Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Pressed up as a promo 12" well before the release of The College Dropout, and also available on the underground mixtape Get Well Soon, "Through the Wire" is an extremely bold move for an accomplished, oft-imitated producer. Hysterical and heartbreaking at once, the song expresses what was running through Kanye West's head as he recuperated from a life-threatening car accident. In fact, it was recorded during his convalescence, while his jaw was wired shut. Even with the inevitable slur, his words ring loud and clear: "I drink a Boost for breakfast/A Ensure for diz-zurt/Somebody order pancakes/I just sip the siz-zurp"; "In the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died/The doctor said I had blood clots, but I ain't Jamaican, man/Story on MTV and I ain't tryin' to make a band." In a year that saw a few of his biggest collaborations to date -- such as Ludacris' "Stand Up" and Talib Kweli's "Get By" -- "Through the Wire" likewise boasts amped-up, handclap-happy production, assisted significantly by the chorus from Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire," which gets run through West's signature hyper-speed processing. Whether or not it was intended, the song perfectly aided West's sculpting of dual status as underdog and champion, keeping one foot in the underground while another remained in the mainstream. B-side "Two Words," featuring Mos Def and Roc-A-Fella labelmate Freeway, is almost as devastating and will surely make for another College Dropout highlight (two words: violin solo).
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr124,99/month
Tom Keane, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist - Cynthia Weil, ComposerLyricist - MANNY MARROQUIN, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - David W. Foster, ComposerLyricist - Francis Graham, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2003 UMG Recordings, Inc.
D. Smith, ComposerLyricist - R. Wilson, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - C. Wilson, ComposerLyricist - Mos Def, FeaturedArtist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Miri Ben-Ari, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - The Boys Choir Of Harlem, Additional Vocals, FeaturedArtist, AssociatedPerformer - L. WILSON, ComposerLyricist - Freeway, FeaturedArtist - Leslie Pridgen, ComposerLyricist - Keith Slattery, Additional Keyboards, Recording Engineer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Marc Fuller, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2003 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Pressed up as a promo 12" well before the release of The College Dropout, and also available on the underground mixtape Get Well Soon, "Through the Wire" is an extremely bold move for an accomplished, oft-imitated producer. Hysterical and heartbreaking at once, the song expresses what was running through Kanye West's head as he recuperated from a life-threatening car accident. In fact, it was recorded during his convalescence, while his jaw was wired shut. Even with the inevitable slur, his words ring loud and clear: "I drink a Boost for breakfast/A Ensure for diz-zurt/Somebody order pancakes/I just sip the siz-zurp"; "In the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died/The doctor said I had blood clots, but I ain't Jamaican, man/Story on MTV and I ain't tryin' to make a band." In a year that saw a few of his biggest collaborations to date -- such as Ludacris' "Stand Up" and Talib Kweli's "Get By" -- "Through the Wire" likewise boasts amped-up, handclap-happy production, assisted significantly by the chorus from Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire," which gets run through West's signature hyper-speed processing. Whether or not it was intended, the song perfectly aided West's sculpting of dual status as underdog and champion, keeping one foot in the underground while another remained in the mainstream. B-side "Two Words," featuring Mos Def and Roc-A-Fella labelmate Freeway, is almost as devastating and will surely make for another College Dropout highlight (two words: violin solo).
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 2 track(s)
- Total length: 00:08:57
- Main artists: Kanye West
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Roc-A-Fella
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2003 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2003 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.