| "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byKanye West | ||||
| from the albumThe Life of Pablo | ||||
| Released | June 7, 2016 (2016-06-07) | |||
| Recorded | 2015–2016 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:16 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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| "Pt. 2" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byKanye West | ||||
| from the albumThe Life of Pablo | ||||
| Released | June 7, 2016 (2016-06-07) | |||
| Recorded | 2015–2016 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:10 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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"Father Stretch My Hands" is a pair of songs by American rapperKanye West from his seventh studio album,The Life of Pablo (2016). They are split into two parts on the album: "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2". "Pt. 1" contains vocals by American rapperKid Cudi and AmericanR&B singerKelly Price, alongside production fromMike Dean,Metro Boomin, andRick Rubin, while "Pt. 2" includes vocals from American rapperDesiigner and American musicianCaroline Shaw, alongside returning production from Rubin and new production from Menace. Prior to release, the latter was played by West for Desiigner when the two met.
On June 7, 2016, both parts of "Father Stretch My Hands" were sent to USrhythmic contemporary radio stations throughGOOD Music andDef Jam as a two-partsingle, standing as the second single fromThe Life of Pablo. Both parts of the songsamplegospel musician and preacherT. L. Barrett's track "Father I Stretch My Hands"; "Pt. 2" remixes Desiigner's song "Panda" and features a sample of asound clip from the 1991 video gameStreet Fighter II. West raps about models in his "Pt. 1" verse and delivers confessions in his "Pt. 2" verse.
"Father Stretch My Hands" received widespread acclaim from music critics, with praise mostly being directed towards theT. L. Barrett sample and Metro Boomin's producer tag placement in "Pt. 1" and West's verse on "Pt. 2". The former was listed among the best songs of 2016 by multiple publications, includingComplex andHipHopDX. It was an Award-Winning R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Song at the 2017 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, and was among the 35 Most Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at the 2017BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. Both parts of the song charted in theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom,Sweden, theNetherlands,Ireland, andCanada in 2016. "Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2" have since been certifiedsextuple platinum and platinum, respectively, by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States, while both respective parts have been certified silver by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the United Kingdom.
A reinterpretation of "Pt. 1", produced by West, was released under the title of "Father Stretch" by his gospel groupSunday Service Choir, specifically on their debut studio album,Jesus Is Born (2019). It lacks sexually explicit lyrics and includes more elements of the gospel than the original. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. The majority of them commented on the song's development from the original, while some critics noted its appeal to certain audiences. The song peaked at number ten on the USBillboardGospel Songs chart in 2020.
West andKid Cudi had collaborated on several tracks before "Pt. 1"; their first collaboration was the former's 2008 track "Welcome to Heartbreak".[1]Desiigner met West in front ofLos Angeles International Airport after West called him to arrange a meeting, and West played "Pt. 2" for Desiigner in his car.[2] In an interview withThe Fader, Desiigner said about hissingle "Panda" being sampled by West in the track: "He just took my song and was like, 'I love it.'"[2]Caroline Shaw was approached backstage by West, who asked for her phone number, at a 2014Roomful of Teeth performance ofPartita for 8 Voices.[3] Originally uninterested in a collaboration, Shaw changed her mind two weeks later after listening to West's 2008 album808s & Heartbreak and released aremix of the album's song "Say You Will" in October 2015.[3] In addition to "Pt. 2", Shaw recorded vocals forThe Life of Pablo's "Wolves".[3]
A one-hour remix of "Father Stretch My Hands" was shared by West at the June 26, 2016 premiere of themusic video for his single, "Famous".[4] West tweeted a picture of the song's lyrics shortly before the album was released, and said that he cried when he wrote it.[5] Two days after the album's release, West tweeted thanks to musicianDrake for helping him write "Pt. 1" and the album track "30 Hours", and simultaneously promised more music with Drake and rapperFuture.[6]
OnThe Life of Pablo, "Father Stretch My Hands" is split into two parts: "Pt. 1" with vocals by Kid Cudi andKelly Price, and "Pt. 2" with vocals by Desiigner and Caroline Shaw.[7] It is ahip hop andart pop song; "Pt. 1" also incorporatesgospel music, and "Pt. 2" moves towardstrap music.[8][9] "Pt. 1" heavily samples "Father I Stretch My Hands" byT. L. Barrett, and its lyrics are centered around models.[10][8] "Pt. 1" segues into "Pt. 2", a soul-baring confessional dance track which begins with a sampledsound clip of the announcer of the 1991 video gameStreet Fighter II yelling 'Perfect!'.[8][11] "Pt. 2" has a verse by West before it transitions to two verses sampled from Desiigner's song, "Panda", which is about drug-dealing and cars. After resolving into a meditative piece spoken on avocoder by Shaw, the song ends with a snippet of T. L. Barrett's track.[8][12]
West raps in "Pt. 1", "Now, if I fuck this model/ And she justbleached her asshole/ And I get bleach on my T-shirt/ I'ma feel like an asshole"; although co-writerChance the Rapper denied responsibility for the lyrics, he expressed respect for them and viewed West as a comedian in the studio.[13][14] On an episode ofBET's video seriesRate The Bars, hip hop artistRhymefest remembered leaving the studio after hearing West come up with the bleached-asshole lyrics.[13] RapperKendrick Lamar was originally slated to appear on "Pt. 1", although his vocals were removed from the final version and a demo of the song surfaced onSoundCloud in March 2018 that included him rapping.[15] At the time, West sent out a tweet instating "Me and Kendrick got 40 songs, and me andYoung Thug got 40 songs."[15]
After the release ofThe Life of Pablo, West announced plans to change the album during 2016 with new mixes, tweaks, and additions; Def Jam, his label, called it "a living, evolving art project."[16] Some songs experienced greater changes than others, and both parts of "Father Stretch My Hands" received minor updates. They included new background vocals near the end of West's verse in "Pt. 1"; the production (and West's vocals) on "Pt. 2" were smoothed out and emphasized more.[16][17]
"Father Stretch My Hands" was released on February 14, 2016, as the second and third track on West's seventh studio album,The Life of Pablo, as "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2" respectively.[7][18] On June 7 of that year, both parts of the song were serviced to USrhythmic contemporary radio stations throughGOOD Music andDef Jam as a two-part single.[19]
"Father Stretch My Hands" was met with general acclaim from music critics. Jordan Hoffman ofVanity Fair stated that the T. L. Barrett sample is "the sort of perfect sample that makes dealing with West's enormous ego worth it: a unique, distant, strangely familiar sound re-contextualized in a modern groove."[20]Spin's Sheldon Pearce wrote about the sample, "Kanye West tweeted thatThe Life of Pablo was a gospel album during one of his longer stream-of-consciousness fits and that certainly can be taken literally – the samples of the Pastor T. L. Barrett's 'Father I Stretch My Hands', sermons from Kirk Franklin." Kyle McGovern, also fromSpin, pointed towards West's verse on "Pt. 2" as one of the album's "flashes of vintage 'Ye" because of its "references to his childhood and life-changing car wreck."[21]
Alicia Adejobi from theInternational Business Times also praised West's rapping in the verse for him being "unapologetic about mistakes he may have made and the most notable moments in his personal life," noting the track's "incredible production fromMetro Boomin."[22] ARESPECT. staff member wrote that Kid Cudi's hook on "Pt. 1" "is one of the most amazing things I've heard in a while," and called West "the most reckless rapper alive" for the bleached-asshole lyric.[23] The lyric was included in a January 2017Complex list of the worst sex lyrics in rap history.[24]
Complex listed "Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2" as the third and 13th best songs of 2016, respectively.[25] OnThe Fader's list of the 115 Best Songs Of 2016, "Pt. 1" ranked at number 19.[26] The song was placed at number 13 onHotNewHipHop's list of the year's 50 hottest songs.[27] It was listed at number three onHipHopDX's 50 Best Songs Of 2016, with the staff writing that "Kanye proved that saying the most nonsensical things could equate to arguably the most memorable verse of the year."[28] The song also achieved the same ranking on the 25 best tracks of 2016 list byDummy Mag, with Alex Morris of the magazine directing praise towards the T. L. Barrett sample and Kid Cudi's chorus.[29] "Pt. 1" appeared on the "Award-Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" and "Award-Winning Rap Songs" lists at the 2017 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards,[30] and was one of the 35 Most Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at the 2017BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.[31]Complex listed "Pt. 1" as the third-best collaboration between West and Kid Cudi in 2017.[32] In 2018,Billboard named it Cudi's second best ever feature.[33]
When West was on set to shoot the music video for Desiigner's single, "Panda" in May 2016, a May 11vine posted byLuka Sabbat indicated that West was also filming a video for "Pt. 2";[34] a month earlier, he had shot one forThe Life of Pablo track "Waves".[34] The Vine contained West, on amonitor, rapping portions of "Pt. 2" over the caption "2 times".[35] The video had nearly 33,000 plays in 11 hours, and was deleted within 24 hours of its upload.[35][36] No music video had been released or spoken of by February 2018, leading to the belief that it was a rumor.[37]
At the end of the music video for fellowLife of Pablo track "Famous", "Pt. 1" plays, with the backdrop of a sunset while the song plays.
"Pt. 1" charted in six countries. WhenThe Life of Pablo was released, the song charted at number 37 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart before it was released as a single.[38] "Pt. 1" debuted during the same week at number 54 on theUK Singles Chart, though was predicted by theOfficial Charts Company to enter at number 56 on the chart.[39][40] Simultaneously with the debut, it reached number 17 on the UK Official Trending Chart.[40] As of October 24, 2019, the song ranks as West's 27th most successful track of all time on the UK Singles Chart.[41] The song performed similarly in Canada to the United Kingdom, charting at number 51 on theCanadian Hot 100 and spending four weeks on the chart.[42] On theIrish Singles Chart, the track reached number 74 the week the album was released.[43] It entered theSwedish nationalrecord chart (Sverigetopplistan) at number 79 whenThe Life of Pablo was released,[44] and debuted that week at number 97 on theDutch Top 40.[45] "Pt. 1" was West's eighth number-one on the USBillboardR&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, on October 20, 2016.[46] The song was certified platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2023, for sales of 600,000equivalent unites in the UK,[47] and was certifiedsix-times platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 6,000,000 certified units in the US on February 15, 2024.[48]
"Pt. 2" performed similarly to "Pt. 1", also charting in six countries. It entered the USBillboard Hot 100 and the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart withThe Life of Pablo's release, debuting at numbers 54 and 18 respectively.[38] The song reached number 70 on the UK Singles Chart that week.[49] As of October 26, 2019, the song stands as West's 40th most successful track of all time on the chart.[41] The track debuted at number 60 on the Canadian Hot 100 when the album was released, spending three weeks on the chart.[50] During the same week, it reached number 87 on the Irish Singles Chart.[43] The track debuted at number 95 on the Sverigetopplistan chart whenThe Life of Pablo was released, and charted at number 100 on the Dutch Top 40 that week.[51][52] "Pt. 2" was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1,000,000 certified units in the US on February 1, 2018.[37] This was nearly two years after the single's release and the song became the first track fromThe Life of Pablo to achieve the certification in the US.[37] On November 8, 2019, the song was certified silver by the BPI for selling 200,000 equivalent units in the UK.[53]
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West first performed "Pt. 2" live at the Paradise International Music Festival in 2016.[54] He sang a medley which includedKid Cudi's vocals from "Pt. 1" (a tribute for him, who was in rehab) over the instrumental of "Waves" on October 25, 2016, inInglewood, California during theSaint Pablo Tour;HipHopDX shared a recording of the performance onInstagram.[55]Chance the Rapper covered "Pt. 1" at the 2017Governors Ball Music Festival, where he also covered the album tracks "Waves" and "Ultralight Beam".[56] West and Kid Cudi unexpectedly performed "Pt. 1" in Los Angeles on August 17, 2018, in addition to "Ghost Town" from West's albumYe (2018).[57] When West and Kid Cudi performed live at the 2018Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival asKids See Ghosts, they opened their set with "Pt. 1".[58]
"Pt. 1" spawned a number ofinternet memes, including Future's tagline for producerMetro Boomin's entrance on the song: "If young Metro don't trust you I'm gon' shoot you."[59][60] Due to the memes and the astounding acclaim for the production and his tagline, Metro Boomin went on to spawn several hit albums likeSavage Mode,Heroes & Villains, and the double albumsWe Don't Trust You andWe Still Don't Trust You with rapperFuture while additionally curating and executively producing thesoundtrack forSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.[61]
WhenDrake rapped "Duppy Freestyle" in May 2018, he referred toThe Life of Pablo tracks "Pt. 1" and "30 Hours", and his West andJay-Z-featuring single "Pop Style" as a poke at the rapper.[62]
| "Father Stretch" | |
|---|---|
| Song bySunday Service Choir | |
| from the albumJesus Is Born | |
| Released | December 25, 2019 (2019-12-25) |
| Recorded | 2019 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 5:52 |
| Label |
|
| Songwriters | As noted earlier; new lyric writers unknown |
American gospel groupSunday Service Choir recorded a reinterpretation of "Pt. 1" under the title of "Father Stretch", with the reinterpretation being produced by West.[63][64] "Father Stretch" was released on December 25, 2019, as the sixth track on Sunday Service Choir's debut studio albumJesus Is Born.[65] The song brings back the beat of the original version, though it excludes the sexually explicit lyrics and includes more gospel elements.[66] Particularly, the song has been noted for its exclusion of the original's "bleached asshole" lyrics.[63][67][68] The refrain of the song demonstrates how far-reaching the love ofGod is, with the refrain comparing one's blessings to being "As countless as the stars."[66] The comparison references theAbrahamic covenant that saw God make a promise toAbraham for as many descendants as there are stars.[66]
"Father Stretch" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly noted its development of "Pt. 1". The song was described by Bianca Gracie fromBillboard as making the original version of it "even more captivating."[69] Rhian Daly ofNME cited the song as being among what draws fans of West into the album and called the song "perhaps obviously, radically different from what it once was," while noting the song as building on the T. L. Barrett sample.[67] Similarly, Dean Van Nguyen fromThe Guardian listed the song as one of the most interesting parts ofJesus Is Born for West's fans and noted that it "develops the rap song's gospel overtures."[70]ClashMusic's Laviea Thomas branded the song as a "distinctive" rendition of "Pt. 1".[71] Neil Z. Yeung fromAllMusic noted it for being a fresh take on the latter.[65] In a mixed review, Daniel Bromfield fromSpectrum Culture wrote that "the space on 'Father Stretch' where we expect to hear his famous bleached asshole line is gaping" and claimed that the song will only be preferred to the original by parents.[68]
Commercially, "Father Stretch" experienced a minor reception. In the week of the album's release, the song debuted at number 20 on the USBillboardGospel Songs chart.[72] The song climbed ten places to number ten in its second week on the chart with 759,000 streams, becoming the highest charting track fromJesus Is Born.[73] This gave Sunday Service Choir their first track to reach the top ten of the US Gospel Songs chart.[73]
Credits are adapted fromTidal and may be incomplete because official liner notes forJesus Is Born have not been released yet.[74]
Credits adapted from West's website:[7]
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| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | June 7, 2016 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | [19] |
