Last night, Kanye West dropped "Only One," his latest masterpiece track about his mother. Not many rappers have given us such an honest window into their relationships with their moms (other than 2Pac), but with tracks like "Family Business" and "Coldest Winter," West has time and time again shown love to the late Donda West. Before yesterday, his best ode to her was the celebratory "Hey Mama," taken from 2005's Late Registration, so today we're throwing it back to the now-classic track.
As you can see in the differences between this and "Only One," which was written from Donda's perspective in the afterlife, a lot has changed for Kanye in the past decade. He's lost his mom, gained a wife and child, gone through many stylistic changes, but one thing remains the same: he appreciates, loves and respects the hell out of Donda West.
Quotable Lyrics
Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes
Cuz a nigga cheatin, telling you lies, then I started to cry
As we knelt on the kitchen floor
I said mommy I'mma love you till you don't hurt no more
And when I'm older, you ain't gotta work no more
And I'mma get you that mansion that we couldn't afford
See you're, unbreakable, unmistakable
Highly capable, lady that's makin loot
A livin legend too, just look at what heaven do
Send us an angel, and I thank you