Watching The Throne: A Lyrical Analysis Of Kanye West

A classic Kanye interview—it's what we hope and pray for each day. And today...we have one! That's right, Ye went on Drink Champs and talked about a number of topics, from his beef with Drake (and other people he apparently has beef with) to his relationship with Kim to a host of other social and political topics. And yes, he answered every question in the most Ye way possible. On this episode, we take questions from listeners and run through the best parts of the interview. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In October 2007, Donda West gave an incredible speech where she discussed social justice in the context of both hip hop and her family. And, obviously, that meant talking about her son: Kanye West. Fourteen years later, Ye sampled that speech for the song Donda in the most epic way possible. On this episode, we break down this climactic track and how it kickstarts the final act of the album. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The song Heaven and Hell Is on Earth by 20th Century Steel Band has been sampled dozens of times by the biggest artists in hip hop and R&B—and we can now add Ye to that list. And in classic Kanye fashion, this reference is crucial to understanding both the song Heaven and Hell and the album narrative on Donda. We break it all down in this supersized episode. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can I get through? It's a question many of us face when confronted with grief, with longing, with a desire to move forward—which is why so many people relate to the song Moon. As one of the standout tracks on Donda, Moon represents an important, heavy shift for the album's narrative, as Kanye tries to push beyond dark thoughts and move towards something more positive. Kid Cudi and Don Toliver jump in on this track to help move along that journey with their astoundingly beautiful vocals. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glib...no. Globgobob...no. Globglo...gabgalab? Yes! That's it. That's the bulbous creature we hear at the end of Remote Control. So who exactly is the Globglogabgalab? And why the heck did he replace Kid Cudi on what is perhaps the most divisive track on Donda? Remote Control features some great lyrical wordplay from both Kanye and Young Thug, and continues an important turning point in the album's narrative—and we're going to break it all down on today's episode. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So far on Donda, there's been an overwhelming sense of fear, of antagonism, of disorientation. But 24 is our very first moment of respite—and what a beautiful relief it is. This spare gospel track represents a turning point for Kanye on his latest album, as it signals the spiritual ascension that will soon follow. We go line by line through the song to show how it relates to Kobe Bryant and Kanye's ability to keep moving forward. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sunny melodies. Pop culture references. Lauryn Hill samples. Is this...Old Kanye we hear??? Believe What I Say certainly feels that way after so many dark, grim tracks on Donda. But there are plenty of New Kanye tricks on this song that elevate it to higher levels. On this episode, we get into Kanye's refreshing take on the Kimye divorce and how he felt as his marriage with Kim came to an end. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah has a Drake diss. Ok Ok has a Drake diss. And now Junya...has a Drake diss. Hmm. We're starting to see a pattern. So why is Kanye so obsessed with Drake on this section of the Donda? On this episode, we theorize why the album makes such an antagonistic shift by picking apart the lyrics of what might be Kanye's most perplexing song to date. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Kanye vs. Drake." That standoff has been brewing for quite some time, and it finally reached a head these past few months with the release of Donda and Certified Lover Boy. Of course Drake has thrown his lyrical shots during that period—but Kanye has as well. And Ok Ok is the most direct Kanye has ever been about the feud. On this episode, we discuss the poetry of Kanye's diss, as well as Lil Yachty's dark, disturbing verse and Rooga's passionate cry to move on from such negativity. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who's here when you need a podcast to lean on? We are! And today, we're dissecting one of the heaviest songs of Kanye's career. Jonah navigates a minefield of depression, pain, anger, and suffering—with a possible Drake diss thrown in as well? From the ambient-heavy production to the piercing lyrics, we unpack what might be the most underrated track on Donda. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Decades ago, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote a poem that would become part of a legendary speech from Donda West in 2007—and would later become a guiding light for Kanye West when making music in 2021. Praise God wouldn't exist without Brooks, a famous Black poet from Chicago whose words spoke to Kanye at an incredibly difficult time in his life. And by dissecting the lines in this song and her poem, we can gain crucial insight into the Donda narrative. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm! We have been waiting for this episode since the very beginning. Hurricane—which very well could be the best song on Donda—is jam-packed with beautiful production, intense imagery, and narrative-building lyricism. In addition to all of that, we discuss the conception of the song and how it's changed over the years, Peter walking on water in the Bible, and a possible reference to R.E.M. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could it possibly get than Fivio's gargantuan guest verse? Why yes. Yes it can. Because Kanye West has a few things to say. On this episode, we unpack Ye's legendary closer on Off the Grid and theorize about how it previews several themes we'll continue to see play out on Donda. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you know Watching the Throne, then you know that we LOVE long episodes. So when we decide to split an episode into two parts...we do it for a reason. There was simply too much to unpack in Off the Grid, so for Part 1 we're strictly going to focus on Playboi Carti and Fivio's verses. Notoriety, materialism, power struggles, projection, pressure—there's a host of topics to get into before we pick apart Kanye's legendary verse. So let's do this. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So you think God Breathed is a long, pointless, and boring song? Well, do we have a treat for you! In this extra-long episode, we shed light on what is actually a deeply layered and sonically complex song that's incredibly important in setting up the Donda narrative. Kanye West would be proud of this episode. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guess who's explaining Jail tonight? We are! Moving on from Donda Chant into the first official song on Donda, we find Kanye and JAY-Z trapped in a symbolic jail they must work their way out of. In this episode, we discuss what that jail means for both Kanye and Jay, who have both suffered from rocky marriages, and how that lays the foundation for the album narrative moving forward. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcoming to Watching the Throne. Throoone. Throoooone. Throne. Where we analyze Kanye West. And this season, we're dissecting his newest album, Donda. And what better place to start than with Donda Chant! If you can believe it, we spend over an hour talking about this very meaningful and very important and very meditative opener. #Kanye #Donda If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pop the champagne, because we just got a new Kanye album...which also means it's time for another season of Watching the Throne! Season 7 will be entirely dedicated to what we already consider to be Kanye's magnum opus: Donda. Throughout the season, we are going to run through every single line on every single song and piece together the themes and narratives at hand. In this initial episode, we hypothesize what they think the album is doing—all before we rank every single song on Donda. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's finally here! Kanye's latest album, Donda, dropped in the early hours of Sunday morning. And for the past day-and-a-half, Chris and Travis have been listening and trying to process their feelings about what could be Kanye's magnum opus. On this episode, they talk through their first impressions of Donda and preview the podcast's upcoming season. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We just got back from the Kanye's DONDA listening party in Chicago and...we've got some mixed emotions. And we're ready to talk about it. Join us! #Kanye #KanyeWest #DONDA If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices