics on race and materialism".
Two projections in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
(including the
Rothko Chapel
The Rothko Chapel is a non-denominational chapel in Houston, Texas, founded by John and Dominique de Menil. The interior serves not only as a chapel, but also as a major work of modern art: on its walls are fourteen paintings by Mark Rothko in v ...
) were dismissed by police prior to commencing due to a lack of permit. Another projection at
Miami Beach, Florida was shut down by police, but left fans excited and eager to see the song's then-upcoming performance on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
''.
West performed "New Slaves", along with "
Black Skinhead
"Black Skinhead" (also stylized as "BLKKK SKKKN HEAD") is a song by American rapper Kanye West, from his sixth studio album '' Yeezus'' (2013). It was produced by West and Daft Punk. The song's lyrics center on racial tensions and the crumbli ...
", on ''Saturday Night Live'' on May 18, 2013.
During the performance, West stood in place and stared dead-eyed at the camera the whole time, performing "in front of a projection of eyes."
West also changed his lyrics to more TV-friendly, changing words such as "dick" to "prick."
West subsequently performed the song live at the
Governors Ball Music Festival on June 9, 2013.
During the performance, West "paused and breathed audibly between scant verses, allowing interludes of emptiness to add to the corrosive aura."
Critical reception
"New Slaves" has received widespread acclaim from music critics, with its message, sample, and Ocean's appearance receiving praise. Farber of the ''
Daily News'' said the song has a "heavy metal girth that still swings" and called the sampling of "Gyöngyhajú lány" by
Omega
Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/ isopsephy ( gematria), it has a value of 800. The ...
"the most cool, and obscure, sample" on ''Yeezus''.
Robert Christgau of ''
MSN Music
''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008.
History
I ...
'' cited "New Slaves", along with "Hold My Liquor", as the album's highlights. Michael Madden of ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' writes: "'New Slaves' has one of the clearer concepts on the whole album, about the relationship West sees between blacks of different classes and consumerism," calling upon the lyrics: "You see it's broke-nigga racism, that's that Don't touch anything in the store'/ And this rich-nigga racism, that's that Come in, please buy more."
Madden ultimately called "New Slaves" one of the album's "essential tracks," along with "
Black Skinhead
"Black Skinhead" (also stylized as "BLKKK SKKKN HEAD") is a song by American rapper Kanye West, from his sixth studio album '' Yeezus'' (2013). It was produced by West and Daft Punk. The song's lyrics center on racial tensions and the crumbli ...
", "
Blood on the Leaves", and "
Bound 2".
Evan Rytlewski of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' called the song "menacing" and praised its coda with Frank Ocean.
West himself has voiced his love for the song,
tweeting
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that the second verse is the best rap verse of all time in July 2013, and reiterating his opinion in a 2014 interview with ''
GQ'' magazine.
Accolades
On June 26, 2013, ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' named "New Slaves" the "Best Song of 2013 (So Far)" and later on December 20, 2013, placed it first on its "The 25 Best Songs of 2013 (The Entire Year)." On December 2, 2013, ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' named "New Slaves" the best song of 2013. Dave Bry commented saying, "Plenty of artists sold more records than Kanye West in 2013. No one did anything near to as artistically powerful. "New Slaves" is the best song of the year. And it's not even close." ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' ranked the song at number 36 on their list of the 50 best songs of 2013. It was named the second best song of 2013 by ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
''.
They elaborated saying, ""New Slaves" is the hardened cartilage of Yeezus, the leanest and grisliest piece of music on an album without a single yielding surface. There isn't a wasted breath or unnecessary word; every single thought cleaves through the meat.
..Yes, Kanye is a wealthy man, and yes, the particulars of his rage might be convoluted, involving his lack of access to the upper reaches of the fashion industry. But its source comes from an acute, unwavering awareness of a central fact: Even in the elite corridors of power where he now walks, some doors are still locked. On "New Slaves", he transforms into the hordes demanding entry. To paraphrase the words of his one-time mentor: The whole industry could hate him; he'll flail his way through."
The song earned a
Grammy nomination for
Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...
at the
56th Annual Grammy Awards
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid comp ...
, ultimately losing to "
Thrift Shop
Thrift may refer to:
* Frugality
* A savings and loan association in the United States
* Apache Thrift, a remote procedure call (RPC) framework
* Thrift (plant), a plant in the genus ''Armeria''
* Syd Thrift (1929–2006), American baseball exe ...
" by
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are an American hip hop duo from Seattle, Washington, formed in 2008 by Macklemore, a rapper,Trust, Gary (2013)Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Can't Hold Us' Makes Hot 100 History, ''Billboard'', May 8, 2013. Retrieved January ...
featuring
Wanz
Michael "Mike" Wansley (born October 9, 1961), better known by his stage names Wanz and TeeWanz, is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He performs in various genres, including rock, R&B, soul, hip hop, and pop. He was featured on fellow ...
.
Live performances
![Kanye West OFWGKTA Carnival 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Kanye_West_OFWGKTA_Carnival_2013.jpg)
Before its release on the album, West performed "New Slaves", along with "Black Skinhead", on ''Saturday Night Live'' on May 18, 2013.
The performance introduced audiences to West's new creative shift for ''Yeezus'' and showed how musically different the album would be from his previous, ''
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010, following a period of public controversy for West. Re ...
'' (2010).
West performed the song again at the
Governors Ball Music Festival on June 9, 2013, nine days before the release of the album.
Following the release of ''Yeezus'', West performed the song live at the first concert of
The Yeezus Tour
The Yeezus Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West in support of West's sixth solo studio album, '' Yeezus'' (2013). The venture served as West's first solo concert tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travis S ...
at the
Barclays Center in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
West wore a jeweled mask during the show, which Jim Farber of
New York Daily News believed contributed to "the industrial fusion he has injected on ''Yeezus''."
When commenting on his performance of "New Slaves" and "Black Skinhead", Farber writes: "West delivers
hem
A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the g ...
with the brutality they deserve."
In September 2013, West performed an acoustic rendition of the song with
Charlie Wilson on ''
Later... with Jools Holland''.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the ''Yeezus'' liner notes.
* Songwriter – Kanye West,
Christopher Breaux,
Cydel Young,
Ben Bronfman,
Malik Jones,
Che Smith
Che Smith (born July 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Rhymefest, is an American rapper from Chicago whose first official album, ''Blue Collar'', was released in 2006. His prominent songwriting credits include co-writing Kanye West's "Je ...
, Elon Rutberg, Sakiya Sandifer,
Louis Johnson,
Mike Dean,
Gábor Presser
Gábor Presser (born 27 May 1948) is a Kossuth Prize winning Hungarian musician, composer, singer. He was a band member in Locomotiv GT and Omega, and has been a prominent personality in Hungarian pop and rock music.
Biography
Childhood
Born ...
, and Anna Adamis
* Producer – Kanye West
* Co-producer – Ben Bronfman
* Additional vocals – Frank Ocean
* Additional producer – Mike Dean #MWA, Travis Scott, Noah Goldstein, Sham Joseph, and Che Pope
* Additional programming – Hudson Mohawke and Arca
* Noises and vocal sounds creator and engineer – Ken Lewis
* Engineer – Noah Goldstein,
Anthony Kilhoffer Anthony Kilhoffer is an American hip hop record producer, songwriter and engineer, best known for his collaborations with Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Keyshia Cole and John Legend.
Select discography Albums 2020s
*'' Free The Beast(album)'' - B-Free 20 ...
, and Mike Dean
* Assistant engineer – Marc Portheau, Khoï Huynh, Raoul Le Pennec, Nabil Essemlani, Keith Parry, Kenta Yonesaka, Dave Rowland, Kevin Matela, Sean Oakley, Eric Lynn, Dave 'Squirrel' Covell, and Josh Smith
* Mix – Anthony Kilhoffer at Shangri-La Studios, Malibu, CA
* Mix assisted – Sean Oakley, Eric Lynn, Dave 'Squirrel' Covell, and Josh Smith
Chart positions
Certifications
Notes
References
{{authority control
2013 songs
Frank Ocean songs
Kanye West songs
Song recordings produced by Kanye West
Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer)
Song recordings produced by Travis Scott
Songs against racism and xenophobia
Songs written by Cyhi the Prynce
Songs written by Frank Ocean
Songs written by Kanye West
Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer)
Songs written by Rhymefest
Works about American slavery
Works about racism
Songs involved in plagiarism controversies