Kanye West has declared that his song, “New Slaves,” which featured on his recent album, Yeezus, contains the best rap verse of all time.
West made the revelation via his Twitter page over the weekend, where he wrote, “I open the debate… The 2nd verse of “New Slaves” is the best rap verse of all time… meaning… OF ALL TIME IN THE HISTORY OF RAP MUSIC, PERIOD.”
The song features references to the song “Strange Fruit,” which was originally a poem by school teacher Abel Meeropol, but was made famous by Billie Holiday after she released it in 1939.
The track revolves around the racist lynchings in 1930s America, and Nina Simone’s version of the song is sampled on West’s “Blood on the Leaves,” which is also Yeezus.
The verse that Kanye West referenced includes the lyrics , “I throw these Maybach keys/ I wear my heart on the sleeve/ I know that we the new sleeves/ I see the blood on the leaves,” as well as the rather suggestive, “F*** you and your Hampton house/ I’ll f*** your Hampton spouse/ C*** on her Hampton blouse/ And in her Hampton mouth.”
Of course, West’s declaration caused controversy, and various fans were quick to lambast him for his thoughts. MTL Hope Deezy stated, “@kanyewest you are one crazy b******” whilst Ray the Creator joked, “STOP TAKING DRUGS MAN. @kanyewest.”
It was also retweeted 36,000 times, however some artists agreed with West’s thoughs. Chuck D, the Public Enemy frontman, stated, “@kanyewest yup it’s a lot to think about. Solid execution indeed.”
Others were more cynical, with @kachisxd, stating, “Yeah and by the way, Kanye West just made y’all go listen to the “New Slaves” track by dole. #OkBye.”
Do you agree with Kanye West ? Do you think that his song, “New Slaves,” features the greatest rap verse of all time?