"Power" (often stylized as "POWER") is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features additional vocals by soul singer Dwele and is co-produced by West and Symbolyc One. It is built around samples of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson, "Afromerica" by Continent Number 6, and "It's Your Thing" by Cold Grits. After having recorded it in Hawaii, West reported that 5,000 man-hours were spent developing "Power". In its lyrics, West comments about the United States, his mental health and his critics. Its chorus features an abrasive vocal-riff.
"Power" was West's comeback single following his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak and his controversial incident with Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. The song received critical acclaim, and was listed among the best tracks of 2010 by several publications, including Time, Pitchfork Media, Spin, and Rolling Stone. Critics described it as a return to form for West, praising its intricate production, lyrical merit, and scope. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 22 and thereafter declined. The track was promoted by a music video, which was directed by Marco Brambilla. The video features a long take of the camera pulling away from West. The video received positive reviews from critics and received two nominations for MTV Video Music Awards. West performed the song on Saturday Night Live, at the 2010 BET Awards, at the 2011 Coachella Music Festival, and his Watch the Throne Tour. A remix of the track featuring Jay-Z was released on August 20, 2010, as a part of West's weekly GOOD Fridays series. On January 6, 2025 the song reached 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Background 2009 was a troubled year for Kanye West, who had faced various controversies, including the divisive nature of his previous album, 808s & Heartbreak and his interruption of country singer-songwriter Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards during her acceptance speech.Callahan-Bever, Noah (2010–12). Kanye West: Project Runaway . Complex. Retrieved on 2010-11-30. West explained that the motivation of some of his questionable decisions stemmed from over-work. The ensuing media controversy caused West to exile himself to Oahu, Hawaii and record his fifth studio album mostly in a reclusive nature, shying away from collaborating with artists he was not personally close to.Columnist (2010-09-03). Kanye West Hiding Out in Milan! . Posh24. Retrieved on 2010-11-30. While composing the album, West assembled a large staff of established producers including Pete Rock, RZA and Q-Tip, with West handling portions of the production himself.Rodriguez, Jayson (2010-05-25). . MTV. Viacom Retrieved on 2010-11-30.
Despite having several well-known producers on his recording team, the majority of the production featured on "Power" was done by the lesser-known Symbolyc One. The song was primarily produced by him and was initially intended to be given to rapper Rhymefest, until West listened to the song and expressed interest in using the beat himself. According to Symbolyc One, West was an admirer of the composition, and asked him to fly down to Hawaii, where he discovered that West had already recorded some of his version of the song. A month later, the producer was asked to return to Hawaii and discovered that the beat had been further modified by West, who added "polish" to the track. Symbolyc One expressed surprise that West was so interested in using the beat, since the song features drums reminiscent of a song from West's Late Registration entitled "Crack Music". S1 would later state that tons of verses didn't make the final cut, as well as there being 8 or 9 different versions of the song itself.
In an outtake from the 2012 documentary Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap directed by rapper Ice-T, West mused that he had never actually written down his lyrics before, and that "Power" represented a turning point in his songwriting process:
I didn't write my raps down for my first four albums—like at all, I did it from the head straight to the booth. But on this last album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I wrote it. I really put myself in the zone that my life was dependent on the success of this album. With that being the case, I said, 'You know what? No matter what anybody says about me, they won't—I can write something that can make someone that hates me the most have to really respect or love the song.' So even a song like 'Power,' I spent 5,000 hours writing it, and it's really the psychology behind the lyrics; it's not just blatantly, 'I've got all the power'—'No one man should have all that power.' It's worded it in a really sensitive way that opens it up for everyone. Even if I use first person and say 'I, I, I,' it's always for everyone.
West also declared influence from his previous singles "Stronger" and "Good Life" from his third album Graduation, stating that the track was meant to be inspirational for the listener. According to West, he wanted his music to be appealing in an economy facing a recession.(2012-10-16). "Kanye West Didn't Write Down His Rhymes Until My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [Video]". XXL Retrieved on 2010-11-30 On June 30, 2010, the single was released on iTunes for digital download. The cover art work for "Power" was produced by American visual artist George Condo, who also designed the artwork for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.Brown, Lane (November 19, 2010). See New Artwork for Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. New York. Retrieved on 2010-11-23. The artwork depicts a decapitated bleeding head wearing a crown, pierced with a sword through it.Haufman, Gil (2010-10-18). Who Is Kanye West Cover Artist George Condo?. MTV. Viacom Retrieved on 2010-11-30. The single had two other alternate cover designs, both produced by Condo. A second one was released featuring a depiction of West with a gaping, demented mouth. In a January 2020 interview with GQ, West claimed that "Power" was his weakest first single to ever be released because he "felt like it was bowing to the expectations". West explained, viewing the track as "the ultimate Kanye West song" but claiming that it was a mix of his previous works, rather than one of his "songs that people never heard before".
Composition
"Power" marked a stylistic return to hip hop for West after the sparse electro of 808s & Heartbreak. It has been described as surreal, frightening, dark, and strange in nature. The production of "Power" centers on samples of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by English progressive rock band King Crimson, "Afromerica" by French disco act Continent Number 6, and "It's Your Thing" by American funk band Cold Grits. The song's production is reinforced with a vocal harmony provided by Dwele, with a line delivery mostly inspired by braggadocio rapping methods.Embling (2010–11). Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | Music Review | Tiny Mix Tapes. Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved on 2011-04-30. The song has been described as dark thematically and was called "apocalyptic."Fennessey, Sean (2010-11-17). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2010-11-17. According to Alex Denney of NME, the track is the first moment of catharsis on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, stating that the track made use of "tribal fanfare and supercharged lyrics". He mused that lines like "I guess every superhero need his theme music" appear to be West's imagining of a warm welcome to heaven.Denney, Alex (2010-11-19). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. NME. Retrieved on 2010-11-22. Pitchfork Media's Ryan Dombal described West's delivery as urgent, summarizing the production:
More than ever, though, "Power" has Kanye internalizing his multiple minds and coming to an ecstatic peace with them. "Power" is not a bitchfest. It's an exaltation. All of his various guises-- King of the Assholes, drama queen, Red Bull'd 12-year-old, Next Chappelle, strangely relatable Megaman-- are mashed up in this proudly schizoid roll call. Every sound is ready for the arena, and every couplet is ready for the 140 character treatment, including this one: "I don't need yo pussy, bitch, I'm on my own dick / I ain't gotta power trip, who you goin' home with?" He knows the answer, and so do we.
The song takes several influences from previous projects by West and was called a summation of his prior styles. The song takes cues from the militant chants of West's song "Jesus Walks" from his first album The College Dropout, the drum-style of "Crack Music" from West's Late Registration, the inspirational aspect of "Stronger" from Graduation and the atmospheric piano and strings featured on 808s & Heartbreak. The chorus is "simultaneously boastful, condemning, and anxious", and anthemic in nature, featuring a wordless vocal chant.Grischow, Chad (November 23, 2010). Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Review – Music Review at IGN . IGN. Retrieved on 2011-04-30. West utilizes a military-inspired, "take-no-prisoner" approach on the song, purposely failing to be apologetic, even going as far as mocking some of his critics. Other topics discussed on the song include social commentary on the state of the United States, and his thoughts on race issues.
The lyrics of the song have been cited as "classic Kanye", featuring many of the traits that have been exhibited in his lyricism in the past. Themes that have defined much of his work, such as egotism, cultural criticism, and personal issues, are featured prominently in the song. West self-described the song as "superhero theme music", with the track darting back from being depressing and bombastic in nature, with the sample occasionally cutting through the song in an abrasive manner. The track seemingly culminates with the suicide of its main character, ending with a menacing laugh provided by West. During an interview with New York radio station Power 105.1, West said he spent thousands of hours working on this carefully crafted song. "A song like 'Power' took 5,000 hours, like literally 5,000 man-hours to do this one record."
Reception Critical response
"Power" received widespread acclaim from music critics upon release, many calling it West's best single in years. Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone gave a positive review to the song, describing it as West's best single since "Stronger", writing that West "rides a torrid whipsaw beat, as he takes on his spelunking media image, pinballing from self-aware ('I'm an asshole') to defiant ('Kiss my asshole'). The sentiment is classic Kanye, but he hasn't melted down this brilliantly in a long time." Jason Lipshutz from Billboard praised the song, saying, "with its stunning mix of rock-leaning production, memorable rhymes and unadulterated attitude, new single 'Power' is a pissed-off shot of adrenaline that plays upon all of the controversial rapper's strengths. Rhyming over a soulful vocal harmony and an abrasive sample of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man," West dismisses his doubters, takes a shot at Saturday Night Live and shrugs off his recent hiatus from hip-hop." Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork Media dubbed the track 'Best New Music' in June 2010, and viewed it as an adequate response to West's self-imposed exile and public scrutiny.