"Big Brother" is a song by American rapper

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 ...

, released as the closing track on his third studio album, ''

Graduation Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is a ...

'' (2007). West co-wrote the song with Toomp, who was the sole producer. It originally utilized Prince Phillip Mitchell's "It's Gonna Be Lonely" for the beat, until he refused to approve and a re-recording was done. The song was written by West as a tribute to his close friend and mentor

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

, who has shown his appreciation for it. West first teased the song in August 2007 for the

BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...

event "Audience with Kanye West". A hip hop song with

synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

, it features a varied pace of rapping from West. In the lyrics, West introspectively examines the complexities of his friendship with Jay-Z. "Big Brother" received generally positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who mostly lauded the theme. They often highlighted West's honesty and heavy detail, while some reviewers complimented the composition. Though not released as a single, the song peaked at number 19 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. West first performed it at the

Westminster Central Hall The Methodist Central Hall (also known as Central Hall Westminster) is a multi-purpose venue in the City of Westminster, London, serving primarily as a Methodist church and a conference centre. The building, which is a tourist attraction, also ho ...

Westminster, London Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckin ...

in August 2007. During 2007, he and Jay-Z performed a rendition of the song and the latter's "Encore" on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

's ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

'', and JAM'N 94.5.

Bobby Creekwater Antoine Raimon Rogers, better known by his stage name Bobby Creekwater, is an American rapper from Atlanta who is a former member of Shady Records.

recorded a reinterpretation of the former in February 2009, dedicated to

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

and their working relationship.

Background

Record producer Toomp, who worked with

on fellow ''

'' tracks " Good Life" and "

Can't Tell Me Nothing "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his third studio album, '' Graduation'' (2007). The song contains additional vocals from Young Jeezy and Connie Mitchell. It was produced by West with DJ Toomp with West bein ...

", said that "Big Brother" was the final song the two recorded and the last to be mixed for the album. West repeatedly told him about a hook and a concept for the song, seeking a beat "with some real feel in it". He replayed the end part of R&B singer Prince Phillip Mitchell's 1979 track "It's Gonna Be Lonely" in the studio and made the beat in a day, impressing West and A&Rs from

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 ...

. West then rapped over it, though Mitchell refused the usage of his music once the song was set to be mixed in New York and later changed his mind for full

publishing rights A publishing contract is a legal contract between a publisher and a writer or author (or more than one), to publish original content by the writer(s) or author(s). This may involve a single written work, or a series of works. In the case of music p ...

. Toomp remade the beat in Atlanta, re-arranging certain notes and crafting a new melody. Back in New York, West synced his vocals again with the new track, with the final product impressing listeners. Toomp served as the sole producer, making "Big Brother" the only track on ''Graduation'' not to have production by West. He co-wrote the song with Toomp as a tribute to his mentor and fellow rapper

, whom he has felt so close to as a friend that he sees him as a brother. In January 2012,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer Tony Williams shared unreleased footage of West playing "Big Brother" to Jay-Z for the first time. Jay-Z became emotional after realizing he was the subject. The rapper said that he thought the song was "brilliantly written" and West's best work since "

Jesus Walks Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

" (2004), in terms of structure, emotion, and other factors. He further explained that working with West has "always been a big brother thing and a respect thing". The song's

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

and concept was conceived by West on an elevator ride. Toomp compared the song's theme to his relationship with rapper T.I., with it attracting much discussion. Jay-Z responded to this by thinking if it is "good or bad" and the rapper later felt excited to be in the studio with him, and was proud to witness the theme.

Digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals **Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...

radio station

hosted an exclusive "Audience with Kanye West" event on August 14, 2007, at the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

Radio Music Theatre. West guided a specially chosen audience through ''Graduation'', expressing that "Big Brother" was his strongest track ever lyrically and a career defining record. On August 28, 2007, DJ

Tim Westwood Timothy Westwood (born 3 October 1957) is a British DJ and presenter. He is often referred to by other DJs and artists appearing on his shows simply as Westwood. He was described by ''The Guardian'' in 2022 as "a veteran of the hip-hop scene ...

played a preview of the song for his show 'In New Music We Trust'. "Big Brother" was first unveiled in full at a secret concert West held with

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

for around 500 fans during his trip to the United Kingdom, standing among the multiple songs he debuted in the country. The concert took place on August 20, 2007 at the

. West played a snippet of the song while hosting a listening session for the album on August 28, at the

New World Stages New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue. ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. In an interview with ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...

'', R&B singer-songwriter

The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, "Ride ...

said that he was set to sing on a remix of "Big Brother".

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Big Brother" is a mid-tempo hip hop song. It features

, similar to those of fellow album track "

I Wonder I Wonder may refer to: Songs * "I Wonder" (1944 song), a song by Pvt. Cecil Gant; covered by Roosevelt Sykes (1945) and several others * "I Wonder" (Kanye West song), 2007 * "I Wonder" (Kellie Pickler song), 2007 * "I Wonder" (Rosanne Cash song ...

". Throughout the song, West raps in a rawer style than most of his work. His rapping pace varies from a swift delivery typical of hip hop to a slower style reminiscent of

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

, accompanied by soft harmonies. The lyrics of "Big Brother" possess an honest, heartfelt examination of the complexities of West's relationship with Jay-Z. West uses introspection to speak of their relationship, conveying emotion. He narrates the highs and lows, recalling his lifelong admiration for Jay-Z and a rivalry they had. As the song nears its conclusion, West expresses this admiration by altering the chorus to "My big brother was

Big Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...

's brother/So here's a few words from ya kid brother/If you admire somebody you should go head and tell 'em/People never get the flowers while they can still smell 'em". West also uses the chorus as a subsidiary dedication to his former mentor

No I.D. Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having releas ...

, who first taught him how to produce music. The rapper acknowledges that Jay-Z worked with

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...

frontman

Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Univ ...

on "Beach Chair" (2006) after he had told him about their collaboration for ''Graduation'' single "

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

", criticizing him over this decision.

Release and reception

"Big Brother" was released as the thirteenth and final track on West's third studio album ''Graduation'' on September 11, 2007. The song was met with generally positive reviews from

, who mostly appreciated the subject matter.

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

from the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' declared that "West is at his best" on the song as he owns "his flaws rather than brushing past them", paying tribute to Jay-Z while recalling "the slights and embarrassments he suffered at his hands".Kot, Greg (August 31, 2007)
'Graduation' Day Arrives: Kanye West Exploits His Growing Pains
. ''Chicago Tribune''. Retrieved October 1, 2007. Kot also pointed it out as the album's only instance of the music feeling "strictly like a backdrop, a gray wash that exists solely to frame West's rap". Expressing a similar sentiment, '' NOW Magazine''s Jason Richards lauded West's "acute honesty" throughout the song as he "narrates the highs and lows" of his relationship with Jay-Z. ''

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 ...

'' critic Neil Drumming wrote that the song's focus on their "strained relationship" is a "somber, self-critical" earnest moment, which "can't come soon enough". Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania of ''RapReviews'' said that by going over the highs and lows of the relationship over the years, it creates "a fascinating episode of

fly-on-the-wall Fly on the wall is a style of documentary-making used in film and television production. The name derived from the idea that events are seen candidly, as a fly on a wall might see them. In the purest form of fly-on-the-wall documentary-making, t ...

reality" and focused particularly on the reference to Martin. At ''

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 ...

'', Brett Johnson called the song captivating and noted West's boldness to "bite the hand th tfeeds him" by detailing the relationship. Making note of its "classic hip-hop storytelling framework" about Jay-Z and the "raw style" of West's rapping, Dave Heaton from ''

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 ...

'' cited "Big Brother" as one of the tracks on ''Graduation'' that give off a "timeless hip-hop feeling". In 2008, Maddy Costa for ''The Guardian'' included the track within a "Readers Recommend" column that discussed hero worship, writing, "Kanye West demonstrates more self-awareness in his thoughtful tribute to his brother-in-spirit, Jay-Z, exploring the complications of their fan-idol relationship, which grows trickier as the two become peers." Writing for ''

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 th ...

'', Mark Pytlik thought that West comes close to "the mental hand-wringing of his early albums" with the subject matter. Hillary Crosley of ''

'' asserted that the lyrics about Jay-Z are "introspective enough to make fans cry"; ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

''s Austin Scaggs similarly called the song a "a tear-jerking ode" to the rapper. ''The Guardian'' critic Dorian Lynskey remarked that the subject matter "intertwines admiration and envy with fascinating honesty". For ''

Hot Press ''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. History ''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...

'', John Walshe highlighted the "austere majesty" of the song. Japie Stoppelenburg of ''No Ripcord'' said that it succeeds in copying the "razorblade synths" of "I Wonder". ''

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 ...

'' reviewer Ben Thompson listed "Big Brother" as one of the five best tracks on ''Graduation'' and labeled it "utterly bizarre". Del F. Cowie from ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' stated that the track is stellar, but shows West "yearning for 'stadium status'". Gregg LaGambina was negative in ''

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 ...

'', picking out the "awkward introspection" and seeing the song as awkward in general. Although it was not released as a single, "Big Brother" managed to enter and peak at number 19 on the US ''

chart for the issue date of September 22, 2007.

Live performances

West premiered "Big Brother" at Westminster Central Hall in Westminster on August 20, 2007. He was backed by a twenty-one piece all-female string section, background vocalists, a keyboardist, and his tour DJ

A-Trak Alain Macklovitch (born March 30, 1982), known by his stage name A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highly ...

. The guests were greeted by staff members wearing graduation outfits and

mortarboard The square academic cap, graduate cap, cap, mortarboard (because of its similarity in appearance to the mortarboard used by brickmasons to hold mortar) or Oxford cap is an item of academic dress consisting of a horizontal square board fixed upo ...

s in reference to the title of the album. West performed the song at a

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...

concert promoting higher education sponsored by his charity foundation on August 25, 2007. It was one of the last songs of his set and while performing, West became emotional. On September 11, 2007, West provided a live rendition of the song towards the end of his appearance on

's ''

''. Jay-Z came onstage in response to the performance and teased the crowd with his 2003 track "Encore", which West produced. On October 29, the two performed the full track together again for West's set at JAM'N 94.5's annual concert. The "Big Brother/"Encore" rendition was recorded live and included in ''The Graduate'', a 2007 collaborative

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

made by hip hop producers

Mick Boogie Mick Batyske, known by his stage name DJ MICK (also sometimes styled as MICK) and formerly Mick Boogie, is an American DJ and entrepreneur. He is an A-list DJ and spun private parties for celebrities including Kanye West, LeBron James, Jay-Z a ...

Terry Urban Terry Urban is an American artist, DJ and music producer best known for his mixtape albums Viva La Hova, Southerngold and Biggie Stardust. Biography Terry Urban was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 23, 1977. After graduating school he moved to ...

, and

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a GM Place Rogers Arena is a multi-purpose arena located at 800 Griffiths Way in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, the arena was known as General Motors Place (GM Place) from its opening until July 6, 2010, when Ge ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada on October 17.

Other versions

In 2007, Killa BH recorded a parody of "Big Brother" entitled "Foldger's Brother", focusing on rapper

Joe Budden Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...

in place of Jay-Z. The track was featured in Budden's critically acclaimed mixtape '' Mood Muzik 3: For Better or for Worse'' (2007). In May 2008, hip hop duo

Tha Dogg Pound Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip hop duo made up of rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success. Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albums starting in ...

rapped over the instrumental of "Big Brother" for "Half A Mil Freestyle". Former

Shady Records Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999). Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful i ...

artist

Bobby Creekwater Antoine Raimon Rogers, better known by his stage name Bobby Creekwater, is an American rapper from Atlanta who is a former member of Shady Records.

recorded a reinterpretation of the song in February 2009, with lyrics dedicated to label founder and rapper

. In his rendition, Bobby explains how he was signed, what his relationship with Eminem and his labelmates was like, and where he stood within his record label

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

. For a show at the

High Noon Saloon The High Noon Saloon is a live music venue located in Madison, Wisconsin. About The venue features rock, metal, alternative, punk, alt-country, pop, indie, bluegrass, blues, and folk music, hosting national acts, smaller touring bands from around ...

on March 19, 2012, with fellow

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...

rappers P.O.S and

Astronautalis Charles Andrew Bothwell (born December 13, 1981), better known by his stage name Astronautalis, is an American alternative hip hop artist currently based in Brooklyn, New York. History After gaining some recognition in local circles in Jacksonvi ...

, and spoken word artist

Dessa Margret Wander (born May 23, 1981), better known by her stage name Dessa, is an American rapper, singer, writer, and former record executive. She is a member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree. Early life Dessa was born to Robert Wander ...

, Madison rapper F. Stokes performed his version of "Big Brother". Stokes dedicated the song's lyrics to his close friend P.O.S. ''The A.V. Club'' concert reviewer Joel Shanahan complimented the cover, writing, "While the notion admittedly seemed really cheesy at first, it was somehow more convincing coming from a heartfelt rapper like Stokes." Inspired by the song, R&B singer

Lil' Mo Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, television and radio personality. She is best known for her 2001 single " Superwoman Pt. II", featuring then-unknown rapper ...

created a female version of "Big Brother" in the form of "Big Sister" in May 2011, for her 2011 mixtape ''P.S. I Love You''. It is an

answer song An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer son ...

, in which she expresses her admiration and appreciation for her mentor

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

. Lil' Mo later said that because of how much her mentor helped launched her career, the song was an important part of the mixtape.

Credits and personnel

Information taken from ''Graduation'' liner notes. Recording * Recorded at

Doppler Studios Doppler Studios is a recording studio in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, established in 1969 as a one-room studio, and grew to host seven rooms. History Founded by original co-owners Pete Caldwell and Tom Wells to serve as their jingle company ...

(

Atlanta, GA Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

) and Legacy Recording Studios (NYC) * Mixed at

Chung King Studios Chung King Studios was a recording studio that operated in New York City under that name from 1986 to 2015. It was founded by producer John King and engineer Steve Ett with financial backing from the Etches brothers, occupying three different locat ...

(NYC) Personnel *

songwriter * Toomp songwriter, producer * Andrew Dawson recording, mix engineer * Paul Sheehy recording * Dale Parsons assistant mix engineer * Andy Marcinkowski assistant mix engineer

Charts

References

External links

"Big Brother" lyrics
at

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

{{authority control 2007 songs Cultural depictions of hip hop musicians Jay-Z Kanye West songs Songs about friendship Songs about musicians Songs written by DJ Toomp Songs written by Kanye West Song recordings produced by DJ Toomp