Ultralight Beam

"Ultralight Beam"
Song by Kanye West
from the album The Life of Pablo
Released February 14, 2016
Recorded 2015
Length 5:20
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Life of Pablo track listing
"Ultralight Beam"
(1)		 "Father Stretch My Hands"
(2)

"Ultralight Beam" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. It is the introductory track to his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo, released in 2016. The track features The-Dream, Chance the Rapper, Kelly Price and Kirk Franklin.[1]

The song has received positive reviews from critics, with Chance the Rapper being consistently singled out for praise.[2] It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017.[3]

Composition

The song begins with a sampled voice of a pious child from the social media site Instagram. After the sample, West provides his verse, with assists from The-Dream. R&B singer Kelly Price provides the third verse and Chance the Rapper provides the fourth verse. The song ends with West, choirs, and gospel singer Kirk Franklin.[4]

The song has one official sample credit, a video uploaded on social media site Instagram by user sheisnatalie of a 4-year-old girl named Natalie talking about God.[5][6] In the video, she says "We don't want no devils in the house, God!" and then "We want the Lord, and that's it!" The clip is used as the intro to the song.[7] In addition to the officially credited sample, the song also contains a sound effect from the video game Counter-Strike.[8]

Recording

Before The Life of Pablo's release, Justin Bieber made an appearance on the track.[9] It was first revealed by Chance the Rapper, who does make an appearance on the track. Bieber, however, does not appear on the final version.[9]

Meaning

When asked about the songs meaning, Chance the Rapper has stated that "'Ultralight Beam' is about Kanye's faith in God. Whenever he's down or feels he can't fight any more, he searches for the light and knows, in God's hands, everything will be alright.[10]

Release and promotion

The song was released as the first track on The Life of Pablo. On February 13, 2016, West performed the song live on Saturday Night Live with Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, The-Dream, Price and a gospel choir.[11] The performance received positive reviews from critics, with many commenting on Chance the Rapper's verse. Matt Wilstein of The Daily Beast said Chance "ended up stealing the show with his fire verse."[12] Jon Caramanica of the New York Times described the performance as "stirring, a performance of uncommon intensity and vision."[13]

Reception

Chance the Rapper has received critical acclaim for his performance on the song, with his verse described by one critic as a "clear highlight".[14]

The song has received positive reviews from critics, with Chance the Rapper's verse and vocals being singled out for praise.[2][15] Forrest Wickman of Slate described the track as signaling "listeners that [The Life of Pablo] will be the anti-Yeezus." Wickman also praised Chance the Rapper, calling him "a clear highlight".[14] Brian Josephs of Spin wrote that "Chance's performance on "Ultralight Beam" was arguably his strongest" performance of 2016, on top of his own critically acclaimed mixtape Coloring Book.[15] Complex described Chance's verse as one of the best rap verses of 2016, with them describing his verse as "dexterous and forceful. Furthermore, they described his verse as "more than a star turn, it's the kind of performances legacies are built on.[2]

The song received nominations for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017, losing both to "Hotline Bling" by Drake.[3]

Pitchfork listed "Ultralight Beam" as the best song of 2016 on their ranking of the year's 100 best songs.[16]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Canada Singles Top 100[17] 88
Ireland Singles Top 100[17] 78
Official Singles Charts[18] 63
UK Singles Top 75[17] 63
UK Singles Top 100[17] 67
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 67

Personnel

Credits adapted from West's official website.[1]

  • Production – Kanye West, Mike Dean #mwa for Dean's List Productions, Chance the Rapper & Swizz Beatz
  • Co-production – Rick Rubin & Derek Watkins
  • Additional production – Plain Pat, DJDs & Noah Goldstein for Ark Productions, Inc
  • Engineering – Noah Goldstein, Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer, Mike Dean & Mike Malchicoff
  • Mix – Manny Marroquin at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA.
  • Mix Assisted – assisted by Chris Galland, Ike Schultz & Jeff Jackson
  • Vocals – Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, The-Dream & Kelly Price
  • Additional Vocals – Natalie Green & Samoria Green
  • Trumpets – Donnie Trumpet
  • Keyboards & Bass guitar – Mike Dean
  • Choir Contractor – Anthony Evans for Sherman James Productions
  • Choir – Aaron Encinas, Shanika Bereal, Crystal Lewis Ray, Kenyon Dixon, Rachel Whitlow, George Young, Lakesha Shantell, Tiffany Stevenson & Chavonne Stewart

References

  1. 1 2 davidbaker.tv, builtbylane.com ×. "THE LIFE OF PABLO". THE LIFE OF PABLO - KANYE WEST. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Best Rap Verses of 2016Chance The Rapper, "Ultralight Beam"". Complex UK. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "59th Annual GRAMMY Awards Winners & Nominees". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  4. ↑ "The True Story Of Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam," As Told By Fonzworth Bentley". The FADER. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Here's Every Sample on Kanye West's New Album, 'The Life of Pablo'". Complex. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Every Sample on Kanye's "The Life of Pablo"". Genius. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Meet the 4-Year-Old Girl Kanye West Samples on". XXL Mag. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  8. ↑ "This Hidden 'Counter-Strike' Sample On Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam" Will Blow Your Mind". Genius. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Chance the Rapper Reveals Justin Bieber Recorded 'Ultralight Beam'". Rap-Up. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Get the actual low-down on the meaning behind ‘Ultralight Beam’ from Chance the Rapper". ACCLAIM. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Kanye West "Saturday Night Live" Performance Features Chance the Rapper, Young Thug, The-Dream, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin, and More | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  12. ↑ Wilstein, Matt (February 14, 2017). "Watch Kanye West’s Brilliant SNL Performance of ‘Ultra Light Beams’". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  13. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (February 14, 2017). "Review: Kanye West’s ‘The Life of Pablo,’ Songs of Praise and Self". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Wickman, Forrest (February 14, 2017). "Your Track-by-Track Guide to Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  15. 1 2 "Chance the Rapper’s Ascendent "Ultralight Beam" Verse Transcended the Year’s Darkness". Spin. December 13, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  16. ↑ "The 100 Best Songs of 2016". Pitchfork Media. December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "Ultralight Beam by Kanye West - Music Charts". acharts.co. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  18. ↑ "ultralight+beam | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Kanye West - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
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