Post what you consider the single definitive ye song. not the first track you would show someone, or your favorite, the one that encapsulates what you think of ye as a recording artist

power

christian dior denim flow

its famous.

I have a theory that it's ye perfecting the song structure he uses on new slaves and ghost town. It's not entirely without influence or predecessors but the transformative use of samples (the purity and ecstatic energy of the chop carries the entire b section without the need for lyrics) in the technique allows him to do one of these every album and reduce the world into an emotional wreck. its extremely powerful stuff and in my opinion it's the thing he can most claim as his own invention

That's not yet even getting to the thematic concerns of the song, which is about the zeitgeist compelling him to action and him compelling the zeitgeist in turn. the samples add texture and textual depth: Italian prog rock inspired by bach (the march of history), on top of a female dancehall dj (meta-commentary on his dynamic with women), nina (elemental love, the divine)

Hey Mama
Never Let Me Down
Jesus Walks
Diamonds From Sierra Leone
Runaway

My pick: Hey Mama

hey mama? you think ye is best summarized by hey mama?

Prolly Gold Digger. Hard drums, fire sample, funny lyrics, still goes off in the clubs to this day

He's literally about to release DONDA, so yes

Forgot Through The Wire

power

If I have to say something that hasn’t been said yet, Ghost Town

compelling answer

To me, definitive = authoritative, gold standard

So if you're picking a song after Ye was established, that's incorrect IMO

Flashing Lights

Through The Wire and Runaway

idk, feels correct to pick something that encompasses as much of the scope of his thematic interests as possible

Through the Wire
Gold Digger
Stronger
Can't Tell Me Nothing
Flashing Lights
Heartless
Gorgeous
All of the Lights
Monster

lotta kids itt not picking 1

Can't Tell Me Nothing or Power

Saint Pablo

Runaway, Jesus Walks, Can’t Tell Me Nothing capture him best.

Devil in a new Dress got it all for me.

The soul sample and lofi production. Ye‘s humor and delivery on here is just so Kanye. Even some religious lines. His focus on sex. And I like the thought of him knowing that what he does might be stupid or dumb yet he still loves it tho.

See, I agree, but you'd also need to list the song or songs that made Kanye West Kanye West (who we know him to be today)

So you can decide between: established in Rap or established commercially (or a mix of both: Touch The Sky, for example)

IMO anyway

Through The Wire does all this but better

The thought of recording a song with your mouth wired shut and joking about the hassle of going through airport security is the most Kanye thing, possibly