Kanye West, contrary to what some of his lyrics may say, is just a mortal man. After waltzing into the most controversial era of his career thus far (which is saying something) and a sharp turn into religious indoctrination, this fact has never been more clear.
Nevertheless, West's body of work remains immaculate; a run of earth-shattering, genre-defining work that has few - if any - worthy comparisons, certainly not in this millennium. Hell, he's built a tremendous empire of wealth too. Fortunately (or perhaps, unfortunately), there were plenty to choose from. Below you will find a list that includes work from almost all of his studio albums, his collaborative masterpiece with JAY-Z, Watch the Throne, and a standalone single here or there. Deciding on the top 10 alone took us hours of deliberation; when an artist makes nothing but masterpieces, it becomes increasingly challenging to critique one against the other. Still, we have done it.
Here are the 45 Best Kanye West Songs of All Time.
45. "Homecoming"
Incredible piano riff, Chris Martin of Coldplay on the chorus, recorded at Abbey Road studios in London, likening his Chicago hometown to a long lost girlfriend, what more do you need from this classic Kanye cut?
44. "Get Em High"
While Kanye has a plethora of tracks exploring the depths of human existence, sometimes you just need a song to pass a joint around to, and “Get Em High” delivers. Talib Kweli watched Kanye whip up the incredibly dank beat in 15 minutes, and ended up hopping on the track last minute, with Common’s verses already recorded. Although the Clipse-esque beat isn’t representative of Kanye at his most inventive, it’s a damn good soundtrack to fill the room with smoke.
43."SELAH"
I've heard so many unreleased versions of this track, and this version is not even the best. Nonetheless, this is arguably the best track on Jesus is King. It's a hard-hitting intro that beautifully incorporates the Sunday Service Choir paired with one of Kanye's most passionate performances on the album. But when it comes to Ye's catalog, it is nowhere near his best song.
42. "FML"
“FML” is Kanye at his most candid, self-aware and impassioned. Accompanied with a stellar feature from The Weeknd, who rides “FML”’s beat perfectly, the track is one of the most vivid journeys into the mesmerizing mindset of the musician—and one of the best Kanye songs yet. The double entendre of the title focuses on Ye’s lust and love - he’s arguably still not sure which one will conquer which. And that spectral outro? Utterly haunting and fucking brilliant.
41. "The New Workout Plan"
Sometimes Kanye’s got a sense of humor, and when he does it’s glorious. His satire of workout mixtapes is a certified jam, but also serves as a commentary on the ridiculous demands put on women to look good. The music video is a campy delight, featuring the forever iconic Anna Nicole Smith as well as Tracie Ellis Ross pretending to be a French video girl.
40. "Ghost Town"
The quality of ye seems irrevocably tied to the tumultuous release that delivered it unto the world, but it's not without its pleasures. First and foremost of these is "Ghost Town," the record's dazzling emotional peak – it is the only time on the album that Kanye's hubris feels justified by the craft on display. And, if nothing else, it will forever be enshrined as a showcase for 070 Shake's show-stopping guest spot.
39. "Real Friends"
The transition from “FML” into “Real Friends” is a thing of beauty. Remember when this song dropped on Ye’s SoundCloud before the album dropped? It created social media bedlam, and uncontrollable excitement from even Ye’s harshest of critics. It remains one of those songs you play with your day ones mid-session, bleary eyed as the morning light trickles in... head nods... not needing to say anything... just knowing looks aplenty. One for the ages.
38. "Fade"
Classic Chicago house samples and a dash of Autotune with an exultant drum breakdown. What. a. jam. Plus, that iconic Teyana Taylor video. One of the best Kanye West songs and videos of all time.
37. "Send It Up"
There are a veritable Greek chorus’ worth of bizarre guests teleporting in from various other musical worlds on Yeezus to assault the listener, but few have the immediacy of the presence of King Louie. His wild cackle is married to what can only be described as an air raid siren in the song’s opening moments, but it is at the end, after an excellent verse from Ye, that we are left with one of the album’s most mysteriously reflective ruminations, delivered atop a jarring beat: “Memories don’t live like people do.”
36. "Hey Mama"
"Hey Mama" was originally a beautiful dedication to his mother when Ye dropped it on Late Registration. It then manifested into an utterly timeless tear-jerker after Ye performed the track at the Grammys in 2008, after Donda had just passed. Poignant and powerful, it’s impossible to watch that rendition and not and get chills running up your spine.
35. "Everything I Am"
Linking up with DJ Premier for this motivational master-stroke, “Everything I Am” is one of Yeezy’s most-underrated songs from Graduation (and on this list.) Twinkling piano, Premier’s scratching and brilliantly introspective lyrics all make for an absolutely golden combination. Distinctly Chicago, distinctly superb.
34. "Gorgeous"
Juxtaposing beautiful production alongside scathing critique of American racial injustice, “Gorgeous” actually depicts the ugliness of an America which continues to overlook minority rights - particularly with Donald Trump in charge now. Best bar? Malcolm West snapping on “What’s a black Beatle anyway, a fucking roach?” Genius.
33. "On Sight"
The opening track to Kanye’s seventh studio album, “On Sight” is a full-on audio assault of an introduction to the world of Yeezus. Daft Punk’s metallic synths waft in on the track, and blown-out drums provide the backdrop for a fired-up Yeezy. Although less than three minutes long, it’s emblematic of Kanye’s constant quest to innovate not only his own tracks, but contemporary music as a whole.
32. "Good Morning"
Both the best possible song to open Graduation and absolutely the best song to start your day, “Good Morning” is disarmingly simple and incredibly potent. Whether it’s facing the sort of life-changing event like the graduation of its lyrics or easing yourself out of a particularly rough patch, this song is here, a healing salve for all wounds.
31. "Wash Us in the Blood"
The rumors around Kanye's 10th studio album were wild, but one of the most interesting rumors was that the project would sound like Yeezus meets Jesus is King. I was like, "how Sway?" — but "Wash Us in the Blood" was exactly that. The track is aggressive and stripped-down but centers around Kanye's newfound faith. It works without coming off as insincere. I just wish Jesus is King sounded like this.
30."True Love"
Yes, the late XXXTENTACION has some pretty horrendous allegations against him. He was an artist very much plagued by his demons — demons that also fueled his art. However, it can also not be ignored that 1. He had the power to write some beautiful genre-bending music. 2. Towards the end of his life, X was working hard to be a better human being. Focusing on the former, I believe this is the X's strongest and most gut-wrenching hooks. Pair that with that Ye's equally reflective lyrics on his divorce from Kim Kardashian, and you have one of the best break-up rap songs I have heard in a while.
29. Off the Grid"
The chaos around this album kept my expectations relatively low regarding the quality of DONDA. Boy, was I wrong. I lost my shit when I heard "Off the Grid." The track is not even the hardest-hitting track on DONDA, but it's phenomenal. It features the thing I love most about Kanye — his ability to elevate his supporting cast while giving us his take on a current music trend. Not only did Fivio Foreign float on this beat, giving us some of the best bars on the album, but Ye also came in and showed us that he can still go toe to toe with any of the youths.
28. Praise God"
I'm not happy to see what Tik Tok turned this into. It trivializes it a bit, but this could just be showing my age. I digress. "Praise God" was another fan favorite from DONDA. I absolutely love the minimal heavy drums with the pulsing church strings off in the distance. Kanye and Travis's chemistry carries the first half of the track while Baby Keem gives us a verse with his beloved baby voice. This track just works.
27. "Mercy"
“It is a weepin’ and a moanin’ and a gnashing of teeth” goes what was surely the darkest sample to hover out of car radios in the summer of 2012. This is the cream of the crop for the G.O.O.D. Music and Kanye West best songs subgenre of his catalog. On "Mercy," the outing is a pitch-black work of show and tell; no matter how absurdist the bars coming out of Big Sean, Pusha-T, and 2 Chainz are, their humor is obscured by the cryptically foreboding production that surrounds them. Until light comes in the form of Mr. West, descending down from the heavens as a radiant chorus delivers him unto us, the mere mortals lost in endless suffering. He is a merciful lord indeed.
26. “Famous”
Remember when this track single-handedly ruined any credibility Taylor Swift ever had? Good times. “Famous” is production dynamite, with that Sister Nancy sample representing one of Ye’s best chops in recent times. Rihanna embodies fame itself on her brief appearances on the track, and Ye is at his braggadocious best on this bountiful beat.
25. “Love Lockdown”
“Love Lockdown” is the pulsing, bleeding focal point of 808s & Heartbreak; the torn heart of an album that is in itself a torn heart. That beat stays the same, gliding evenly throughout the track even as it is attacked by bouts of forceful piano, hand-claps, drums, and Kanye casually revolutionizing a tool called Autotune. Looking back years later, it holds up as one of the best Kanye songs of all time and shows how revolutionary Ye was years before Autotune would take over music. It ends as it began, with that beat, a pressing reminder of the utter devastation that lies beneath it all.
24. “Blame Game”
It’s tracks like this that re-affirm the fact that Ye was in a completely different stratosphere to any other artist when he dropped MBDTF. Juggling his love/hate relationship with his special others (fame/females), it also contains one of the best skits in hip-hop history from Chris Rock. Yeezy taught us well.
23. “Bound 2”
Quite possibly one of the most despised music videos of all time, “Bound 2” is canonical Kanye. Passing through hyperreal pastoral landscapes wearing tie-dye and plaid shirts on a motorcycle ride with his dream girl Kim, Kanye distorts classic Americana tropes into his own utopian vision. Unlike the rest of Yeezus, Kanye is back to his sampling ways with soaring gospel vocals, but he ingeniously juxtaposes the old school vibes with a blown-out bass line on the chorus.
22. “Good Life”
“Good Life,” simply, was Kanye at his happiest. Alongside the effervescent and on-form T-Pain, it remains one of Ye’s most uplifting tunes. And props to T-Pain for shouting out his affectionate Grandma.
21. “All of the Lights”
Another triumphant banger from the pantheon of the best Kanye West songs. That full orchestra arrangement, those drums?! Truly a team effort, The-Dream wrote the hook, and Rihanna, Fergie, Alicia Keys, La Roux and Elton John (?!) lent their vocals to the track.
20. “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”
Kanye has become infamous for finding the most obscure samples to cull beats from, so for him to pluck a theme song as-is from a film in one of the most successful franchises in cinematic history makes this track something of an anomaly. But the big band instrumentation utilized in John Barry’s James Bond score proved to fit in with fellow film composer Jon Brion’s work on Late Registration like pieces of a puzzle. It works so well that even Kanye’s most explicitly activist lyrics of his career fit into the picture without fuss.
19. “Ultralight Beam”
Kanye called The Life of Pablo his ‘gospel album,’ but that description really only applies to this track, one of the most experimental and haunting tracks he has ever put to tape. In between vast silences that seem to last for hours, a synth warble resembling an underwater organ hazily floats to the surface. And despite functioning as an opening statement, he’s barely present; this song belongs to the awe-inducing work of gospel legends like Kirk Franklin and, of course, that king-making verse from Chance the Rapper. It’s the sound of Ye simultaneously honoring his inspirations and crowning the next generation.
18. “All Falls Down”
I pined and I pined for this to make top 10. The unforgettable guitar riff. The legendary video where Kanye goes through the X-Ray machine. Kanye talking about materialism, societal flaws AND an introverted look at his own insecurities... in 2004? Benchmark-setting genius.
Built on a Lauryn Hill sample that was allowed by the songstress - but only if she wasn’t singing - Ye instead recruited Syleena Johnson, who was reportedly in the recording studio opposite him when he was producing the track, so used her instead at the last minute. “All Falls Down” is one of the best Kanye songs in his repertoire and ironically underpins Kanye’s rise to being one of the greatest artists of all time.
17. “New Slaves”
Like many others, my first association of Yeezus was sneaking out in the dark of night to catch one of the croppings of secret projections displayed on buildings around the world. What appeared was a ghoulish visage of Kanye’s face stretched to billboard size, rasping the lyrics to a song I’d later learn was called “New Slaves,” his eyes full of a purposeful fire. Even now, years later, I see his eyes as I listen, channeling a righteous and furious anger built from centuries of oppression. His message, taken seriously from the first, has become prophetic.
16. “Monster”
Acknowledging both his status as a controversial figure and his desire to create an incredibly successful hit, “Monster” balances Kanye’s increasingly avant-garde production style with his cultivated pop sensibility. Bon Iver’s on the intro and outro, JAY-Z and Rick Ross hop on the track, and Nicki Minaj comes in with one of the greatest verses of all time, ever.
15. "Black Skinhead"
In an alternate universe, Ye fronts a punk band, and “Black Skinhead” is the best Kanye West song he's ever produced. It also happens to be the song that he frequently smashes his guitar to. High-octane and cathartic, he casually throws in anti-racism and anti-establishment sentiments while solidifying his status as rap god.
14. "Slow Jamz"
One of the most nostalgic songs of all time. “Slow Jamz” immediately transports you back to the most halcyon of days whenever it’s played. The song name itself pretty much spawned its own genre. On countless sex and party starter playlists - it invokes ALL the feels. Whether it’s that timeless Michael Jackson bar, or Twista taking over from Kanye to mesmerizingly ride the beat with his incessant flow, this one is an absolute classic in every sense of the word.
13. “POWER”
Ye deliberately steered away from making something radio-friendly on the opus that is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but “POWER” is the closest thing we have on the record resembling the structure of a pop song. But even by those standards, this track is an entirely different beast. With a beat that could quake the earth, a sample of infinitely melismatic war chants, and a barrage of one liners that rain down like bullets (“At the end of the day/ God damn it I’m killing this shit”), this is Kanye firing on all cylinders; the most decadent effort on an album of maximalism. No wonder he has to end the song by jumping out the window.
12. “Touch the Sky
Another early classic, “Touch the Sky” samples Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up” and its slowed-down horns are a perfect compliment to Blaze’s massive drums. But it's the way Ye switches from a smooth flow to non-Autotuned vocals with ease that cements this as one of the best Kanye songs. The incredible video with Pamela Anderson provides triumphant '70s Evel Knievel vibes, foreshadowing the out-of-this-world trajectory Kanye would follow as a musician and pop culture icon in the years to follow.
11. “Niggas in Paris”
This song was performed by Kanye West and JAY-Z 11 times in a row during their tour stop in the title’s namesake city. Armed with that knowledge, do we really need to explain how great it is?
10. “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”
For the last few months of my high school career, I was late every single day. Literally. Bless you poor Mrs. Scales, but I could not possibly have made time to care about physics in my marijuana-addled days of being a 17-year old. And each day, as I pulled into the parking lot, I made a ritual of firing up “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” slowly rolling past the empty cars just so I could yell “Class started two hours ago, OH, AM I LATE?!” There has simply been no better anthem for pridefully having zero (zilch, nada) fucks to give written in this lifetime.
9. “Stronger”
On “Stronger,” we have peak shutter shades / Louis Vuitton Don era Kanye. He’s confident enough to use a Daft Punk sample (later confident enough to hire them for a performance at the Grammys), and to say that he makes it work would be an understatement. The track was mixed down 75 times, but Kanye still wasn’t satisfied, so he enlisted Timbaland to re-do the drums. A pop masterpiece, “Stronger” stands strong as one of the best Kanye West songs in the early years of his career and served to solidified Kanye’s position in the mainstream consciousness.
8. “Heartless”
Kanye strips back the maximalism and puffed-up optimism of his previous albums and pares it all down with a Roland-808 drum machine and Autotuned melodies on “Heartless.” In stark contrast to the warm samples and old-school hip-hop sounds he’s used in the past, here he’s dramatic, cold, and detached, reminding us that although he’s at the top of the rap game in 2008, he’s still human and feels the isolating depths of loneliness. But what beauty he can spin from it.
7. "Devil in a New Dress"
What. A. Beat. Perhaps the standout from Kanye’s most masterful album, it captures his unique style as a rapper. From the scintillating “Put your hands to the constellations/ The way you look should be a sin, you my sensation,” through to stereotypically wry, “That’s Dior Homme, not Dior Homie,” it’s Ye at his most acerbic. Then there’s Rick Ross, who casually wraps up proceedings with his greatest guest verse of all time. Goosebumps.
6. "Through the Wire"
To paraphrase a line he would utilize a few albums down the road, “every superhero needs his back story,” and as far as origins go, you just can’t make this shit up. The account of Yeezy laying down his bars through a jaw wired shut after a frighteningly close experience with violent death is – rightfully – the stuff of legend, but the track holds up just as well without the story. It is one of the best examples of Kanye’s early, pitch-shifted sample-driven work, and a masterfully-crafted interpolation of the funk and soul records he grew up listening to.
5. "Gold Digger"
One of Kanye’s first mainstream hits, winning praise from Spike Lee and your friend’s cool dad alike, “Gold Digger” is an emblematic early Kanye track from his sophomore album. Showcasing his innate musical knowledge with a re-appropriated Ray Charles classic performed by Jamie Foxx and a surprise synth-coda that is a clear nod to Stevie Wonder’s mammoth-hit “Superstition,” the song deliriously upends decades of pop music into one lean, mean, unstoppable machine. Bonus points for the percussion and Kanye’s laugh-out-loud bars. All together now, “WE WANT PRE-NUP, YEAH!”
4. "Blood on the Leaves"
Yeezus' influence is unparalleled; whispers of its stylistic flourishes are ubiquitous in hip-hop and electronic music alike. It was immediately hailed as an instant-classic within days of its initial release, an assessment which – if possible – may have served to undersell its quality.
‘Instant-classic’ is also a term that feels inevitable for “Blood on the Leaves,” a towering pinnacle of anguish in an album full of it. Above the mercilessly crushing beats, high above the ululations of that Nina Simone sample, even higher than the soaring lines of Autotune (an instrument West somehow redefines yet again), is the raw, emotional honesty that courses through each second of this song. “Remember when we were so young, when I would hold you” he bemoans, plumbing the depths of his soul and serving it to us on a gilded platter. As far as lamentations go, this one is nothing short of exquisite.
3. "Jesus Walks"
“Jesus Walks” is an anthemic masterpiece; both doggedly militaristic in tone while simultaneously holding a pertinent message, one that still rings true today. Ye lays down the gauntlet from the get-go, “We at war with terrorism, racism and most of all, we at war with ourselves,” in what goes on to become what is perhaps Kanye’s most revered track.
The whole cult of Kanye West was spawned from this very song - “Jesus Walks” is soul-stirring, invigorating, fervor-filled - you name it. It’s Kanye at his most transcendent; ultimately foreshadowing his transition into Yeezus himself. A requiem for the old Kanye, who has since become considered rap’s foremost iconoclast.
2. “Flashing Lights”
“Flashing Lights” was recorded in 2007, a decade removed from Kanye’s now monolithic status in style, music and popular culture. The name itself earmarked what he has endured throughout this decade - unprecedented media attention and unparalleled super-stardom - it’s all right there, summed up in its most succinct form.
It contains all the best elements of a classic Ye song. Stirring strings, archetypal bars about luxury and lust and a killer hook. All of which accompanied an iconic, Spike Jonze-directed video, which sees Ye beginning to flex the creative muscles that now keep him firmly on the lips of even the deepest chasms of the internet. He’s now a certified SEO-goldmine for any publication - you’re now reading this article because ‘Kanye West’ was in the name of this piece. Why? Because of the sheer visionary brilliance of tracks like “Flashing Lights.”
1. "Runaway"
In a catalogue that spans decades, hundreds of tracks, an army of collaborators and a smorgasbord of musical styles, "Runaway" was decidedly and unanimously our choice to close out the list of best Kanye West songs. Now, why?
One cannot overlook the context of its creation; in which this song was the definitive statement in an album that was a true make-or-break moment in absolving his sins in the eyes of a public still reeling from that fabled mic theft. In a record full of self-flagellation, "Runaway" is the towering peak of Ye's benediction, a shrieking wail from the depths of his soul acknowledging how far his mighty hubris had made him fall.
And we accept his apology, because "Runaway" is nothing short of nine minutes of sheer perfection. Never before has Kanye's tinkering with Autotune produced a result as awe-inspiring as the song's coda, a duet with a cello that takes up half of the track's runtime. Never before has he created a melody as instantly recongnizable or as simplistic as the one gently pressed in those opening piano keys. Never before, and never since, has his work ever been so ravishingly beautiful.
If this wasn't enough for you, check out our ranking of the 30 best Drake songs right here.
