In honour of Kanye West’s 39Gold Digger, Power, So Appalled, All Falls Down, Pinocchio Story, Hey Mama and All Day1. Gorgeous

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birthday, we count down Yeezy’s best 10 songs. Let us know if you agree with our selections in the comments. This is no particular order since we couldn’t even agree on the order of Mr West’s greatness ourselves.

Honourable mentions to:

With a hook by Kid Cudi and a masterful beat by Mr West himself, Mike Dean and No I.D., Gorgeous is arguably the best song off My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy which is a classic of classic albums. Kanyeezy takes America to task and tells a black story for the generations.

2. Heartless

The Kanye song that everybody knows and the heartbreak anthem of a generation. At the time, the melodic flow was unlike anything we’d ever really heard before. You can’t tell us that this isn’t still in your ‘in your feelings’ playlist.

3. Through The Wire

This track could have made it onto the best of Kanye by the mere fact that he recorded it after a near-fatal car crash, with wires in his mouth to protect his fractured jaw. But Yeezy spits some pretty dope bars too. Yo, Gee, they can’t stop Yeezy from rapping, can they?

4. All of The Lights

Another single from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye has Rihanna sing a timeless hook (written by The Dream) and has Kid Cudi rap the bridge before just throwing on superstar artistes cuz he can… Shoutout to these people for creating an iconic song: Fergie, Charlie Wilson, John Legend, Tony Williams, Alicia Keys, La Roux, The Dream, Ryan Leslie, Alvin Fields and Ken Lewis.

5. Jesus Walks

We at war, We at war with terrorism, racism, But most of all we at war with ourselves. Almost every bar from this unparalleled song is memorable. How can Yeezy how go to hell when he made Jesus Walks? Shoutout to you if you get that reference. 

6. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)

The original could also make this list, but Kanye holds his own before one of Jay Z’s best ever verses – representing the rebirth of Rocafella Records as Roc Nation, and Jay and Ye’s unbreakable brother bond. Classic.

7. Can’t Tell Me Nothing

A single off his second album Graduation, Kanye has called this song one of his personal favourites.

8. Stronger

The only single off Graduation more popular than Can’t Tell Me Nothing, Stronger has Ye collaborating with the legends Daft Punk and spitting unforgettable bars. “Awesome, the Christian in Christian Dior, Damn, they don’t make ’em like this anymore”

9. Flashing Lights

Another song off the enigmatic rapper’s Graduation, this is also one of Kanye’s best ever beats. 

10. Homecoming

Finally, rounding out the list is yet another hit off Graduation.  The ’07 song features Chris Martin from Coldplay. Fun fact: on the original version of this song, John Legend had sung the hook.