"Saint Pablo" 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 ...

, featuring prominent vocals by British singer

Sampha Sampha Lahai Sisay (born 16 November 1988) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer from Morden, South London. Sampha is widely known for his collaborative work with Kendrick Lamar, SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, Drake, Kanye Wes ...

. It originally surfaced online on March 31, 2016 after it had been leaked onto

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

by mistake before being removed hours later. The song was later added to West's seventh studio album, ''

The Life of Pablo ''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in It ...

'' (2016) on June 14, 2016.

Composition

The song addresses West's thoughts and insecurities, including the

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controversies and his $53-million

debt Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money or other agreed-upon value to another party, the creditor. Debt is a deferred payment, or series of payments, which differentiates it from an immediate purchase. The ...

(at the time). "Saint Pablo" was produced by West himself and Mike Dean, with co-production from Allen Ritter and additional production from

Noah Goldstein Noah Goldstein is an American record producer, composer, engineer, and mixer, and also works in A&R. He won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for his work on Kanye West's ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'', and has been nominated for six others ...

. It features vocals from

, who sings the

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 the third

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

. The song contains samples of "Where I'm From", written by

Shawn Carter 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 ...

Deric Angelettie Deric Michael Angelettie (born July 31, 1968), otherwise known as D-Dot, Papa Dot, and Madd Rapper, is an American artist, music producer, songwriter, TV & film producer and entrepreneur. He is the winner of The Grammy's NARAS Governor's New Ho ...

, Ronald Lawrence and

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s.allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motow ...

, and performed by

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 ...

Release

"Saint Pablo" was first premiered at

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

's ''

The Art of Hustle ''The Art of Hustle'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Yo Gotti. It was released on February 19, 2016, by Epic Records and Yo Gotti's CMG record label. The album was supported by two singles: " Down in the DM", and "Law" featuring E- ...

'' release party. On March 31, 2016, the track was leaked online and appeared on

for several hours. On June 15, 2016, West temporarily removed ''The Life of Pablo'' from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

because he wanted to add "Saint Pablo" into the album. The track has been made widely available on Tidal, Apple Music, Google Play Music and

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since this removal.

Critical reception

“Saint Pablo“ was met with universal acclaim from listeners and music critics alike. ''

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 ...

'' author NME Blog had heavy praise for the track, describing it as West being: 'in classically confident mode, despite the fact he opens up the epic track by admitting that he's in debt'.

References

{{Kanye West songs 2016 songs Kanye West songs Sampha songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer) Songs written by Allen Ritter Songs written by Jay-Z Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer) Songs written by Norman Whitfield Songs written by Sampha Song recordings produced by Allen Ritter