"RoboCop" is a song by American record producer and vocalist
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 fourth studio album, ''
808s & Heartbreak'' (2008). The song contains background vocals from
Tony Williams and
Jeff Bhasker. It was solely produced by West, who served as a songwriter alongside
Esthero
Esthero ( ; born Jenny-Bea Englishman on December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives in Los Angeles, California. The name ''Esthero'' refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself ...
,
Malik Yusef,
Consequence,
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
, Williams, Bhasker,
T-Pain, and
Young Jeezy. Due to the embodiment of
Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle (born 6 April 1953) is a Scottish film composer with Irish heritage. A longtime collaborator of actor-director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work composing for films such as ''Henry V'', ''Sense and Sensibility'', ''Hamle ...
's work, a songwriting credit for him was added. The song was recorded in 2008 across numerous studios, being tweaked to perfection.
Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
M ...
explained how it was a challenge to make, confirming that multiple versions were created. An
art pop number with an orchestral style, it embodies portions of "
Kissing in the Rain", performed by Doyle.
In the lyrics of the song, West reflects on his break-up with Alexis Phifer. After having experienced an
internet leak in October 2008, "RoboCop" was included as the seventh track on the album in November. The song received generally positive reviews from
music critics, who mostly applauded the composition. Some selected it as an album highlight and reception of West's vocals was lukewarm, though a few critics disliked the structure. West recorded an accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
with
Amber Rose, though it was never released. West performed the song in February 2009 for his second
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, ''
VH1 Storytellers
''Storytellers'' is a television music series produced by the VH1 network.
In each episode, artists perform in front of a (mostly small and intimate) live audience, and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories, somewhat ...
'' (2010).
Background and recording
West's 2007 hit
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
"
Can't Tell Me Nothing" was passed on to him by American rapper and his
Def Jam
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
The ...
labelmate
Young Jeezy, who performs
ad-libs on the song.
Following the success of "Can't Tell Me Nothing", Young Jeezy felt as if he deserved a feature from West and later guested him on his single "
Put On
"Put On" is a song by American recording artist Young Jeezy featuring Kanye West, from Jeezy's third studio album ''The Recession''. The song was released as the album's lead single on June 3, 2008. The song received a Grammy nomination for Best R ...
" (2008). West subsequently featured the rapper on ''808s & Heartbreak'' track "Amazing", marking the second collaboration between the two of them. Speaking of "RoboCop" in 2008, Young Jeezy referred to how people can "hear some songs and they just sound big", calling the song an example of this and saying it immediately "just sounds like a big hit". On the album's 10th anniversary in 2018, fellow rapper
Consequence described the song as "so conceptual" and said it "would've probably been an easier rhyme to write".
In an interview for ''
Complex'' a year later, he likened West's ninth studio album ''
Jesus Is King
''Jesus Is King'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on October 25, 2019, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album follows a Christian theme, different from his usual work. Wes ...
'' (2019) to ''808s & Heartbreak'' creatively; he cited writing the song's
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
as part of his challenging involvement. "RoboCop" was produced solely by West, who co-wrote it with
Esthero
Esthero ( ; born Jenny-Bea Englishman on December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives in Los Angeles, California. The name ''Esthero'' refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself ...
,
Malik Yusef, Consequence,
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
, frequent collaborators
Tony Williams and
Jeff Bhasker,
T-Pain, and Young Jeezy, while Scottish
film composer Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle (born 6 April 1953) is a Scottish film composer with Irish heritage. A longtime collaborator of actor-director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work composing for films such as ''Henry V'', ''Sense and Sensibility'', ''Hamle ...
also received credit since he wrote the 1998 recording "
Kissing in the Rain" that the song embodies.
A rough version of the song
leaked
A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usuall ...
online in October 2008, after West collaborator
Mike Dean had confirmed earlier that month how it was supposed to receive
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...
's "magic touch" before the album's release while he was in France.
West blogged that he lacked any responsibility for the unfinished version's leak, admitting he was "pretty upset about it, but that's the way life is sometimes!"
"RoboCop" draws its title from the 1987 film
of the same name.
An 11-piece orchestra played for the song, being conducted by Larry Gold.
It was recorded during the three week period that West worked on the album in 2008, being tweaked to perfection across different studios while he was on his
Glow in the Dark Tour.
West collaborator
A-Trak recalled in 2015 from working with West on the song that he asks everyone for his recording approach while feeling "super confident" with his vision and being sufficiently honest about his limitations, knowing bringing "some of the greatest people into the room" will create a better product.
A-Trak explained that West asked literally anyone what they think of something and reply "Okay, cool", before asking how they would do the instrument and going back to assembling; he praised West's team effort.
On the 10th anniversary of ''808s & Heartbreak'', engineer
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 201 ...
cast light on the "never-ending production decisions" for the track, which he felt evoked the
mixing of West's single "
Stronger" (2007).
According to fellow engineer
Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
M ...
, West was not 100 percent happy with the track. Marroquin viewed the creation of the track as "challenging" since West "heard it in his head and he couldn't get it", thus three or different versions were created. Esthero revealed a
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
exists with an alternate string arrangement that she prefers to the final version, admitting she was unsure of how long they worked on the demo's production. However, Esthero could remember randomly coming out with lyrics in a room; she recalled responding to West's work being played "over and over again" by pointing out what words sounds were close to and attempting to fix sentences.
Composition and lyrics
Musically, "RoboCop" is an
art pop number. As it progresses, the
time signature
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
shifts.
The song embodies portions of "Kissing in the Rain", written and performed by Doyle.
It contains gunshots, police sirens, and crashing drums,
which are backed by lush strings.
The
melody
A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...
is slightly altered throughout by the strings, which were arranged by Gold and engineered by Jeff Chestek, who was assisted by Rick Friedrich, Montez Roberts, and John Stahl.
The song has orchestral effects, featuring layered violins alongside
viola
The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...
s.
It also incorporates a
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
, bass, and
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
, the latter of which were played by Bhasker. The orchestra was added to the chorus by
Ken Lewis, while Bhasker and Williams perform background vocals on the song.
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
is utilized strongly on West's voice throughout,
with him performing verses, a chorus, and an interlude.
In the lyrics of "RoboCop", West reminisces on the break-up between him and his ex-fiancée Alexis Phifer.
He expresses anger towards Phifer, calling her "a drama queen" and comparing her to both the
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist.
Etymology
The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
from the 1990 film ''
Misery'' and ''RoboCop''s cyborg
titular character
The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
.
West casts doubt on ever becoming a robot on the song's interlude, alluding to him using auto-tune for a creative venture.
At the end of the verses, he utilizies the character's "drop it" catchphrase.
On the outro, West repeatedly delivers a
stanza
In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
about his lack of trust in Phifer: "You spoiled little L.A. girl / You're just an L.A. girl."
Release and reception
On November 24, 2008, "RoboCop" was released as the seventh track on West's fourth studio album ''808s & Heartbreak''.
The song was met with generally positive reviews from
music critics, often being praised for its composition. Writing for ''
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 ...
'', Nathan Rabin observed how the "infectiously goofy" song is given "a symphonic grandeur" by the "
aring strings".
''
musicOMH
MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.
History
MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
''s Adam Conner-Simons stated the song "serves as a fascinating exercise in controlled chaos" through "lilting faux-strings, quick-shifting time signatures", and "sparkling" verses that discuss West's "psycho" ex-partner.
''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' critic Dave Heaton opined that the song is one of "the bleakest or even meanest tracks lyrically" on the album, further labeling it a "triumphant" pop song on which the consistent feeling of heartbreak is portrayed "while lifting off in jubilant ways".
Heaton also said the song "picks up from" the various "pieces" of previous track "
Paranoid
Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...
", elaborating that it has "a similar tenor but lighter and almost busier by nature"; he noticed the "crashing drums" are partnered with slight melody-altering "delicate strings".
''RapReviews'' writer Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania desired that West had channeled the "cynical" song's "kinetic energy" throughout the album, which he thought would have created "real tension" in a good way. The staff of ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' placed the song among the tracks from ''808s & Heartbreak'' to download, noting that West "chides over
tsterrific jackhammer rhythm". Scott Plagenhoef from ''
Pitchfork'' chose the song as one of the album's best songs and cited how the "cavernous production" provides West's auto-tuned vocals with "more of an echoing desolation than a pop sheen", as well as ranking its strings among the sonic highlights.
Steve Jones of ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' recommended the song as one of the tracks from the album to download, an opinion that was shared by ''
Blender''s Josh Eells. For the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'',
Jim DeRogatis
James Peter DeRogatis (born September 2, 1964) is an American music critic and co-host of ''Sound Opinions''. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as ''Rolling Stone'', '' Spin'', ''Guitar World'' and ''Modern Drummer'', and for 15 ...
characterized the song as an occasion where West's auto-tune formula is "touching and very effective" on ''808s & Heartbreak''. Lean Greenblatt from ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' wrote the song stands among the album's lighter moments, calling it a humorous ode "to an irresistible but wacked-out ladyfriend" that provides "an aural palate cleanser", focusing on West's special wordplay ability. ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' journalist
Charles Aaron
Charles Aaron is an American music journalist and editor, formerly for '' Spin'' magazine, where he worked for 23 years.
Personal
Charles Aaron was born in Rockingham, North Carolina, and raised in Asheboro, North Carolina and Rome, Georgia. He ...
felt mixed about the song, writing it is the exception to the album's "strangely rushed and unfinished" feel by attempting moving "beyond a verse/chorus to a bridge", though was saddened how this resulted in "a trainwreck of the string-festooned 'Estella's Theme' from ''
Great Expectations
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...
'', thudding drums", and a clumsy interlude by West.
In a negative review for ''
The Boston Phoenix'', Richard Beck saw the song as the largest example of the rather unexpected "outright failures" on ''808s & Heartbreak'' due to its "awful chorus". Chris Richards of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' disregarded the song as the album's only dud, criticizing its "heavily orchestrated hyper-schmaltz" and West bringing "his
Mannheim Steamroller for an inexplicable lap around the block".
Canceled music video
![Amber Rose - 2014 People Magazine Awards (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Amber_Rose_-_2014_People_Magazine_Awards_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On March 11, 2009, ''
Clash'' reported that West was shooting a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for the song with his then-girlfriend
Amber Rose. It was recorded in Los Angeles after West had to persuade Rose to fly there for the shooting. Speaking to
MTV News
MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
four months later, Rose said that she plays a robot throughout the video and appears alone for 95 percent of it. During an on-set interview, West expressed that the visual was inspired by his love for video games, characterizing making a video look equally good to a game as "the holy grail".
He explained that rather than utilizing
computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...
, the "intensity" should come off the screen.
The music video was directed by
Hype Williams
Harold Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video director, film director, film producer, and screenwriter.
Early life
Williams was born in Queens, New York. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adel ...
, while computer graphics modeler Shihan Barbee contributed to the production.
Although the video did not experience an official release, Barbee shared a 13-second
stop-motion
Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
clip from it to
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
on August 8, 2014.
Accompanying the clip, Barbee posted: "Wish he had released this video. Super dope." The clip has a pink
technicolor backdrop, which West stands in front while wearing a tuxedo that accompanies his faux hawk and tucking his hands in his pockets.
West stands face-to-face with a nude robot that has Rose's head digitally inserted onto it with the addition of sunglasses; she makes robotic movements simultaneously with him rapping.
At certain points, West makes exaggerated faces to the camera.
Live performances and appearances in media
West segued from an opening performance of fellow album track "
See You in My Nightmares" for his February 2009
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
show into one of "RoboCop"; the show was later released as his second
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
''
VH1 Storytellers
''Storytellers'' is a television music series produced by the VH1 network.
In each episode, artists perform in front of a (mostly small and intimate) live audience, and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories, somewhat ...
'' in January 2010.
He let out various thoughts over the four minutes of instrumentation following the song, mentioning his musical influences, including
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenacio ...
for the stanza "You spoiled little L.A. girl / You're just an L.A. girl" that he sang multiple times towards the end of the song.
West also told the story behind the song, before going on about irrelevant topics.
For West's two night concert of ''808s & Heartbreak'' in its entirety at the 2015
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018.
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
, he performed the song as the set's seventh number.
This marked West's first performance of the song since July 2, 2009.
During the performance, West rocked loose garments in white and off-white shades, while he had support from a small band and a medium-sized orchestra. The crowd sang along with the song's "Spoiled little L.A. girl" line after West encouraged them to do so; the venue itself is in Los Angeles.
West released the track "
No More Parties in LA
"No More Parties in LA" (often stylized as "No More Parties in L.A.") is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, ''The Life of Pablo'' (2016), featuring vocals from fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was produced by Wes ...
" on January 18, 2016, which sees him reference the song by rapping: "We need the turbo thots, high speed, turbo thots/Drop-drop-drop-drop it like Robocop". Speaking on ''
Ebro in the Morning
Ebro in the Morning is an American radio show based in New York City hosted by Ebro Darden, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez. It currently airs from 6 to 10am. Common topics of discussion on the show include national news, politics, and celebrity ...
'' for
Hot 97 in February of that year,
Lil Uzi Vert
Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their face tattoo, facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous ...
listed the song as his favorite from ''808s and Heartbreak''. In August 2016, West's wife
Kim Kardashian included "RoboCop" on a playlist of her top 28 favorite songs by him.
Credits and personnel
Information taken from ''808s & Heartbreak'' liner notes.
Recording
* Recorded at Glenwood Studios (
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
) and Avex Recording Studio (
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...
)
Personnel
*
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 ...
songwriter, producer
*
Jeff Bhasker songwriter, keyboards, background vocals
*
Tony Williams songwriter, background vocals
*
Jenny-Bea Englishman songwriter
*
Malik Jones songwriter
*
Dexter Mills songwriter
*
Scott Mescudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
songwriter
*
Faheem Najm songwriter
*
Jay Jenkins songwriter
*
Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle (born 6 April 1953) is a Scottish film composer with Irish heritage. A longtime collaborator of actor-director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work composing for films such as ''Henry V'', ''Sense and Sensibility'', ''Hamle ...
songwriter
*
Andrew Dawson recorder
*
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 201 ...
recorder
* Chad Carlisle assistant recorder
* Isha Erskine assistant recorder
* Gaylord Holomalia assistant recorder
* Christian Mochizuki assistant recorder
*
Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
M ...
mix engineer
* Christian Plata assistant engineer
* Erik Madrid assistant engineer
* Jeff Chestek string engineer
* Rick Friedrich assistant string engineer
* Montez Roberts assistant string engineer
* John Stahl assistant string engineer
Additional musicians
* Larry Gold string arrangement and conducting
*
Ken Lewis orchestra in chorus
* Olga Konopelsky violin
* Emma Kummrow violin
* Luigi Mazzochi violin
* Charles Parker violin
* Igor Szwec violin
* Gregory Teperman violin
* Davis Barnett viola
* Alexandra Leem viola
* James J. Cooper, III cello
* Jennie Lorenzo cello
* Miles Davis bass
Notes
References
{{Kanye West songs
2008 songs
Art pop songs
Kanye West songs
Music based on science fiction works
Music videos directed by Hype Williams
Song recordings produced by Kanye West
Songs written by Consequence (rapper)
Songs written by Esthero
Songs written by Jeezy
Songs written by Jeff Bhasker
Songs written by Kanye West
Songs written by Kid Cudi
Songs written by Malik Yusef
Songs written by T-Pain