"Impossible" 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 ...

, featuring

Twista Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (formerly Tung Twista), is an American rapper and record producer. He is best known for his chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastes ...

Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...

and BJ. The song was not featured on West's albums ''

Late Registration ''Late Registration'' is the second studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions ...

'' (2005) and '' Graduation'' (2007) that were released around the same time as it, but was featured on the ''Mission: Impossible III'' soundtrack. The track was actually used as the official theme song for this film. It charted on the US '' Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 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 ...

chart and

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

in 2006.

Background

Along with the rest of the soundtrack for the film '' Mission: Impossible III'', "Impossible" was recorded over the course of eight days at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Franchise star

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

was delighted at West contributing to the soundtrack, describing himself as being "a fan of Kanye's work".

Composition

Vocals from "It's Impossible" by

New Birth Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sep ...

are sampled throughout the track. West didn't contribute to the production whatsoever, since the song was solely produced by

Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino (; born October 10, 1967) is an American composer of music for films, television and video games. He has also served as a director for television. He has received many awards, including an Oscar for his work on '' Up'' (2009), ...

, who composed all of the soundtrack for the film.

Critical reception

"Impossible" was placed on a list of '20 Horrible Songs Made By Great Rappers' that Al Shipley of ''

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 ...

'' published in 2013. Jonathan Ringen of ''

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

'' rated the song two out of five stars and elaborated by writing: "It doesn't quite work: The skittering beat never settles into a groove, and the rhymes never explain what, exactly, is supposed to be so impossible."

Track listing

CD single # "Impossible" (Radio) – 3:23 # "Impossible" (Extended Radio) – 5:12 # "Impossible" (Instrumental) – 5:09 12" single ;A-side #"Impossible" (Radio) - 3:25 #"Impossible" (Extended Version) - 3:25 ;B-side #"Impossible" (Instrumental) - 5:09 #"

Drive Slow "Drive Slow" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his second studio album, ''Late Registration'' (2005). The song features guest appearances from fellow rappers Paul Wall and GLC, and additional vocals by American recording artist Ton ...

" (feat.

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collabor ...

and GLC) (Strings Mix) - 5:41 Digital download #"Impossible" (Radio Edit) - 3:22

Commercial performance

The track spent a total of 16 weeks on the US '' Billboard''

chart and managed to reach its peak position of 54 on June 24, 2006, over a month after being released as a single. It reached number 27 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart on May 27, 2006.

Charts

References

{{Mission: Impossible 2006 singles Kanye West songs Twista songs Keyshia Cole songs Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Twista Roc-A-Fella Records singles Mission: Impossible music