Kanye West

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Lore & Background

The song features vocals from Barbadian singer-songwriter Rihanna and ad-libs from American hip hop artist Swizz Beatz. It enlists samples of Jamaican singer Sister Nancy's song "Bam Bam" and "Do What You Gotta Do" by American singer Nina Simone. The single was serviced to US urban and rhythmic contemporary radio stations on March 28, 2016, and was confirmed for release three days before. Universal sent the song to Italian contemporary hit radio stations on April 15.

In Their Own Story

Upon its release, "Famous" was met with both critical acclaim and scrutiny for a controversial lyrical reference to American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, partially in relation to West's interruption of her 2009 VMA acceptance speech. After West claimed to have obtained Swift's approval over the criticized lyric, Swift denied the claim, criticizing West and denouncing the lyric as misogynistic in a statement. Several months later, West's then-wife Kim Kardashian released a three-minute video capturing parts of a conversation between Swift and West in which Swift appears to approve a portion of the lyric. In 2020, a 25-minute uncut version of the video surfaced, establishing that West did not appear to tell Swift about the specific line ("I made that bitch famous") which she had objected to.

Reader's Guide

In June 2016, West released a music video for "Famous" depicting wax figures of himself, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner and Bill Cosby all sleeping naked in a shared bed. It was released to a polarized response. The wax figures used in the video were later exhibited as a sculpture. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

Did You Know?

• "Famous" was originally slated to be released under the title "Nina Chop", as it was called in West's handwritten notes.
• The song enlists samples of Jamaican singer Sister Nancy's song "Bam Bam" and "Do What You Gotta Do" by American singer Nina Simone.
• In May 2016, Chance the Rapper shared a snippet of a demo version of the song featuring a verse from him.
• The wax figures used in the "Famous" music video were later exhibited as a sculpture.
• The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

A Maximalist Collaboration

The song features vocals from Barbadian singer-songwriter Rihanna and ad-libs from American hip hop artist Swizz Beatz. It enlists samples of Jamaican singer Sister Nancy's song "Bam Bam" and "Do What You Gotta Do" by American singer Nina Simone. The single was serviced to US urban and rhythmic contemporary radio stations on March 28, 2016, and was confirmed for release three days before. Universal sent the song to Italian contemporary hit radio stations on April 15.

From Concept to Anthem

In May 2016, Chance the Rapper shared a snippet of a demo version of the song during an interview with Zane Lowe of Beats 1 that featured a verse from him. "Famous" was originally slated to be released under the title of "Nina Chop", as it was called in West's handwritten notes, and include vocals from American musician Young Thug. In October 2016, another demo version leaked online, featuring two verses from Young Thug and him singing alongside the Nina Simone sample. Ab-libs were also provided by Young Thug for West's vocals, with the demo revealing more explicit lyrics about Taylor Swift from West and him insulting his ex-girlfriend, American model and actress Amber Rose. "Famous" features a segue from "braggadocious, bell-ringing hip-hop" into samples of Sister Nancy's dancehall song "Bam Bam" chopped up over the chord progression featured in Nina Simone's "Do What You Gotta Do". After the initial release of The Life of Pablo, "Famous" was among the several tracks to receive alterations in West's March 2016 update of the album; changes included a different mix and slightly altered lyrics. On August 6, 2020, rapper Rick Ross played a version with an unreleased verse from him during his Verzuz battle with 2 Chainz.

Critical Acclaim and Commercial Reach

Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot called the song "an example of just how brilliant and infuriating West can be at the same time", noting its controversial Swift-referencing lyric while going on to praise the production and Rihanna's guest vocals. Jayson Greene of Pitchfork wrote that the controversial lyric "feels like a piece of bathroom graffiti made to purposefully reignite the most racially-charged rivalry in 21st-century pop". The Guardian's Alexis Petridis described the song's position on The Life of Pablo as being "a flatly fantastic piece of music that may be the best thing on the album". Time staff named "Famous" one of the best songs of the year 2016. The track was positioned at number 10 on Time's list of 2016's best songs. Slant named it the second best single of 2016. German magazine Juice named it the seventh best international rap song of 2016. The song received Grammy nominations for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017, but ended up losing both to "Hotline Bling" by Canadian rapper and singer Drake.

Visuals and Performance Legacy

In June 2016, West released a music video for "Famous" depicting wax figures of himself, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner and Bill Cosby all sleeping naked in a shared bed. It was released to a polarized response. The wax figures used in the video were later exhibited as a sculpture.