Kanye West

Lore & Background

Kanye West launched the GOOD Fridays initiative to promote *My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy*, releasing a free new song every Friday. In the second week, he dropped "Monster," which was promptly removed from his website and uploaded as a digital single onto iTunes. West announced the song was actually intended for his collaborative album *Watch the Throne* with Jay-Z, but that announcement failed to surface, and the song appeared on *My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy* as the third single. West recorded the album in a reclusive manner in Oahu, Hawaii, where he invited Rick Ross to work on the song "Live Fast, Die Young" for Ross's album *Teflon Don*. While there, Ross walked in on West recording another song and was so impressed he recorded a quick, short verse. West was so impressed by Ross that he invited him back during the final stages, where both Jay-Z and Minaj were recording their verses. Justin Vernon's involvement stemmed from West phoning him directly, intending to sample his song "Woods." The two talked for about 40 minutes, and West invited him to Hawaii. Vernon watched Minaj record her verse and expressed admiration for her performance, though he initially had no idea who she was. The fourteen-hour day recording schedule allowed for a lot of fun and creativity.

In Their Own Story

In a recording studio in Oahu, Hawaii, Kanye West was working on his fifth album when Rick Ross walked in while West was recording another song. Ross was so impressed by what he heard that he decided to record a quick, though short verse. West had explained the concept of the song to Ross, which according to Ross, blew him away in presentation. Later, both Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj were recording their verses in the same studio. Minaj had contributed 32 bars to the track, and her main inspiration was the possibility of meeting Jay-Z, with whom she was obsessed since a young age. She described both Jay-Z and West as "icons" and stated she was blessed to be working with them. Justin Vernon was also present, having been invited by West after a 40-minute phone call. Vernon watched Minaj record her verse and noted that initially he had no idea who she was. The fourteen-hour day recording schedule allowed for a lot of fun and creativity, with West describing Vernon as "similar to me, where he just does shit just so people would be like, 'Oh shit, how did you do that?'"

Reader's Guide

Kanye West's role in the creation of "Monster" was central: he produced the track with Mike Dean, wrote on it, and featured Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Bon Iver. The song was released through his GOOD Friday initiative, a weekly free music giveaway to promote *My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy*. West recorded the album in Oahu, Hawaii, after media controversies. He invited Rick Ross to work on a different song, but Ross ended up recording a verse for "Monster" after being impressed by what he heard. West also invited Justin Vernon after phoning him directly to sample his song "Woods." The two became friends playing basketball, and West introduced Vernon to producer Jeff Bhasker. Vernon appears on vocals on "Monster" and was sampled on another album track, "Lost in the World." The song's composition begins with an ominous, distorted vocal roar by Vernon, followed by a brief verse from Ross, then West's hook and full verse. Jay-Z appears after West's verse, referencing horror characters like Sasquatch, Godzilla, King Kong, and the Loch Ness Monster. Minaj delivers the final verse, changing delivery in mid-line and referencing Jamaican DJ Tony Matterhorn. The song ends with a spooky vocal riff by Vernon reminiscent of "Thriller."

Did You Know?

• "Monster" was originally intended for Kanye West and Jay-Z's collaborative album *Watch the Throne*, but that plan failed to surface and it appeared on *My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy* instead.
• Nicki Minaj contributed 32 bars to the track and her main inspiration was the possibility of meeting Jay-Z, with whom she was obsessed since a young age.
• Justin Vernon of Bon Iver was invited to Hawaii after Kanye West phoned him directly to sample his song "Woods"; the two talked for about 40 minutes.
• Rick Ross walked in on Kanye West recording another song and was so impressed he recorded a quick, short verse for "Monster," even though he was not initially intended to be featured.
• The song debuted and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 18.