Wolves (Kanye West song)
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"Wolves" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring Sia and Vic Mensa. It was produced by Cashmere Cat and Sinjin Hawke and will be the first track on his upcoming seventh studio album entitled "Swish". West debuted the song on February 12, 2015 at a fashion show where he also premiered his new Adidas shoe.[1] The presentation was broadcast live to more than 40 locations around the world.[2][3] "Wolves" became the second confirmed track from his upcoming album.[4][5]
Composition
"Wolves" was produced by Cashmere Cat and Sinjin Hawke and features vocals by Australian singer-songwriter Sia and Chicago rapper Vic Mensa. The song has been described as "melancholic" and "somber" with a slower beat, a minimal arrangement, and a heavily Auto-Tuned bridge.[2][6] The "lurching" chorus is performed by Vic Mensa and includes the lyrics, "I'm just bad. Bad for you."[2][6] Sia performs a "bluesy" rendition of West's words approximately three minutes and fifteen seconds into the song.[6]
Live performances
West was one of several musical guests for the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, which aired on NBC in February 2015. He performed "Jesus Walks" and "Only One", then Sia and Mensa joined him for the live debut of "Wolves".[7] Due to the "claustrophobic, starkly black-and-white" set, all three vocalists crawled and crouched throughout the song due to their limited mobility, and Sia wore a large white bob wig.[8][9]
Reception
Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone said the song was reminiscent of West's work on his album 808s & Heartbreak (2008).[2]
See also
References
- ^ Gordon, Jeremy; Phillips, Amy (February 12, 2015). "Kanye West Debuts "Wolves" Featuring Sia and Vic Mensa at Adidas Yeezy Boost Fashion Show". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Spanos, Brittany (February 12, 2015). "Kanye West Enlists Sia, Vic Mensa for Melancholic New Song 'Wolves'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- ^ Seemayer, Zach. "Kanye West Debuts New Song 'Wolves' During His Fashion Show". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Zach Frydenlund. "Kanye West's New Album Features a Song With Vic Mensa and Sia". Complex.
- ^ "Kanye West premieres 'Wolves' featuring Sia and Vic Mensa". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music.
- ^ a b c Lipshutz, Jason (February 12, 2015). "Kanye West Unveils New Song, 'Wolves,' Featuring Vic Mensa & Sia: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- ^ Young, Alex. "Kanye West debuts "Wolves" during powerful Saturday Night Live performance — watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Newman, Jason (February 16, 2015). "See Kanye West's Innovative, Claustrophobic 'SNL' 40 Performance". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Mokoena, Tshepo (February 16, 2015). "Wigs, Wolves and Kanye West: rapper debuts new track during Saturday Night Live's 40th birthday celebrations". The Guardian. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
