| "Hey Mama" | |
|---|---|
| Song byKanye West | |
| from the albumLate Registration | |
| Released | August 30, 2005 |
| Recorded | 2000–2005 |
| Studio |
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| Genre | Pop,R&B,Bubble gum pop |
| Length | 5:05 |
| Label | |
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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"Hey Mama" is a song by American rapperKanye West from his second studio album,Late Registration (2005). The song includes additional vocals fromJohn Legend. West composed the song in 2000, specifically intending for it to be included on the album. The song was produced by West andJon Brion. Aballad, it contains asample ofDonal Leace's "Today Won't Come Again". In the lyrics of the song, Kanye pays tribute to his mother,Donda West.
"Hey Mama" received generally positive reviews frommusic critics, who mostly praised its musical style. A few commended the sample of "Today Won't Come Again", though critical commentary towards the concept was somewhat mixed. The song reached numbers 9 and 64 on the USBillboardBubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles andHot Canadian Digital Singles charts in 2007 and 2008, respectively. It has since been certifiedgold in the United States by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Kanye West performed the song in memory of Donda throughout hisGlow in the Dark Tour (2008), while he also sang it as a tribute to her at the50th Annual Grammy Awards that year.
The song's production was handled by West, alongside record producer and composerJon Brion.[1] Brion had achieved fame from his distinctive production work for artists and film scores for auteurs, though was lacking experience inhip hop. West became a fan of singer-songwriterFiona Apple whom Brion had produced for; while watching 2004 filmEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he appreciated Brion'sscore.[2] The pair became connected via their mutual friendRick Rubin; West quickly phoned Brion and they instantly formed chemistry with each other. West enlisted him to work onLate Registration, marking Brion's first involvement in a hip hop project, with the decision creating confused reactions across his fanbase.[2] Brion imagined people commenting that West has "gone off his rocker" and envisioning him making "an art record with some crazy, left-field music guy", clarifying this not to be "the case whatsoever".[2] The producer recalled West taking charge of production with his strong vision and mentioned the rapper's "quick, intuitive decisions".[2]
Kanye's motherDonda West helped support his dreams of creating music, following on from him dropping out of college completely. Donda had been aware of Kanye's musical interest for a long time, having accepted his offer for an hour of studio time when he was 13 years old.[3] She worked with the mother of record producerNo I.D., who became Kanye's mentor after they met through her. Speaking of Donda's involvement in his career, Kanye said she "always kept me around music" and "was also my first manager".[3] Kanye has often paid tribute to Donda in his music, especially on "Hey Mama".[3] According to Kanye West, she cried upon her first listen to the song.[4] In June 2003, prior to the release of West's debut studio albumThe College Dropout (2004), he revealed that he had recorded the song in 2000 and was already saving it forLate Registration.[5] In February 2014, West's 2001 demo tapeThe Prerequisite experienced aninternet leak, including the original version of the song.[6]
Musically, "Hey Mama" is aballad.[7] The song is based around asample of the 1972 track "Today Won't Come Again", as written and performed by American musicianDonal Leace.[1][8] Alongside the sample,handclaps are featured throughout.[9] The song also includes a moaningvocoder,Tin Pan Alley-styled drums, and axylophone solo, all of which were contributed by Brion.[9] On thehook, Leace's "la-la-la" vocals from "Today Won't Come Again" arelooped, accompanied by harmonies.[10][11][12] The song closes withsynthesizers, contributed by Brion.[9] Additional vocals are provided on the song by singerJohn Legend.[1][8]
Lyrically, the song serves as a tribute to Donda from Kanye.[13][14] Kanye details how Donda supported him despite him doing the opposite of what she wanted, alongside depicting how he desired nothing due to her hard work as a single parent.[13][15] He makes a promise to Donda of going back to school, as well as pleading to cry. Kanye West also mentions that she had to work at night to keep the lights on.[10]
On August 30, 2005, "Hey Mama" was released as the sixteenth track on West's second studio albumLate Registration.[16] The song was met with generally positive reviews frommusic critics, often being praised for its musical style. Sean Fennessey ofPitchfork saw the song as "traditionally purty" due to the prominence of handclaps and "a flittering sample" of "Today Won't Come Again", labeling it a typical West production and also appreciating "the Brion redux".[9] Reviewing the album forThe Observer, Steve Yates selected the song as a highlight and lauded it as "classic Kanye", alongside stating the "folk-rock vocal" has potential to "net butterflies".[17]The Guardian journalistAlexis Petridis pointed out that the song features "an irresistible hook", viewing the lively harmonies as evokingSimon & Garfunkel.[12]Rolling Stone editorRob Sheffield put forward the song as being "an emotional stunner" akin to West'ssingle "Jesus Walks" (2004) due to him "honor[ing] his mother", applauding how "a simple la-la-la vocal hook" is looped "into a soul-sonic force" that he compared to side two ofPrince'sSign o' the Times (1987).[10] Sheffield further honored the song as the best "family-affair tearjerker" since fellow rapperGhostface Killah's "All That I Got Is You" (1996) because of West's rapping, though questioned the legitimacy of his promise of going back to school.[10] Azeem Ahmad frommusicOMH called the song "chilled", finding it funny how an ode to Donda West features Legend's "unmistakable soulful voice" offering a "low key but perfectly suitable performance".[8] Writing forEntertainment Weekly,David Browne observed that the song conveys the "warmth and soul" of an old single bythe Chi-Lites.[18]
Some reviewers were less impressed with "Hey Mama". Matthew Gasteier ofPrefix Mag was unsure about the lyrical content, seeing it as being largely surpassed by the inventive production.[19] AtThe Observer,Kitty Empire saw the song as the only real threat "to derail [Kanye] West's terrific strike rate" on the album, saying it is "a good tune" despite the bad contrast of "gushing mother-love" with the other lyrical themes.[20] Similarly, veteran criticRobert Christgau wrote inThe Village Voice that the song may be one-dimensional, yet West still offers "an oxymoronic" line prior to "milking [his] oft dissed flow" for rhymes.[21] Hattie Collins provided a negative review forNME, dismissing the song as a "saccharine slowie" andLate Registration's "only misfire", opening up that rapperTupac took on its concept in the early 1990s "with far more panache".[22]
In the United States, the song entered theBillboardBubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart at number nine for the issue date of November 24, 2007.[23] It lasted for one week on the chart.[23] "Hey Mama" was later certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for amassing 500,000 certified units in the US on September 23, 2020.[24] The song also charted in Canada, reaching number 64 on theHot Canadian Digital Singles chart for the issue dated March 1, 2008.[25]
West first performed "Hey Mama" at a homecoming show withDilated Peoples at theHouse of Blues in Chicago on May 5, 2004, prior to its release.[11] On September 9, 2005, West performed the song onThe Oprah Winfrey Show, where the rapper said that it is tattooed on an arm of his and stands among his favorite songs.[26] Kanye West also admitted saving the opportunity to perform the song on the show for Donda, who sat in the front row and described West dedicating it to her as "unbelievable".[26][27] On October 13, 2005, West delivered a performance of "Hey Mama" during a stop atO'Connell Center inGainesville, Florida, on his Touch the Sky tour.[28] West later performed the song for the tour's concert at the theater ofMadison Square Garden in New York City on November 3, while wearing a designer off-white blazer.[11][29]
On November 17, 2007, around a week after Donda's death, Kanye failed to begin a performance of the song atLe Zenith in Paris, attempting an introduction when saying, "This song is for my mother ..." After stopping during the intro, Kanye was comforted by a backup singer, the show's DJ, and a guitar player.[30] Kanye stood and cried, though the band continued to play the song. The rapper later restarted his performance, which he did not manage to finish.[30] On November 24, 2007, Kanye performed the song to a projection of Donda atBrighton Centre inBrighton, England.[31]
For his 2008Glow in the Dark Tour, Kanye performed "Hey Mama" in dedication to Donda and segued from it into a cover ofJourney's "Don't Stop Believin'" (1981).[32][33] When appearing at the2008 Grammy Awards, Kanye West paid tribute to Donda by singing a version of the song with altered lyrics for the ceremony.[34] West had "MAMA" cut into his hair for the performance and during it, he stepped forward as paintings of angels flashed above.[34] Shortly after his performance, West went to the studio and recorded the Grammy version of the song.[35]
For the closer of his headlining set at the 2011Coachella Festival, West performed a rendition of the song.[36][37] During the opening show ofThe Yeezus Tour at theKeyArena inSeattle, West performed the song partially as he wore a sparkling black mask, but failed as fans saw West kneeling down while holding the microphone in an attempt to stand up and keep the performance up.[38] On May 12, 2019, Kanye performed the song in tribute to Donda on Mother's Day at a concert of his group theSunday Service Choir. Kanye opened the concert by walking out to fellow rapper2Pac's single "Dear Mama", before delivering agospel rendition of "Hey Mama". The performance waslivestreamed through the same fisheye perspective as the rapper's April 2019 appearance at Coachella, while he closed his eyes as he performed.[39][40][41]
On April 7, 2015,The Fader obtained footage of Kanye and Donda singing "Hey Mama" together, which concluded with the rapper wrapping an arm around her as they both grinned.[42] On November 10, 2017, the release of West's rivalTaylor Swift's albumReputation coincided with the 10th anniversary of Donda's death, leading to West fans organizing "Hey Mama Day".[43] The event was organized to protest the album's release and block Swift from topping the charts by playing "Hey Mama", with the song gathering around 700,000Spotify streams in 24 hours.[43][44] However, it did not enter any Spotify charts due to the service realizing that the numbers stemmed from repeated listens.[44]
On July 12, 2020, Kanye shared a snippet of his 2021 track "Donda" that is named after his mother viaTwitter, alongside a video. The video features archival footage that shows the Wests rapping "Hey Mama" together. Simultaneously, Kanye's wifeKim Kardashian shared the footage of the Wests rapping.[45]
Information taken fromLate Registration liner notes.[1]
Recording
Personnel
| Chart (2007–2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Hot Canadian Digital Singles (Billboard)[46] | 64 |
| USBubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles (Billboard)[23] | 9 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[24] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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