Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign Bonded Over Family Anecdotes On "Real Friends"

It's been five years since the release of Kanye West's "The Life Of Pablo."

BYAron A.Feb 14, 20215.3K Views

Five years ago today, Kanye West finally unleashed The Life Of Pablo to streaming services. Mind you, the lead up to the album's release was kind of sloppy. He premiered it as MSG before setting the Kanye West standard of never having a deadline set in place. Finally, on Valentine's Day, it popped up on TIDAL and fans were finally able to listen to a high-quality version of the album.

Some might argue that this was Kanye's last great album. The Life Of Pablo was truly a celebration of Kanye's evolution over the years, offering plenty of highlights from the Vic Mensa and Sia-assisted, "Wolves," to the Madlib-produced, "No More Parties In LA" ft Kendrick Lamar. However, Kanye delivered a poignant tale of disloyalty and wealth on "Real Friends" with Ty Dolla $ign. With production from himself, Frank Dukes, Havoc and Boi-1da, Kanye reflects on his relationship with his family and how that's evolved with fame and fortune.

Of course, it was the outro to the song that remained a highlight over the years. Ye shares an anecdote about the time his cousin held his laptop that he was "f*ckin' bitches on" for a $250K ransom.

Quotable Lyrics
Oh you've been nothin' but a friend to me
Niggas thinkin' I'm crazy, you defendin' me
It's funny I ain't spoke to n***as in centuries
To be honest, dawg, I ain't feelin' your energy

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About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.